Communications Africa 3 2014 by Alain Charles Publishing

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Issue 3 2014 Édition 3 2014

Africa

Afrique

www.communicationsafrica.com

SatCom Africa Opportunities and innovative solutions in satellite communications

Finance Using mobile technology to promote financial inclusion

Cloud Increasing productivity through new technological deployment

Satellite L’efficacité des applications client Satellite service to African agriculturalists

dans les secteurs industrielles

Europe m15 - Kenya KSH300 - Nigeria N400 - South Africa R20 - UK £10 - USA $16.50

FEATURES: ● Internet ● Mobile ● Infrastructure REGULAR REPORTS: ● Bulletin - Agenda ● Equipment - Équipement

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CONTENTS Issue 3 2014 Édition 3 2014

Afrique

Africa www.communicationsafrica.com

SatCom Africa Opportunities and innovative solutions in satellite communications

Finance

Bulletin

Events

Agenda

Equipment

FEATURES

Using mobile technology to promote financial inclusion

Cloud Increasing productivity through new technological deployment

Satellite L’efficacité des applications client dans les secteurs industrielles

Satellite service to African agriculturalists Europe m15 - Kenya KSH300 - Nigeria N400 - South Africa R20 - UK £10 - USA $16.50

FEATURES: ● Internet ● Mobile ● Infrastructure REGULAR REPORTS: ● Bulletin - Agenda ● Equipment - Équipement

Satellite

SatCom Africa, the continent’s leading satellite and telecommunications industry trade show and conference; notes on satellite service to broadcasters, video service providers, telecom operators, ISPs and government agencies operating across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas; and how satellite is transforming African agriculture

Commerce

A note from the Editor

How connectivity can serve the next wave of entrepreneurs by improving banking services

THIS ISSUE EXAMINES how satellite communications and broadcasting operations can boost businesses and economies with reference to developments at SatCom Africa. It also addresses commerce, industry, and data connectivity with reference to cloud-based architecture and services. With respect to mobile communications, this issue offers insights into the use of advanced technologies to serve both payments and health systems across the continent.

Industry

Improving South African productivity with new mobile technologies for remote working

Data

Analysis of analytics at work in forthcoming cloud-based strategic scenarios

Mobile

The rapid rise of mHealth initiatives, with new apps and devices driving delivery of new services

Broadcast

A comprehensive listing of the key broadcast players - and a report on product convergence

Main Cover Image: BlackBerry Inset: CIAT/Neil Palmer Contents Page Image: Terrapinn

ARTICLES Une note du rédacteur

Satellite

Ce numéro propose une analyse de l'évolution récente dans le déploiement de communications de satellite, et l’utilisation de l’internet.

Une base de données améliorée qui devrait renforcer l’efficacité des applications client dans les secteurs de la défense, de l’aviation et des industries pétrolière, gazière et minière

Internet

Le large bande peut aider à réduire la fracture de développement

Managing Editor: Andrew Croft - andrew.croft@alaincharles.com

Audit Bureau of Circulations Business Magazines

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, Prashant AP, Hiriyti Bairu, Lizzie Carroll, David Clancy, Ranganath GS, Rhonita Patnaik, Genaro Santos, Zsa Tebbit, Nicky Valsamakis and Ben Watts Production: Nathanielle Kumar, Donatella Moranelli, Nick Salt and Sophia White Email: production@alaincharles.com Publisher: Nick Fordham Advertising Sales Director: Pallavi Pandey Magazine Sales Manager: Steve Thomas - Tel: +44 (0) 20 7834 7676, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7973 0076, Email: stephen.thomas@alaincharles.com Country China India Nigeria South Africa UAE USA

Representative Ying Matthieson Tanmay Mishra Bola Olowo Annabel Marx Camilla Capece Michael Tomashefsky

Telephone (86)10 8472 1899 (91) 80 656 84483 (234) 8034349299 (27) 218519017 (971) 4 448 9260 (1) 203 226 2882

www.communicationsafrica.com

Fax (86) 10 8472 1900 (91) 80 40600791 (27) 46 624 5931 (971) 4 448 9261 (1) 203 226 7447

Email ying.matthieson@alaincharles.com tanmay.mishra@alaincharles.com bola.olowo@alaincharles.com annabel.marx@alaincharles.com camilla.capece@alaincharles.com michael.tomashefsky@alaincharles.com

Head Office: Alain Charles Publishing Ltd University House 11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place London SW1W 0EX, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 20 7834 7676 Fax: +44 20 7973 0076

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Subscriptions: circulation@alaincharles.com Chairman: Derek Fordham Printed by: Wyndeham Grange Ltd Communications Africa/Afrique is a bi-monthly magazine ISSN: 0962 3841

Serving the world of business

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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BULLETIN Developing a South African ‘Smart City’

Why size matters for urban communication

PCCW GLOBAL, THE Hong Kong-headquartered international operating division of telecommunications service provider HKT, has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Shanghai Zendai, an urban complex developer specialising in commercial real estate from mainland China, to provide technology and telecommunications services, skills and experience to assist in Zendai’s development of a smart city in Modderfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa; as the venture’s strategic technology partner, PCCW Global will provide Zendai with a wide range of services including systems development and solutions integration, application development and management, telecommunications and information technology services, cloud computing services and ecommerce solutions.

WITH INFONETICS PREDICTING that the market for small, powerful 70-80GHz radios will see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 61 per cent from 2012-2017 - and with the implication that, for this to happen, there will need to be a change from installing large, highly visible antennas, which often are not community friendly (due to their aesthetic impact) and long installation times - Aviat Networks has launched the market’s smallest and lightest 7080GHz radio; at one fifth the weight of current radios and needing only half the power, Aviat’s latest solution delivers an impressive 1Gbps capacity with its compact size and integrated antenna meaning that installation times are also greatly reduced.

Huawei connects remote rural areas in Zambia CHINESE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT company Huawei Technologies has launched the first of a series of 169 base stations that will connect rural communities in Zambia to the mobile phone network, to bring the latest mobile voice and data technology to thousands of people in remote locations across the country, enabling them to keep in touch with family and friends, find out what is happening elsewhere in the nation, and become integrated into the global community; the towers, of which some 57 will be serviced by Zamtel, 56 by MTN and 56 by Airtel, are expected to be completed before the end of October 2014.

RTI gets new PlayBox titling and TV playout system RADIODIFFUSION-TÉLÉVISION IVOIRIENNE (RTI), state broadcaster for the Ivory Coast, has taken delivery of a new CG titling and television playout solution from PlayBox Technology, which manufactures television channel-in-a-box systems - with installation by Brussels-based systems integrator Periactes Broadcast Solutions at RTI's production and transmission centre in Abidjan; "PlayBox Technology equipment is ideally suited to the fully tapeless environment in which RTI and most other modern broadcast networks operate," said Baptiste de Bemels, general manager of Periactes Broadcast Solutions.

MEF Africa reports on mobile content and commerce A TRADE ORGANISATION supporting companies seeking to monetise goods, services and digital products via mobile connected devices, MEF has launched the second part of a three-country African Growth Market Study, which surveys mobile business leaders in the region to deliver an industry snapshot of market confidence and key drivers for mobile content and commerce in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa; the study indicates that business confidence in mobile content and commerce revenue growth is high in all markets surveyed with more than two-thirds of respondents in Kenya (70 per cent) and South Africa (68 per cent) and almost all in Nigeria (93 per cent) stating their optimism - with m-commerce, mobile money and social networks identified as the areas most likely to drive revenue growth.

The new PlayBox Technology CG titling and TV playout system in use at RTI

PCCW Global improves Namibian access PCCW GLOBAL, THE Hong Kong-headquartered international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong's premier telecommunications service provider, has signed a MPLS interconnection agreement that will enhance Telecom Namibia’s international network coverage and service offerings to the benefit of both companies; the agreement will see Telecom Namibia’s Ethernet and IP VPN service coverage extended to meet the needs of its overseas and regional customers via PCCW Global’s robust and resilient MPLS network, which covers more than 3,000 cities in over 130 countries throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Italtel enables a new age of collaboration

The study indicates that business confidence in mobile content is high

A gift for the 10 millionth Orange Money customer STÉPHANE RICHARD, CHAIRMAN and chief executive officer of Orange, gave a bonus to the 10 millionth customer of Orange Money in Dakar, Senegal; Ms Kanny G., who had gone to an Orange Money outlet to open an account, was surprised to learn that she had won a smartphone with an Orange Money credit of 100,000 FCFA (US$210).

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

A SPECIALIST IN next generation networks, value added services and global IP-IP communication, Italtel has launched a new product called Collaboration At Work, which is aimed at solving interoperability challenges; Stefano Pileri, CEO of Italtel, said, “We have designed and created the solution Collaboration At Work to leverage our key values and assets; the capacity to design and produce innovative products that integrate market solutions, solid partnerships with key technology leaders, certified engineers and our vast test plants for monitoring and testing of end-to-end network services.”

Ericsson media delivery network wins award at NAB TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICES company Ericsson has been awarded the inaugural ‘Best of Show: TV Technology’ award at the 2014 NAB Show for its Media Delivery Network solution and plug-in media delivery ecosystem; presented by NewBay Media, the award honours a select group of industry-leading products exhibited at the show.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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BULLETIN Orange célèbre le 10 millionième client Orange Money

RAD apporte des services et une visibilité illimités

A L’OCCASION D’UN voyage à Dakar au Sénégal, Stéphane Richard, Président Directeur Général d’Orange, a récompensé le 10 millionième client Orange Money; Kanny G, venue ouvrir un compte dans un point de vente Orange Money, a eu la surprise de gagner un smartphone associé à un compte Orange Money crédité de 100 000 FCFA (152 €).

RAD OFFRE DES innovations de pointe qui permettront aux fournisseurs télécoms de prendre de l'avance sur la concurrence en déployant de nouveaux services plus rapidement et plus intelligemment, avec un meilleur retour sur investissement; déployée dans les locaux même du client, la solution innovante de virtualisation des fonctions réseau distribuée (D-NFV, pour Distributed Network Functions Virtualization) de RAD intègre une unité d'interface réseau (NID) basée FPGA en couche 2/couche 3 et une infrastructure informatique équipée d'un serveur x86 standard.

La consommation d’énergie des réseaux

Stéphane Richard, Président Directeur Général d’Orange, a récompensé le 10 millionième client Orange Money. Kanny G

ALCATEL-LUCENT A DÉVOILÉ une nouvelle application développée par les Bell Labs, son unité de recherche, que les opérateurs de réseaux et autres peuvent utiliser pour évaluer dans quelle mesure l’utilisation des technologies les plus récentes réduirait la consommation d’énergie, les coûts et l’empreinte carbone de leurs réseaux; baptisée G.W.A.T.T. (Global ‘What if’ Analyzer of NeTwork Energy ConsumpTion), cette application facile à utiliser permet d’anticiper les tendances en matière de consommation et d’efficacité énergétiques, sur la base de toute une variété de scénarios de croissance du trafic et de choix technologiques.

Le progrès technologique et la crise économique

Un programme pour le développement futur des TIC

LES AVANCÉES TECHNOLOGIQUES et les modèles de gestion innovants ont créé des vecteurs de liberté d'expression dans le monde entier, mais de nouveaux problèmes font également leur apparition, à l'image de la censure, du filtrage, du blocage et de la surveillance sur Internet, comme l'indique un rapport de l'UNESCO; l’étude, intitulée World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development [« Tendances mondiales en matière de liberté d'expression et de développement des médias »], constate que les nouvelles technologies offrent des possibilités inédites de production, de partage et d'accès à du contenu multimédia sur diverses plateformes.

LE PLAN D'ACTION de Dubaï, adopté par la Conférence mondiale de développement des télécommunications de l'UIT, établit le programme du développement des télécommunications et des technologies de l'information et de la communication pour les quatre prochaines années; la Déclaration de Dubaï affirme ce qui suit: "Un accès universel et financièrement abordable aux télécommunications et technologies de l'information et de la communication est essentiel pour le développement de l'humanité sur les plans économique, social et culturel et contribue à l'édification d'une économie mondiale et d'une société mondiale de l'information."

Téléphonie mobile 4G au Burkina AIRTEL BURKINA FASO S.A va une fois de plus révolutionner le secteur des télécommunications, avec le lancement en 1er au Burkina Faso et en Afrique de l’Ouest, d’un réseau de téléphonie 4ème génération ou encore 4G; après avoir ouvert l’ère du haut débit sur le mobile au Burkina Faso avec l’introduction de la 3.75G en mai dernier, airtel Burkina Faso S.A. a officiellement demandé à l’Autorité de Régulation des Communications et des Postes (ARCEP), l’obtention d’une licence en vue de déployer un réseau 4G au Burkina Faso, à l’instar de ce qui se fait dans la plupart des grands pays Européens aujourd’hui.

La Cote d’Ivoire fait entendre sa voix à New Delhi LE MINISTRE DE la Poste et des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication, Porte-Parole du Gouvernement, représentant le Premier Ministre, Daniel Kablan Duncan au 10ème Conclave de la Confédération des Industries Indienne et d’Exim Bank Inde, a pris la parole pour faire entendre la voix de la Cote d’Ivoire à cet important rendez-vous de la coopération internationale Sud-Sud. Il a d’abord exprimé les regrets du Premier Ministre de n’avoir pu répondre à l’invitation du Gouvernement Indien. Ensuite, il a remercié les investisseurs et industriels indiens pour l’organisation de cette rencontre dans ce grand pays. Il a rappelé à l’assistance la vision et l’ambition légitime du Président de la République, Son Excellence Alassane Ouattara de faire de notre pays un pays émergent à l’horizon 2020. Et pour ce faire, le Gouvernement s’est fixé des priorités à savoir, restaurer la Paix et la sécurité sur tout le territoire, réconcilier les ivoiriens et réduire le taux de pauvreté, par une relance de notre économie. Ces chantiers sont sur la bonne voie, et notre pays prévoit un taux de croissance à 2 chiffres pour 2014.

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Le Plan d'action de Dubaï établit le programme du développement des télécommunications et des technologies de l'information et de la communication

Vserv.mobi permet aux éditeurs sur les marchés émergents d'adopter le mobile grâce VSERV.MOBI, UNE PLATEFORME primée d'échange de publicités mobiles, a annoncé aujourd'hui sa stratégie à succès visant à aider plus de 30 éditeurs de médias imprimés de premier plan à « Appifier » leurs contenus sur les marchés émergents. L'initiative d'Appification est l'une des principales offres de Vserv.mobi qui permet à des éditeurs encore de rejoindre un public plus large grâce aux applications mobiles. Dans le cadre de cette initiative, Vserv.mobi déploiera une centaine d'applications dans diverses langues et catégories et utilisant plusieurs systèmes d'exploitation. « En début d'année 2013, nous nous sommes rendu compte que le potentiel de consommation des contenus sur mobile constituait la prochaine étape cruciale dans l'industrie. Dans un contexte de migration du lectorat de la presse imprimée, les éditeurs de contenus examinaient diverses méthodes de répondre au virage croissant du public sur les marchés émergents. Compte tenu de la montée des utilisateurs d'internet mobile, la solution consistait à créer une « apportunité » dont profitera l'ensemble de l'industrie », a déclaré Prashant Dixit, Directeur du développement commercial mondial chez Vserv.mobi.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AGENDA

Events/Événements 2014 JUNE/JUIN 2-4

Mobile Network Performance Management

London, UK

3-4

Oil and Gas Cyber Security

Oslo, Norway

4-5

Broadcast, Film & Music Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

8-11

Connected Cities Middle East

Dubai, UAE

10-11

Connecting West Africa

Dakar, Senegal

www.westafrica.comworldseries.com

11-13

Card, ATM & Mobile Expo

Lagos, Nigeria

www.intermarc-ng.com

17-19

DISTREE Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

www.distreevents.com

24-25

Digital Services Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

8-10

Cards & Payments Congress

Luanda, Angola

9-10

Banking & Mobile Money West Africa

Accra, Ghana

Enterprise Mobility Security

Johannesburg, South Africa

15-16

Banking & Mobile Money West Africa

Lagos, Nigeria

22-25

Mine Site Automation & Communication

Sandton, South Africa

www.mobilenetworkperformanceevent.com www.oilandgas-cybersecurity.com www.aitecafrica.com www.connectedcitiesme.com

www.vasafrica.comworldseries.com

JULY/JUILLET www.iirangola.com www.bankingtechmena.com www.enterprisemobilityafrica.co.za www.aitecafrica.com www.mineautomationafrica.com

SEPTEMBER/SEPTEMBRE 10-11

Banking & Mobile Money COMESA

Nairobi, Kenya

www.aitecafrica.com

16-17

NigeriaCom

Lagos, Nigeria

www.nigeria.comworldseries.com

www.broadbandworldforum.com

OCTOBER/OCTOBRE 21-23

Broadband World Forum

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

22-23

East Africa ICT Summit

Nairobi, Kenya

28-29

FTTH Council Africa Conference

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.aitecafrica.com www.ftthcouncilafrica-conference.com

Une plateforme complète de développement middleware open-source pour décodeurs numériques WYPLAY, CRÉATEUR DE solutions logicielles pour les principaux opérateurs de TV payante, et STMicroelectronics offrent une version de référence du middleware open-source pour décodeurs numériques Frog by Wyplay, spécialement adaptée à la diffusion de contenus par satellite. Ce middleware est destiné à la gamme de système sur puce développés par ST (Cannes, Liege2, Monaco, et Orly) autour de l’architecture de processeur ARM. L’initiative Frog repose sur des solutions logicielles développées par Wyplay et disponibles dans le cadre d’un modèle à code source partagé à l’attention d’une communauté d’entreprises en plein essor appartenant à l’écosystème de la télévision numérique : fabricants de circuits intégrés, constructeurs d’appareils, éditeurs de logiciels indépendants, fournisseurs de services logiciels et opérateurs. Dans le cadre de l’initiative Frog, Wyplay propose aux équipes de développement des entreprises membres une plateforme matérielle basée sur des composants ST et sur laquelle Wyplay a porté sa solution. Cet exemple de mise en œuvre « clé en main » sert de socle pour la personnalisation avancée de projets lancés par les opérateurs de télévision payante.

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

La toute dernière implémentation de référence du middleware Frog repose sur un décodeur hybride satellite/IPTV réalisé en série et qui intègre le système sur puce Orly STiH416 de ST. Cette plateforme de référence assure également la prise en charge de la technologie de vidéodiffusion numérique par satellite DVB-S/S2, qui permet de diffuser des programmes vers la majorité des abonnés aux chaînes de télévision à péage du monde entier. Le portage du logiciel Frog sur cette plateforme de référence repose sur l’environnement logiciel « SDK2 » de ST et constitue une voie de migration simple et naturelle pour l’ensemble de ses systèmes sur puce basés sur une architecture ARM, y compris les familles « Cannes » et « Monaco », ainsi que pour le système sur puce Liege2 récemment annoncé à l’attention des marchés de la diffusion de contenus. La plate-forme de référence permet aux opérateurs d’utiliser Frog, un environnement complet, fiable et bien intégré, pour créer librement leurs propres applications, ce qui encourage le développement d’innovations permettant d’élargir les fonctionnalités offertes aux utilisateurs et d’augmenter les recettes

des opérateurs. La plupart des infrastructures de diffusion étant déjà opérationnelles, les développeurs peuvent se consacrer pleinement à la fourniture de nouveaux services. « Les opérateurs pourront travailler sur des plateformes ST avec un niveau de confiance accru, dans la mesure où ils disposeront d’un environnement de développement déjà complet », a déclaré Hervé Mathieu, Vice-Président Groupe et Directeur Général de la Division Plateformes Unifiées (UPD), STMicroelectronics. « Sur un marché dynamique, en croissance rapide et très fragmenté, l’initiative Frog by Wyplay va accroître la popularité de nos solutions. » « Ce nouvel environnement de référence Frog est la toute dernière étape de notre collaboration fructueuse avec ST », a déclaré Jacques Bourgninaud, CEO de Wyplay. « Il fournit une plateforme de haute performance aux titulaires d’une licence Frog, et permettra aux opérateurs de services de télévision à péage de déployer des scénarios d’utilisation innovants tels que les interfaces utilisateur en 3D, le transcodage ou le streaming multimédia dans le salon. »

www.communicationsafrica.com

7044-Ce

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Epic Flexibility, Endless Connectivity Reliable, five-bar connectivity for service providers in emerging markets With EpicNG, Intelsat’s next-generation, high-throughput, backhaul solution, delivering future connectivity in Africa just got easier. Intelsat EpicNG is engineered for mobile operators that need to serve remote customers, across any terrain, regardless of conditions. Best of all, EpicNG works with your existing infrastructure, making it the most cost-effective and reliable solution for your network. Only Intelsat, a company with 50 years of technical and operational expertise, a global fleet of 50+ satellites, and the next generation satellite platform can promise you epic flexibility and endless connectivity.

www.intelsat.com/broadband

7044-Cellular_Ad_FINAL.indd 1

5/1/2014 3:01:31 PM

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AGENDA

Alcatel-Lucent and Intel to speed industry move to cloud ALCATEL-LUCENT IS EXPANDING its collaboration with Intel Corporation to help operators worldwide improve their time to market and operational efficiency, and to drive the creative development of new products and services for consumers and business customers with the use of cloud technologies. As long-standing partners already working in the virtualisation space together, AlcatelLucent and Intel are committed to accelerating these joint efforts and strengthening this relationship. Both companies believe these are the key underlying technologies to apply their combined resources and expertise and the ones that will drive a huge leap forward for the industry. Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) appeals especially to mobile service providers now because it allows them to innovate more quickly and easily while providing the best return on their investments in an all-IP network infrastructure such as LTE. Specifically the expanded collaboration will focus on three areas to accelerate the development of three Alcatel-Lucent platforms optimised on Intel architecture to improve performance and scale: • Virtualised Radio Access Networks (RAN) portfolio, developing and optimising Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE and LTE-Advanced wireless products. The solution will enable operators to use general purpose platforms in configurations that will reduce TCO

“In the last year we have seen an acceleration of innovation and industry changes. This is nothing compared to what we will see in the next decades, bringing new possibilities to our digital lifestyles.” - Michel Combes, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent and increase operators’ ability to scale networks to satisfy mobile data demand with rapidly changing devices and applications. • Cloud Platform, developing and optimising Alcatel-Lucent’s CloudBand NFV platform including joint contributions to the Open source community and a push to accelerate service provider testing, validation and deployment of NFV technology and products. • High-performance Packet Processing for advanced IP/MPLS platforms and functions to enable AlcatelLucent’s IP development team the insights required to use the features and capabilities of Intel architecture to deliver improved performance in virtualised IP/MPLS functions.

Millicom extends Facebook to East Africa INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND media company Millicom has enabled its Tigo customers in Tanzania to be the first people in East Africa to enjoy free access to Facebook on their mobile handsets. The partnership means Tigo customers can now access Facebook and its mobile messaging application Messenger through their handsets without incurring any data charges and allowing them to connect with more than 1.2bn people worldwide. Tigo has six million customers in Tanzania. The time-limited free service also includes the launch of a Facebook service in Kiswahilií, the language spoken by millions of people across East and Southern Africa. The strategic partnership is part of Facebook’s efforts to make internet access available to the two-thirds of the world not yet connected. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, highlighted the partnership with Tigo Paraguay at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, saying, “We’ve been working with Tigo and they’ve seen the number of people who were using data in the

10 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

internet grow by 50% over the course of the partnership and the number of people who are using data on a daily basis is growing even more.” Commenting on the new service, Millicom’s president and CEO HansHolger Albrecht, said, “Facebook has been a real driver of data on mobile networks. By extending this unique partnership to Africa, we are giving people another reason to connect through Tigo and providing many customers with their first taste of the internet and social media, including in Kiswahili. This reinforces our strategy to encourage more customers to use data as part of their daily communications activity and takes further the digital lifestyle.” Chris Daniels, Internet.org’s vice president of product, commented, "We're excited to be working with Tigo again to bring more people online, giving them exposure to the many benefits of connectivity. We think that widespread access to free basic services will help accelerate the adoption of the internet and we’re committed to working with partners like Tigo on new models that grow subscribers and revenue.”

MTN makes it onto World Champions list MTN GROUP HAS been named as the only South African company on the World Champions list. The list, compiled by analysts from American multinational financial services company, Citi Group, names global companies dominating their respective industries. Companies on the list must have a market value in excess of R30bn, be in the top three in terms of market share in their segment, and have global reach as well as a lasting sustainable business model. “Being named on the World Champions list is exciting and humbling, especially as MTN commemorates its 20th anniversary this year. This global recognition signifies that we continue to play a vital role in our industry,” said MTN group president and CEO Sifiso Dabengwa.

Thuraya works with Western Union MOBILE SATELLITE SERVICES operator Thuraya Telecommunications Company and global payment services firm The Western Union Company are working together to offer top-up services for Thuraya prepaid SIMs for voice and data services using the Western Union Quick PaySM service. The service is available at participating Western Union agent locations in the majority of the 200+ countries and territories in which the company provides services. This new and convenient method of payment enables Thuraya customers to recharge their pre-paid SIMs with no extra fee.

“Thuraya customers can now top up their prepaid SIM cards easily and efficiently through Western Union’s global network of agent locations” - Bilal El Hamoui, vice president of distribution, Thuraya Michel Foricher, vice president, service delivery, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe & CIS, Western Union said, “We are very pleased to collaborate with Thuraya. The Western Union QuickPay service will provide Thuraya customers the convenience of topping up their prepaid SIM cards at participating Western Union agent locations in our network, a quick and convenient facility for Thuraya customers, particularly those who may be in remote locations.” “Our agreement with Western Union marks the first time in the world that a satellite telecoms operator is providing such a service. The service is a great convenience for customers who may be located in remote areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Bilal El Hamoui, vice president of Distribution at Thuraya.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AMOS-5 IS NOW IN AFRICA

SATCOM 2014 Spacecom, operator of the AMOS-5 satellite located at 17Â°E, delivers high-power pan-African C-band and Ku-band capacity with access to Europe and the Middle East, enabling services throughout the entire African continent. With AMOS-2 and AMOS-3 co-located at 4Ë&#x161;W and serving Europe & the Middle East, AMOS-4 successfully launched to the 65Â°E orbital location, serving Asia and Russia, and AMOS-6 with Pan European coverage, scheduled for launch in 2015, Spacecom will further enhance its position as a global satellite operator.

May 20-21

Johannesburg, South Africa Booth #15

% MAIL AMOS INFO AMOS SPACECOM COM s 7EBSITE WWW AMOS SPACECOM COM

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AGENDA

La BAD injecte 2,5 milliards FCFA en appui au projet d’université virtuelle du Sénégal LE GROUPE DE la Banque africaine de développement (BAD) et le gouvernement du Sénégal ont signé le 27 mars 2014, à Dakar, un accord de prêt de 3,38 millions d’UC (soit près de 2,5 milliards de Francs CFA) pour le financement du Projet d’appui à l’université virtuelle du Sénégal (PAUVS). Ce projet vient s’ajouter à la longue liste des opérations financées par la BAD au profit du Sénégal, portant ainsi le portefeuille à 13 opérations actives pour le guichet public. Ce qui représente un niveau d’engagements nets de plus de 227,7 millions d’Unités de compte (UC), soit environ 167,3 milliards de FCFA. Le document a été co-signé par le ministre de l’Economie et des Finances, Amadou Ba et Mamadou Lamine N’Dongo, représentant résident de la BAD au Sénégal. Pour N’Dongo, « Le PAUVS est une réponse spécifique à la question de la formation des jeunes, en mettant l’accent sur une utilisation intensive des technologies de l’information et de la communication, en liaison avec le marché de l’emploi. » En conséquence, le projet vise à contribuer à une croissance plus inclusive, se traduisant par l’égalité de traitement et d’opportunités. Toute chose qui va favoriser l’accès équitable des jeunes (garçons et filles) bacheliers à une

« Le PAUVS est une réponse spécifique à la question de la formation des jeunes, en mettant l’accent sur une utilisation intensive des technologies de l’information et de la communication, en liaison avec le marché de l’emploi. » - Mamadou Lamine N’Dongo, représentant résident de la BAD au Sénégal

formation supérieure favorable à leur insertion professionnelle. Les activités du projet consistent à la mise en place de la plateforme de l’UVS, à savoir la construction du siège de l’Université virtuelle du Sénégal (UVS, le renforcement des capacités et la construction et l’équipement de cinq (5) espaces numériques ouverts. Ces infrastructures permettront d’atteindre les jeunes dans la banlieue de Dakar, à Saint Louis (nord), à Thiès (ouest), à Kaolack (centre-ouest) et à Ziguinchor (sud). A terme, le projet permettra d’atteindre les résultats suivants : plus de 6 000 étudiants pourront être admis annuellement; un taux de réussite de 75%, dont 77% chez les filles en 2018, en dernière année; 50% des diplômés de l’UVS, dont 60% chez les filles en 2018, pourront trouver un emploi décent, 12 mois après leur sortie. Le montant total des engagements du Groupe de la BAD depuis 1972 à ce jour, s’élève à environ 1,27 milliard d’unités de compte (UC), soit plus 940 milliards de FCFA. La BAD qui intervient dans le secteur de l’éducation depuis 1986 a financé cinq projets pour un montant total de 76 millions d’UC, soit 55 milliards de FCFA, avec un impact réel sur les populations bénéficiaires. Entre autres réalisations, on compte la construction et l’équipement de 12 lycées de proximité, 8 collèges d’enseignement moyen, 123 centres d’alphabétisations fonctionnelles d’adultes et 2046 salles de classe. En outre, ont été fournis 850.000 manuels scolaires pour l’enseignement élémentaire, 4460 ouvrages annexes, et 20 bibliothèques scolaires. Ces infrastructures, équipements et fournitures de manuels ont contribué à augmenter le taux brut de scolarisation et à améliorer l’environnement scolaire en réduisant les abris provisoires. Par ailleurs, dans le cadre du projet d’Appui au développent rural en Casamance (PADERCA), la Banque a soutenu la construction, la réhabilitation et l’équipement de 180 salles de classes, dans les régions de Ziguinchor et de Kolda, au sud du pays.

La passerelle pour échanger des contenus audiovisuels entre l'Afrique du Nord, le Moyen-Orient et l’Europe L'UNION DES TÉLÉDIFFUSEURS des Etats arabes (Arab States Broadcasting Union - ASBU) a conclu un contrat pluriannuel de location de capacité en bande Ku sur le satellite Eutelsat 21B. Ce dernier offre une couverture exceptionnelle du Moyen-Orient, de l’Afrique du Nord et de l’Europe. La capacité louée sera utilisée pour échanger des contenus audiovisuels entre les télédiffuseurs membres de l'ASBU, au sein d’une région qui s'étend d’est en ouest du Maroc jusqu’au Bahreïn et du nord au sud, de la Méditerranée jusqu’au Yémen, au Soudan et à la Mauritanie. La couverture du satellite englobe également l’Europe. Le plan de transmission en DVB S2 permettra d’opérer trois porteuses en SD, ou une porteuse en HD et deux porteuses en SD. Institution arabe créée en 1969, l'ASBU compte plus de 30 télédiffuseurs membres actifs et 25 membres associés à qui elle propose une plate-forme radio et TV pour échanger des reportages d’actualité, des

12 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

programmes audiovisuels et des contenus sportifs à travers le monde arabe. Elle soutient activement l'initiative « carrier ID » actuellement menée à l’échelle de ce secteur et dont l’objectif est d’améliorer la qualité du signal satellite. Salaheddine Maaoui, Directeur général de l'ASBU, a

déclaré : « En s’appuyant sur la couverture exceptionnelle et la performance du satellite Eutelsat 21B, l’ASBU dresse une passerelle entre l'Afrique du Nord, le Moyen-Orient et l'Europe et permet à notre centre d'échange de programmes basé à Alger d’assurer une distribution efficace des contenus audiovisuels. » Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Directeur commercial d'Eutelsat, a ajouté : « Grâce à la vaste couverture et la diversité de nos ressources en orbite, nous pouvons proposer une capacité et une couverture correspondant précisément aux besoins de nos clients. Nous nous réjouissons d’initier ainsi cette relation avec l'ASBU. Nous sommes fiers qu’Eutelsat 21B corresponde à leurs attentes en termes de qualité de signal et de couverture, permettant aux membres de cette association de retransmettre en direct d’importants événements médiatiques. »

www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATCOM 2014

SatCom Africa to open door of opportunity The continent’s leading satellite and telecommunications industry trade show and conference set to return to Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre

ATCOM AFRICA WILL return from 20-21 May 2014 and is looking to provide stakeholders within the satellite and telecommunications industry the chance to evaluate the latest technologies from across the sector, as well as offering invaluable insights into the implementation of initiatives and systems that could aid their operations across the continent. The annual free-to-attend event, which will be co-located with World Rural Telecoms Congress Africa and will take place at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, will also look to offer exhibitors and visitors alike with a host of new revenue stream opportunities. More than 50 exhibitors will be in attendance, while the accompanying two-day senior level conference will feature 36 on-floor conferences that will include key industry professionals from satellite operators and owners to launching and propulsion manufacturers. Among the attendees already confirmed to attend will be some of the biggest industry names working within the satcom sector across the continent, including African Union Communications, GlobeCast, SkyVision, Arabsat, GeoStrut Africa, Neotel and Seacom. The past few editions of the event have attracted more than 1,200 attendees each year, and this year the SatCom Star Awards will return following their success at last year's exhibition. Of the event, David Hartshorn, secretary general of Global VSAT Forum, said, "The African communications market is massive, but it is complex. SatCom Africa is the go-to destination to understand how to tap into the business. Added to this, the show has great upsell potential."

Network and knowledge The exhibition will be supported by a two-day -long senior level conference that will focus on everything from satcom technology to rural telecoms, providing delegates with insights on where the industry currently stands, existing and new projects across the continent, and the opportunities on the horizon within Africa's telecoms sector. Among those set to speak at the event will be GVF Forum's David Hartshorn, Alan Knott14 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

The 2014 editions of SatCom Africa and World Rural Telecoms Congress Africa will likely attract more than 1,200 attendees

In attendence will be some of the biggest industry names working within the satcom sector Craig Jr., CEO of Project Isizwe, and AfrISPA executive secretary, Eric Osiakwan. Also on hand to impart his experience and knowledge to conference delegates will be Osama Manzar, new media project specialist at India's Digital Empowerment Foundation. Suveer Ramdani, senior manager of Fevertree Consulting, said of 2013’s event, "It was an awesome conference… a lot of people provided positive feedback and of course developed many opportunities there." Networking opportunities will also be aplenty at the show, while event organiser Terrapinn has launched a new event app and portal that will enable visitors to plan ahead for the conference and seminar sessions they wish to attend, as well as identify exhibitors they want to meet during the two days.

Exhibiting solutions Among the companies promoting their products and services at the show will be

Freedomsat, who will be exhibiting its Freedomsat Satellite Broadband service for homes and businesses, and will be present to discuss new opportunities for ka-band satellite Internet services across South Africa and beyond. Bentley Walker, a market leader in the provision of satellite broadband, will be exhibiting at World Rural Telecoms Congress Africa and promoting its brand new highspeed Ka-band network over South Africa. The company, which will be looking for channel partners in the region during the two days, has hardware partnerships with iDirect, Hughes and Newtec, and delivers C-, Ku- and Ka-band services across the whole of Africa with its satellite partners Avanti, Eutelsat, Telesat and Yahsat. Screen Africa will look to provide information about its print and electronic publications on the South African professional broadcast and production industries, which will comprise film, TV, commercials, new media and technology, while Arabsat, the Arab world's leading satellite services provider, will also be in attendance. The company from the Middle East carries more than 450 TV channels, 160 radio stations, four Pay-TV networks and wide variety of HD channels that reach tens of millions of homes in more than 80 countries www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATCOM 2014

across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Speaking after last year's conference, Job Ndege, managing director of iWay Africa, remarked, "SatCom Africa was a great event. I see the growth from last year, which reinforces that the event guarantees a great offering and business potential."

Rural prospects With many telcos shifting their focus from urban and voice-centric services towards rural massmarket and data services, a number of longterm growth prospects have opened up within the market. Looking to address these challenges and opportunities will be World Rural Telecoms Congress Africa, which will be co-located with SatCom Africa 2014, and will focus on the development of connectivity issues within rural areas across the African continent.

"The event guarantees a great offering and business potential"

A host of satellite and telecommunications companies will be in Johennesburg to channel partners in the region during the two-day event

The event will look to present a host of opportunities and challenges for telecoms firms, governments and government partners, and will look to introduce visitors to a host of innovative solutions to help develop rural telecom network infrastructure. Visitors will be able to find answers to a number of key questions, including how to ensure quality of service, how to improve system reliability and how to build out in difficult and challenging terrain.

Other issues on the agenda during the event will including working with governments to create viable investment opportunities, assessing investment and payback, and raising funding to implement costeffective technologies. â&#x153;&#x2020;

SatCom Africa and World Rural Telecoms Congress Africa will take place from 20-21 May 2014 at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg

Satellite capacity meets need for expanded broadband infrastructure in Africa BROADBAND REQUIREMENTS THROUGHOUT Africa are expected to continue to increase, driven by the globalisation of business, the penetration of wireless communications and the need to be connected at all times, says Grant Marais, RVP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Africa sales at Intelsat. Satellite remains a key part of meeting the need for broadband throughout Africa, particularly when trying to expand networks to reach remote and landlocked areas. One of the business segments most in need of reliable broadband connectivity is small/medium enterprises (SMEs), viewed as a critical component in driving job creation and increasing GDP throughout Africa. To achieve this economic promise, small office/home office (SOHO) and SME users across Sub-Saharan Africa must have the ability to expand their businesses and access global markets through the Internet. To achieve this, they must have access to robust broadband services wherever the opportunity exists. Intelsat has been serving Africa since 1965 and recently expanded its

16 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

A recent agreement will see Intelsat provide satellite-enabled broadband service to Vodacom for SOHO and SME users across Sub-Saharan Africa

relationship with telecommunications provider Vodacom to provide satelliteenabled broadband service to SOHO and SME users across sub-Saharan Africa. This cements a long-standing relationship and ensures that Vodacom can introduce new services to serve the important and growing SOHO/SME market. When the Intelsat 33e satellite enters service in 2016, Vodacom will be able to

seamlessly access a high-performance overlay that will provide additional throughput. The high-throughput, reliable Intelsat EpicNG platform is a major design breakthrough in satellite capacity, providing high performance and increased throughput in C-, Ku- or Ka-band frequencies. Intelsat EpicNG will be integrated with Intelsatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional satellite capacity and the IntelsatOneSM terrestrial network, and

combined with its multi-frequency flexibility, this will allow offerings to be customised to provide the best solution for each application and region. This will achieve new economies in satellite communications that are expected to enable new business models in a variety of segments, and allow developing businesses to meet their needs at a lower total cost of ownership. The demand for broadband, internet and mobile connectivity requires high quality, reliable and cost-efficient technology. The advent of flexible high throughput satellite platforms will further enable satellite providers to meet customer demands in nearly every conceivable application, making satellite delivery the most reliable and value-added choice for service providers. The growth of entrepreneurship in Africa and the economy overall can only be supported if businesses have reliable high-speed Internet access and the digital tools they need to develop. Satellite does, and will continue to, provide this much needed wide-spread connectivity for the continent.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATCOM 2014

Satellite providing African customers with broader content choices Local content comes to the fore thanks to satellite's role in Africa's fast-developing broadcasting industry

ATELLITE POWER IS providing people across Africa with further content options and is enabling a greater voice for local content providers across the continent, according to Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou, SVP - commercial for SES Africa. Guimba-Saidou believes that a number of businesses have reason to be excited, with new opportunities opening up across the African continent. "Being in the satellite industry, we foresee that we are on the brink of a tipping point in the broadcast industry, which signals the beginning of a new era on the continent – and in my opinion, broadcast will eventually generate more revenue than cell phones," Guimba-Saidou remarks. Describing the development of the mobile industry in Africa as "one of the success stories of our time", Guimba-Saidou cites Nigeria as a good example of the mobile industry undergoing strong development with customer numbers growing dramatically from the half a million active landline subscribers NITEL had at the turn of the millennium, with one million on its waiting list. With a population of approximately 150mn people, Nigerian subscriber numbers have rocketed in the 14 years since, leading to the creation of a vibrant and evermore diverse mobile industry. "During the bidding process for mobile service providers, MTN was awarded its first licence outside South Africa," notes Guimba-Saidou. "Projections showed it would break even after a couple of years, but this happened within a matter of months. There was quickly a shortage of SIM cards, and people were queuing to buy them despite a swift cost increase to contain the high demand. This was the starting point of democratising information for the whole population." Guimba-Saidou points out that the resulting infrastructure requirements for mobile telecoms has been an area in which satellite has proved its worth, with demand high and the network requiring fast deployment – characteristics that mark satellite technology out.

The migration from analogue to digital is having an enabling effect, says Guimba-Saidou, making much more frequencies available. "For example, in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, a good part of the population speaks the same language," he states. "Here, this local language will create the demand for content and content will be driven by demand." Guimba-Saidou says that more accessible technology will allow channels to be set up, driven by demand. "There's now a low barrier to entry," he notes. "It's possible to broadcast from a garage, over the Internet. Small TV stations will grow up to serve niche markets and while they'll have limited resources, they will still play an important role in bringing relevant content to niche markets. While this broadcasting will initially be small, the GuimbaSaidou notes that quality will play a key role in these stations' development. "Content is very important in the chain of the broadcast business and SES provides satellite capacity – there is a need for content to fill the channels,"

“Local language will create the demand for content and content will be driven by demand” "SES and other operators have deployed supplementary mobile networks in many African countries, leading satellite to play an instrumental role in the exponential growth of mobile in Africa," he remarks. With the success of the mobile industry and the resulting access to information via the deployment of the Internet creating further content opportunities, customers have begun to demand more locally-relevant information. In many countries, local TV and radio stations have been established where previously licenses were restricted to the cities and regional capitals, with the nature of the information explosion creating a push to create more local media.

18 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

SES Africa SVP – commercial Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou

www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATCOM 2014

he says. "The proliferation of Free-To-Air (FTA) and Free-To-View (FTV) channels being broadcast on the African continent will certainly push the creation of local and locally relevant content." Guimba-Saidou foresees that the roll-out of satellite technology will be similar to what happened when the Internet first came on stream. "At first it was only used for browsing websites, but that has now grown to permeate all aspects of human activity," he says. "This will be the same for satellite technology as it is deployed more widely – initially it has been used to carry mobile networks and broadcasting, but this will grow and develop through innovations such as SAT-IP, which enables up to eight devices in a home to share the same TV feed." Guimba-Saidou says that the fields of health, agriculture and education could also greatly benefit from satellite technology, providing remote rural areas access to best practice care and information.

From satellite to social concerns Recently, SES called on Africa to begin satellite-powered e-school pilot projects to improve teacher competency on the continent, following a roundtable discussion that was attended by a number of high-level politicians and leaders from across Africa and Europe during the recent EU-Africa Business Forum. Christine Leurquin, vice-president – institutional relations at SES, chaired the panel 'Creating partnerships to bring e-schools to rural Africa: Offering incubator-backed seed and early stage funding', which discussed how a lack of connectivity in Africa remained a key bottleneck to development. The roundtable's participants concluded that it was vital that elearning connectivity equipment was made exempt from licensing, customs taxes and fees in order to strengthen education in Africa and boost education and jobs across the continent. "Access to low-cost satellite based services to schools will be inhibited, and in some cases prevented, unless national and regional groups of administrations apply policies and regulations that more

effectively facilitate their use," Leurquin says. "There are new opportunities for ubiquitous deployment of low-cost satellite services to small businesses and consumers. However, disproportionate licensing fees combined with customs fees are unnecessarily thwarting access to communications." Heads of states from across Africa and Europe were also urged to set up a new fast-track pan-African financial instrument to meet ICT initiatives for e-schools before 2020 to prioritise broadband infrastructure deployment for relevant and innovative e-services, starting with e-schools. SES, meanwhile, has called on African governments to identify major e-school pilot-projects in two to three African countries to improve teacher competency and to deploy them immediately thanks to satellite coverage. SES and Teachers Media International (TMI) will also partner to launch an e-learning pilot project in Liberia through an incubator program for education, giving a concrete example of the e-learning schemes SES wants to lead. ✆

About SES... SES, who will be the Visitor Lounge Sponsor at SatCom Africa 2014, is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 56 geostationary satellites, and provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed-network operators and business and governmental organisations. The company has played a major role in growing the broadcast neighbourhood across Africa, via capacity deals with the likes of East-African pay-TV broadcaster Zuku TV (part of Wananchi Group), FTA service from Platco Digital (a sister company of e.tv in South Africa), and StarTimes Communication Network Technology, China's most influential systems integrator, technology provider and network operator and the fastest-growing digital TV operator in Africa.

Workshops and roundtables to provide industry insight at SatCom WITH SATCOM AFRICA and World Rural Telecoms Congress looking to provide a platform on which new revenue streams can be explored, the event will feature a host of renowned industry insiders, who will look to impart their knowledge of market developments and ideas on how to succeed in this challenging marketplace. Among the speakers set to speak at the supporting conference will be Kai Wulff, access field development director at Google, who will be talking about Google's role in increasing Africa's connectivity and removing the digital divide. Platco Digital managing director Maxwell Nonge, meanwhile, will provide an insight into how attendees can stay competitive with free-to-air services, as well as sharing his ideas around digital carriage solutions on various platforms including DTH and DTT. Nico Meyer, CEO of MultiChoice Africa, will explore how companies working in the market can reach new audiences, exploring areas of opportunity that have been driving growth for satellite. Osama Manzar, director of India's Digital Empowerment Foundation will look to provide an insight into how rural areas in India are being targeted, touching on India's ICT barriers, its digital divide and the lessons that can be

www.communicationsafrica.com

transferred to rural markets in India. Other highlights will include Econet Wireless CFO Petros Kunze who will discuss budgeting for rural connectivity maintenance and development, while Peter Ulanga, CEO of Universal Service Agency, will talk about promoting universal access to information and communications technology in rural communities. The free-to-attend conference, will feature a number of roundtables on issues such as satellite and rural telecoms, as well as a number of global case studies, while the SatCom Stars Awards will return for their seventh annual edition. Set to be held on May 20 during the exhibition, the awards will look to celebrate the continued growth and success of the telecommunications sector in Africa, focusing on some of the industry's exceptional performers from the past year. Categories will include 'Satellite operator of the year', 'VSAT provider of the year', Most innovative product/service of the year', 'Best global telecoms project', 'Best customer service provider of the year', and 'Backhaul provider of the year'.

www.terrapinn.com/2014/satcomafrica/index.stm

Winners at last year's SatCom Stars Awards

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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SATCOM 2014

Avanti to extend satellite broadband coverage in Zimbabwe TELONE, ZIMBABWE’S NATIONAL telecommunications company, has signed a satellite broadband contract with Avanti Communications. Via Avanti’s HYLAS 2 satellite, TelOne will deliver broadband services to thousands of consumer, enterprise and public sector customers in the region, Avanti said. Chipo Mtasa, managing director of TelOne, said, “Our goal at TelOne is to provide quality broadband services to a diverse customer base in Zimbabwe. With significant unmet demand in terms of service availability and quality, our partnership with Avanti enables us to effectively address this need - today. “We are delighted to work with Avanti on imminent rollout to homes, schools and businesses in Zimbabwe.” David Williams, chief executive at Avanti Communications, commented, “We are pleased to be working in collaboration with TelOne in Zimbabwe. Avanti’s quality Ka-band satellite technology will support delivery of internet connectivity to thousands of new customers in the region.” HYLAS 2 was launched in August 2012 and has quadrupled Avanti’s satellite capacity, providing new coverage across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Avanti and Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF) also recently announced the deployment of a significant satellite broadband installation programme to schools in Tanzania. Together, the global satellite operator and funding body have collaborated to deliver broadband to 25 Tanzanian schools. To mark the first installation of the programme, an official visit was made to the Buguruni School for the Deaf on 25 April by leading delegates, including Dr John Mngodo, deputy permanent secretary of Tanzania’s Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology; Peter Ulanga, CEO of UCSAF; and David Williams.

Comtech introduces two new satellite modems COMTECH EF DATA Corporation last month announced the introduction of two new entry-level satellite modems, the CDM-570A and CDM-570AL. According to Comtech EF Data, the next-generation models provide industry-leading performance and flexibility in a 1RU form factor. While the units are priced competitively, they offer tremendous value via an innovative feature set, the company said. The CDM-570A and CDM-570AL are the first Comtech EF Data modems in the entry-level category to support DoubleTalk Carrier-inCarrier bandwidth compression, VersaFEC low-latency LDPC advanced Forward Error Correction and optimised transmit filter rolloff. DoubleTalk Carrier-in-Carrier is based on Raytheon Applied Signal Technology’s patented ‘Adaptive Cancellation’ technology, which allows transmit and receive carriers of a duplex link to share the same transponder space. Also available with the new modems is optimised transmit filter rolloff, specifically five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 35 per cent. The combination of technologies enables multi-dimensional optimisation and can provide bandwidth savings of more than 50 per cent when compared to legacy modems. “With the release of the CDM-570A and CDM-570AL, users with lower data rate links can now more cost-effectively leverage the CAPEX and OPEX savings of DoubleTalk Carrier-in-Carrier,” said Daniel Enns, senior vice president of Comtech EF Data. The CDM-570A and CDM-570AL Satellite Modems are geared towards a range of users, including enterprise, ISPs, satellite service providers, offshore, maritime and mobile operators. As the products continue to evolve, additional functionality and options to optimise networks will be available, the company said.

Stratosat Datacom launches first MeerKAT radio telescope antenna STRATOSAT DATACOM HAS launched the first MeerKAT radio telescope antenna at the Karoo Array Processor Building at the South African Square Kilometre Array (SKA) core site near Carnarvon in the Northern Cape. South Africa’s deputy minister of science and technology, Derek Hanekom, hosted ministers from the SKA African partner countries at the inauguration event on 27 March. Stratosat Datacom, a technology company specialising in the supply of innovative satellite, wireless communication and astronomy products, has teamed up with General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies to install 64 MeerKAT radio telescope antennas. Stratosat Datacom was awarded the design, build and install contract for the project by SKA South Africa in 2012. The MeerKAT radio telescope antennas will eventually form part of the larger SKA Phase 1 array, located in South Africa’s Karoo region. The array is a technologically advanced radio telescope designed to locate radio-frequency signals coming from the furthest reaches of the universe. The SKA array will be the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the southern hemisphere. The Stratosat Datacom and General Dynamics SATCOM teams are working closely with multiple South African fabricators, engineers and technicians to build and install the MeerKAT antenna array over the next three years. During the execution of the contract, Stratosat Datacom's engineers and technicians will be living on site at the 'MEERKAT Camp' to complete the project. One of the key objectives of the project is also to support the development of local fabricators into high-quality suppliers as well as uplift the community in and around Carnarvon. Alan Geldenhuys, executive director of Stratosat Datacom, said, “Our obligation towards the empowerment of the local community, Carnarvon and surroundings, is going to be a rewarding part of this project and we are excited about the future developments of small businesses that will fulfil the demands of our technical team operating on the ground during the

20 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Stratosat Datacom specialises in the supply of satellite, wireless communication and astronomy products (Image: AJ Schuster)

execution of the contract.” Stratosat Datacom’s portfolio includes products from all major satcom equipment manufacturers, which enables them to provide ‘best of class’ products and services through its various distribution centres located around Sub-Saharan Africa. The company offers its customer base complete ‘transmit and receive chain' products together with installation and value-added service offerings. Stratosat Datacom customers vary from GSM, to ISP and broadcasting companies. Stratosat Datacom is situated in Johannesburg, South Africa, near Oliver Tambo International Airport and its facilities also include an engineering and repair department.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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ADVERTORIAL

Eutelsat

Eutelsat: Meeting communications requirements in Africa With a fleet of 36 satellites serving broadcasters, video service providers, telecom operators, ISPs and government agencies operating across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the leading operators in the commercial satellite business

EETING THE COMMUNICATIONS requirements of markets in Africa is of strategic importance to Eutelsat. The company has been providing connectivity to Africans for more than 15 years and its in-orbit investment programme covering the next 15 years places the continent at the epicentre of its new innovative and high-powered satellites. During the past 18 months, three new satellites have increased Eutelsat’s in-orbit resources over the continent by more than 30 per cent: • The EUTELSAT 21B satellite, at the established 21.5° East orbital, has a high performance beam centred over Western Africa and the Gulf of Guinea, combined with direct interconnectivity with Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia • EUTELSAT 70B has more than doubled capacity at 70.5° East, at the crossroads

The broadcast sector represents a vast potential with significant opportunities for growth

EUTELSAT 21B launching on Ariane VA 210 (Image: Thales Alenia Space)

between Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. This satellite has four powerful, regional beams, enabling single hop interconnection from Nigeria to China, Japan or Australia • EUTELSAT 3D was launched in May 2013 to 3° East, and has activated additional Ku-band capacity with extended coverage of SubSaharan Africa.

The EUTELSAT 21B (Image: Thales Alenia Space)

22 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Capacity at 3° East will be taken a step further with the launch of EUTELSAT 3B in mid-2014. This innovative satellite, Eutelsat’s first tri-band satellite in C-, Ku-, and Ka-band, will provide extensive coverage stretching from Latin America, across Africa, and as far east as Pakistan. Its sophisticated technology will enable operators to choose the frequency band most adapted to their services, whether for broadcast or data markets. With seven satellites currently under construction for launch between mid-2014 and mid-2016, three of which will boost its resources over Africa, Eutelsat is confident about the future of satellite in the African market. The broadcast sector represents a vast potential with significant opportunities for growth to support new digital platforms, increase adoption of HD and accelerate analogue switch-off. Africa’s VSAT market should also be one of the fastest-growing in the world over the next 20 years. The number of VSAT terminals will be driven by demand for back-up services and reliable high-speed internet connections from a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, mining, banking, transportation and distribution, as well as government services. ✆ www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATELLITE

Agriculture

Revolutionising African agriculture Bringing satellite data to the mobile phones of thousands of farmers across the continent

NEW PROGRAMME IS bringing together scientists within two branches of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, USA, as well as an African non-profit organisation in order to help farmers by providing them with important satellite data. The programme, funded by the Advanced Collaborative Connections for Earth Systems Science programme, will build on two technologies developed at Goddard to help scientists collect and track data, called LabNotes and FieldNotes. Molly Brown, a research scientist at Goddard’s Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, said, “Putting the information in the hands of the agriculture users is one of the many ways that we can show that the satellite data has benefits to society.” Brown and her colleagues have already developed a 30-year dataset of satellite information on African precipitation rates, vegetation health, soil moisture and evapotranspiration – all indicators of crop health in a given area. Alongside researchers from Columbia University, New York, Brown is developing a system that can improve the way insurance companies set rates for drought protection. That data, however, would also be key information for local farmers and food distributors who have to determine which regions have a surplus of maize, millet, rice and more – and therefore which regions they should purchase excess food to sell at central markets. “All the background has been done, we need to write an application that can go on a cell phone,” Brown said. “You put in your latitude and longitude, and it’ll tell you whether or not it rained last week, if it’s above or below average... The question is, how is this year progressing compared to previous years. That is exactly the information people want,” she added. After meeting with a representative of the African-based Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) organisation, Brown started looking for ways to get satellite data to farmers and distributors through the mFarms platform. mFarms provides agricultural information via mobile phones to 80,000 farmers and thousands of other distributors, warehouses and more in 17 African countries. According to Matieyedou Konlambigue, programme officer at AGRA, agriculture in SubSaharan Africa consists mostly of small farms. 24 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

mFarms provides agricultural information via mobile phones to 80,000 farmers

“It’s really important we do a good job transferring the benefits of satellite data to people in Africa” Molly Brown, research scientist, NASA Goddard Biospheric Sciences Laboratory The mFarms platform connects farmers with marketing agents and buyers, creating a database of how many acres farmers plant as well as tracking the productivity of fields, etc. With NASA satellite data, the programme can expand to include growing conditions for specific locations and notifications of potential weather-related problems. “The collaboration with NASA will be revolutionary. The geo-physical data will be processed into useful information and channelled through [mobile devices] to agricultural value chain actors in order to improve their planning and decision making,” Konlambigue said. To make this happen, Brown recruited Goddard’s Science Data Processing branch to work with mFarms and reach their network of farmers and distributors. Two projects already under development with Internal Research and

Development (IRAD) funds could help with the effort, said Tom Flatley, head of the branch. These projects are LabNotes, an app for mobile devices that connects to a datagathering instrument and which can both send commands to the instrument, and log and compile the data it receives; and FieldNotes, an app that collects and displays information from a variety of pre-set sources – data from field instruments, pictures that others have shared, weather information, and other inputs depending on user need. Goddard computer engineers Troy Ames and Carl Hostetter developed the programmes, in which users can also log their own observations. Jeff Hosler, a supervisory computer engineer at Goddard, will work with the mFarms team to determine which technological capabilities and infrastructure their network of farmers and distributors have and which specific kinds of information will be most useful. The project is also a way to provide information to countries that helped provide the ground validation essential for researchers, Brown said. Researchers in Africa have provided on-theground measurements of rain and soil moisture, but the analysis of the information often doesn’t come back to agriculture organisations and meteorologists. “It’s really important we do a good job transferring the benefits of satellite data to people in Africa,” Brown concluded. ✆ www.communicationsafrica.com

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ADVERTORIAL

GL Communications

LightSpeed1000 uniquely supports channelised telecom traffic The OC-3/STM-1 and OC-12/STM-4 Analysis and Emulation Platform will enhance transmitting and receiving capabilities of data

L COMMUNICATIONS INC., has announced the release of its OC3/STM-1 and OC-12/STM-4 Analysis and Emulation Platform referred to as LightSpeed1000. Jagdish Vadalia, senior manager for product development at the company said, “Voice, data, and video traffic is exploding as smartphones, IPTV, video streaming, and ‘cloud’ based services takeoff. SONET and SDH continue to be used for conventional channelized traffic - carrying many TDM T1, E1, T3, and E3 pipes. “Our LightSpeed1000 platform has been enhanced to support channelised traffic in a unique and elegant manner uncommon in the industry, and an additional optical port for SONET/SDH/GigE (four optical ports).” He added that LightSpeed1000 hardware platforms (PCIe Card and USB Pod) are capable of OC-3/12 and STM-1/4 wire-speed processing on quad optical ports for functions such as wire-speed recording and wire-speed playback of ATM, PoS, RAW, and channelised traffic. LightSpeed1000 comes with software for overall monitoring, BERT, emulation, and protocol analysis with a price tag that compares very favourably with similar test instruments at three times the price. “Normally, the LightSpeed1000 is used for protocol analysis of ATM, PoS, Raw unchannelised and unframed data. The hardware can be easily configured/programmed for delaying of ATM Cells or PPP packets,” Vadalia said. He added that support for channelised structures had been recently added in OC3/STM-1 - eg, all 84 T1s or all 63 E1s can be identified and processed in transmit and receive modes. The card’s multiple connectivity using PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), USB 2.0 and onboard DDR2 memory makes it suitable for many applications. Multiple cards are possible in a PC for analysis of four or more directions simultaneously. USB 2.0 interface is used to

26 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

LightSpeed1000 by GL Communications

The card’s multiple connectivity using PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), USB 2.0 and onboard DDR2 memory makes it suitable for many applications connect with a Notebook PC for portability. GigE Ethernet ports for testing RAW, BER, RFC2544, RAW SONET/SDH, and Ethernet bridge applications. The hardware is firmware FPGA based making it easy to upgrade in the field for application versatility. “A unique feature of the card is the capability to capture, transmit and process at wirespeed to/from applications and hard disk on all interfaces. An API Toolkit allows users to develop specialised applications.” Important Features of LightSpeed1000 platform: • Wirespeed processing of ATM, PoS or RAW data for Tx and Rx for both ports (*PCIe card only). • Software selectable OC-3/OC-12, STM1/STM-4 for unchannelised ATM, PoS or

•

Transparent Traffic, and Channelized T1, E1, T3, E3 traffic Ability to capture/playback to/from disk at full rate in both directions for all ports. This permits detailed offline analysis that is not possible otherwise. Simultaneous synchronous capture is possible on all optical ports. The captured files can be played back to reproduce the traffic Comprehensive transmit/receive testing capabilities; transmitting and verifying data with incrementing sequence numbers with each packet/cell Industry proven protocol analyser for ATM (AAL2, AAL5), UMTS, and PPP (IP and higher layer protocols), channelised protocols ISDN, SS7, CAS, etc Easy to use and flexible Bit Error Rate Test (BERT) application for ATM, POS, and RAW Complex and flexible hardware based filtering options: 16 128-bit independently filters with bit masks, for both ports with include/exclude conditions Hardware based precise time stamping of cells/packets with 10 nsec resolution, 1 ppm accuracy Single mode or multi-mode fibre SFP support ✆

www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATELLITE

Topographie

Une nouvelle référence de modèles d’élévation Une base de données améliorée qui devrait renforcer l’efficacité des applications client dans les secteurs de la défense, de l’aviation et des industries pétrolière, gazière et minière

IRBUS DEFENCE AND Space procède au lancement commercial de WorldDEM. Ce nouveau modèle numérique d’élévation (MNE) global offre une couverture d’un pôle à l’autre d’une précision sans précédent, qui permettra aux clients d’améliorer la qualité de leurs applications dans de nombreuses industries, notamment la défense et l’aviation, mais aussi les secteurs pétrolier, gazier et minier. WorldDEM repose sur les données acquises par les satellites radar allemands de haute résolution TerraSAR-X et TanDEM-X, dont la mission consiste à produire un MNE global au niveau HRTE3, ce qui représente un immense bond en avant en matière de précision. En termes de résolution, il établit un nouveau référentiel en fournissant un maillage de 12 m pour l’ensemble de la planète, contre 90 m pour le modèle existant SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission).

Une couverture homogène WorldDEM garantit un MNE global standardisé sans démarcation des frontières régionales ou nationales. Cette couverture homogène offrira aux clients du secteur de la défense un niveau de précision inédit au profit de l’aviation militaire, la planification et le déroulement des missions et opérations, partout sur Terre. S’agissant du transport aérien commercial, ce nouveau modèle fournira des données améliorées dont bénéfieront de nombreux systèmes embarqués. TerraSAR-X et TanDEM-X ont débuté leur acquisition de données synchronisée en décembre 2010. Mi-2013, ils avaient déjà réalisé deux couvertures de l’intégralité des terres émergées de notre planète. Les troisième et quatrième campagnes d’acquisition

WorldDEM - Hedjaz, Arabie Saoudite

permettent aux satellites de revenir sur des zones de terrain plus complexes, afin de garantir la cohérence du niveau de qualité et précision du produit final. La dernière campagne d’acquisition s’achèvera mi-2014. Au-delà des applications dans les domaines de l’aviation et de la défense, le nouveau modèle présente également une grande variété d’utilisations potentielles en matière de prospection pétrolière, gazière et minière, et

“Grâce à ces différentes couvertures de la planète, WorldDEM atteint un niveau de détail si élevé que l’on peut, dans certains cas, identifier un arbre ou distinguer la nature du sol entre gravier et bitume. Il offre aux clients la précision nécessaire pour anticiper leur réponse en cas de future crise et mener des opérations stratégiques dans des zones reculées.” - Bernhard Brenner, Directeur GeoIntelligence d’Airbus Defence and Space 28 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

servira de base de qualité pour l’orthorectification de l’imagerie aériennne ou satellitaire. Les missions des satellites radar TerraSAR-X (lancé en 2007) et TanDEM-X (lancé en 2010) sont réalisées dans le cadre d’un partenariat public-privé (PPP) conclu entre l’Agence spatiale allemande (DLR) et Airbus Defence and Space. Le DLR exploite la mission et génère le MNE global de TanDEM-X, qui fait office de base de WorldDEM. Après avoir effectué leurs six et quatre années respectives en service, les deux satellites affichent d’excellentes performances. Leur durée de vie devrait être étendue de cinq années supplémentaires (au-delà de 2018). Airbus Defence and Space détient les droits de commercialisation exclusifs des données. L’entreprise est responsable de l’adaptation du modèle d’élévation selon les besoins des utilisateurs commerciaux dans le monde entier, et va désormais commencer à créer la base de données WorldDEM mondiale. ✆ www.communicationsafrica.com

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INTERNET

Développement

Le large bande peut aider à réduire la fracture de développement Le catalyseur décisif du développement dans le programme de développement durable fixé par les Nations Unies pour l'après-2015

'ACCÈS AU LARGE bande pourrait bien être le catalyseur universel qui fait sortir les pays en développement de la pauvreté et met l'accès aux soins de santé, à l'éducation et aux services sociaux de base à la portée de tous. Telle est la conclusion à laquelle est parvenue la Commission des Nations Unies "Le large bande au service du développement numérique", qui s'est réunie à Dublin à la fin de la semaine dernière. La Commission a une nouvelle fois appelé la communauté internationale à reconnaître que les réseaux haut débit pouvaient aider à changer la donne et à s'assurer que les cibles à atteindre en matière de pénétration du large bande figurent bien parmi les Objectifs de développement durable fixés par les Nations Unies pour l'après-2015. Elle a aussi invité instamment les gouvernements et les organismes internationaux de financement à s'efforcer de lever les obstacles actuels à l'investissement. Même si dans le monde, jusqu'à 95% des infrastructures de télécommunication sont financées par le secteur privé, il faut d'urgence mettre en place des mesures d'incitation plus efficaces si l'on veut développer l'investissement proportionnellement à

La Commission, qui compte parmi ses membres certains des plus éminents dirigeants du secteur des technologies, des pouvoirs publics, des établissements universitaires et des institutions des Nations Unies, s'est réunie à Dublin à l'invitation de Denis O'Brien, Président du Groupe Digicel et l'un de ses fondateurs

la future croissance exponentielle de la connectivité et des flux de données engendrés par "l'Internet des objets". La Commission, qui compte parmi ses membres certains des plus éminents dirigeants du secteur des technologies, des pouvoirs publics, des établissements universitaires et des institutions des Nations Unies, s'est réunie à Dublin à l'invitation de Denis O'Brien, Président du Groupe Digicel. ✆

TIMA choisit le satellite Eutelsat 10A TIMA, SOCIÉTÉ INTERNATIONALE spécialisée dans la production et la livraison de contenus audiovisuels, a annoncé la signature d’un contrat de trois ans avec Eutelsat Communications. Ce contrat porte sur une location de capacité sur le satellite Eutelsat 10A pour répondre à la demande croissante en rapatriement par satellite de reportages tournés en Europe, au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique ainsi que pour assurer la diffusion des projets audiovisuels réalisés dans les studios du Groupe, notamment depuis son siège situé à Londres. Disposant de bureaux à Londres, Paris et Washington DC ainsi que de succursales au Moyen-Orient, TIMA accompagne les groupes de médias internationaux grâce à un large panel de services audiovisuels : mise à disposition de studios et de services de production et mise en place de dispositifs permettant d’assurer la couverture médiatique d’un événement. Ces nouvelles capacités viendront enrichir les ressources dont dispose TIMA pour couvrir les nombreux événements qui marqueront l’actualité ces prochains mois, notamment le procès d’Oscar Pistorius et la visite du pape François en Terre sainte, ainsi que d’autres événements majeurs survenant dans ces régions du monde. « La technologie satellitaire demeure essentielle pour rapatrier des contenus audiovisuels à l’heure où ces derniers sont diffusés en HD sur nos écrans de télévision. Le satellite constitue une technologie fiable, qui offre une qualité d’image inégalée. C’est le moyen le plus rapide et le plus facile pour distribuer un contenu à un large éventail de clients dans le monde entier. Nous sommes impatients de démarrer avec Eutelsat notre collaboration qui s’annonce comme une perspective prometteuse », a déclaré Alla Salehian, Directeur général de TIMA. « Nous sommes ravis que les performances de notre satellite EUTELSAT 10A répondent aux attentes de TIMA et nous nous réjouissons de nouer une nouvelle relation avec un groupe qui fait référence dans l’alimentation des médias internationaux en images et en reportages vidéo d’événements importants », a déclaré Nick Daly, Directeur général d’Eutelsat UK.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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ADVERTORIAL

Informa

Breaking the VAS barrier in Africa Jonah Fink, senior vice-president of IDT Telecom Solutions, speaks about key trends and prospects in the African value-added services (VAS) market

DT SUPPORTS A strong channel partner programme in Africa which assists system integrators, Internet service providers and internet-related VARs that sell IDT-hosted and branded VoIP solutions under the IDT Beyond’s portfolio. Services include call shops, broadband telephony, mobile apps and SIP trunking. Talking about key challenges within the African voice market, Fink pointed out three aspects - commerce, awareness and focus. He said that as ‘cash and carry’ is still the dominant behaviour in African consumer commerce, finding key distribution partners with a strong footprint of point of sales is essential. “Awareness of alternate voice solutions is a key ingredient for both the consumer and business client. As Africa may be the leading continent of opportunity, there is so much to do and focus on. IDT is looking to establish partnership whose sole focus is voice and its delivery to their respective markets. Teamwork, collaboration and hands-on workshops or seminars can help drive the awareness and necessity of IDT Beyond’s Over the Top Solutions.” Citing challenges changing in the next three years, the senior VP said he believes the single remedy to the above stated challenges is internet penetration. “As Africa will continue its rapid and robust deployment of Internet around the continent all three of the above stated challenges will be appeased. Internet will start enabling POSA networks around the Horn of Africa to produce real time transactions no matter how the remote a location will be. Internet penetration will allow for real time webinars and ‘GotoMeetings’ hosted by IDT Beyond to attract key decision makers to join and learn about alternative voice solutions for the home, business and enterprise. Thirdly, IDT is prepared, encouraged and motivated to share best practices with African operators to showcase case studies that have yielded mass success to our key partners around the globe. Gaining such awareness and knowledge will drive the operator’s confidence in regaining the share of the market that belongs at home.”

30 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Jonah Fink

“As each day goes by, African consumers are embracing new methods of communication” According to Fink, the African market is different from the rest of the world in its diversity, topology, demographics and culture and it requires IDT to study and learn each country as its own entity. He said that customisation is a key ingredient to IDT’s voice offers. “One size does not fit all. IDT works intimately with each and every partner on their requirements. IDT listens to the operator’s need for brand awareness, uniformity and seamless integration of IDT’s solutions into their respective portfolios.” Fink feels that OTT operators such as Skype, Viber and WhatsApp are threats against African Telcos revenues. He said international longdistance is on a decline for most operators in the region. “In fact, there are many supportive

studies and articles which say that VoIPoriginated international traffic has surpassed the traditional voice minute in key markets in Africa. At the same time, these applications have created a very strong awareness down to the consumer. As each day goes by, African consumers are embracing new methods of communication. There was an eye opening article published some months back which conducted a survey posing the question: If the local operator were to launch its own OTT solution such as Skype in its market, would the consumer continue to purchase from Skype or would they buy directly from their local operator? And the overwhelming response to the article was that consumers would buy from their home-based operator. Loyalty, nationalism, brand and a single bill rather than a swivel chair approach to another foreign OTTbased provider is the appeal,” he added. How can African operators then make money from voice when so many calls are now free? To this, Fink said the world is all about mobility. “Mobile penetration into Africa is going at lightning speeds. As Africa becomes mobile and customers are taking their lives on the go, off-net traffic is growing. It’s funny, when one thinks about Skype or Viber services, they immediately think about P2P (peer to peer free services). It is worthy to note that IDT’s flagship mobile calling solution in the United States just enjoyed its strongest month of March producing tens of millions of dollars in international voice revenue. There is certainly Skype and Viber in the USA… So why is IDT’s retail voice business growing? Isn’t everyone talking for free? Absolutely not! We forget too easily, that particularly in the developing markets, where international voice corridors are so important, consumers are either getting their first mobile phone for the very first time, enjoying new cellular networks which are reaching remote communities for the first time and yes the smartphone is making customers smart. All of these ingredients mean more billable minutes which can go in either of two ways – yours or theirs…” ✆

www.communicationsafrica.com

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ADVERTORIAL

Informa

NOTE D’HORUS TELECOM & UTILITIES DANS LE CADRE DE LA PREPARATION DE Quelle doit être la priorité principale pour améliorer l’accès aux communications en Afrique de l’Ouest? Les 20 dernières années ont été marquées par l’explosion de la téléphonie mobile en Afrique de l’Ouest, qui a permis à une majorité de la population d’accéder aux services de télécommunications qui lui était jusqu’alors fermés, puisqu’ils étaient de facto réservés à l’administration, aux entreprises, à une faible partie de leurs salariés (cadres) et aux quelques ménages (moins de 5%) titulaires d’une ligne fixe. Cette « démocratisation » des services de voix a eu un impact considérable sur les modes de vie et sans aucun doute sur le développement économique, et le développement de nouveaux services comme le M-Paiement devrait continuer à répondre à des besoins véritablement essentiels et à améliorer les conditions de vie de chacun. Trois priorités se dégagent pour les années à venir : • La baisse des coûts des services de voix mobile entre les réseaux • Le développement de l’accès aux services de données, notamment auprès des très petites entreprises • La couverture des zones rurales en services de voix et de données 1.1. Baisse des coûts des services de voix mobiles entre les réseaux (« Off – Net ») Le niveau élevé des coûts d’interconnexion constitue avant tout un moyen pour les opérateurs dominants de freiner l’émergence de nouveaux acteurs. Les tarifs des communications Off – Net sont parfois le double des tarifs On – Net, voire supérieurs aux tarifs des communications internationales. Ce niveau élevé de l’interconnexion procure à court terme des revenus importants aux opérateurs en place mais ses effets pervers, notamment pour les consommateurs, sont considérables : • Frein à la concurrence (effet club) • Phénomène des « multi – SIM » : selon les pays et le nombre d’opérateurs, les consommateurs finaux sont incités à s’équiper de 2 à 4 cartes SIM d’opérateurs différents. Le taux réel de pénétration (fondé sur le nombre réel d’utilisateurs) peut être deux fois moins élevé que le taux officiel, fondé sur le nombre de cartes SIM actives • Coût finalement élevé pour les consommateurs qui consacrent jusqu’à 15% de leur revenu à la téléphonie mobile (contre 2 à 5% dans les pays de l’OCDE) • ARPU très faible et tendanciellement décroissant pour chacun des opérateurs En règle générale, les pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest francophones ont du retard dans ce domaine par www.communicationsafrica.com

leur éligibilité à l’ADSL) dont la réhabilitation est très couteuse • A l’échelle des pays, l’absence ou la saturation des réseaux de transports (backbones) qui ne peuvent répondre aux besoins exponentiels en capacités induits par le déploiement des réseaux 3G. rapport aux pays d’Afrique de l’Est et/ou anglophones, dans lesquels (Ghana, Kenya..) les régulateurs ont imposé depuis quelques années des baisses autoritaires des tarifs d’interconnexion. 1.2. Développement de l’accès large bande aux services de données et à Internet L’accèsdata et internet large bande reste très limité, du fait principalement de la très faible pénétration de la téléphonie fixe (0,1 à 1,5% de la population) et partant de l’ADSL. Le développement relativement rapide de la 3G et bientôt des réseaux LTE permettrad’amélioration l’accès mais ne répondra pas à l’ensemble des besoins, notamment professionnels : • l’accès data et Internet large bande (> 1 Mbps) est pour l’instant réservé aux grandes et moyennes entreprises, via le réseau fixe ou le satellite (VSAT) • l’Internet mobile adresse essentiellement une clientèle jeune et résidentielle : les sites les plus visités sont Facebook, Google, Yahoo et YouTube Il n’existe donc pas ou peu d’offres adaptées aux besoins et capacités du segment majeur des millions de très petites entreprises qui assurent l’essentiel de l’activité économique et de l’emploi en Afrique. 1.3. La couverture des zones rurales La couverture des zones rurales en services de voix et a fortiori de données a toujours été différée par les opérateurs en raison des problèmes techniques (énergie) et financiers qu’elle soulève. Sous la pression des Autorités Publiques (gouvernements et régulateurs) mais également du fait d’une certaine saturation des marchés urbains, la situation évolue (lentement) grâce à l’émergence de solutions innovantes dans les domaines de l’énergie (solaire) et du transport (satellite). La couverture rurale dans des conditions rentables requiert de réaliser des analyses géomarketing assez approfondies permettant d’adapter finement les équipements radios (TRX)aux besoins réels. Elle devrait d’autre part être facilitée par le développement assez rapide du partage de sites et l’apparition de Tower compagnies. Quel degré d’amélioration des réseaux est nécessaire pour offrir un accès fiable aux services de data? Les principaux problèmes sont : • En ville, la qualité des réseaux fixes filaires (et

Comment les réseaux LTE se développent-ils dans la région? Qui sont les leaders et qu’est-ce qui fait de leur stratégie un succès? Le développement des réseaux LTE est pour l’instant plus lent en Afrique de l’Ouest qu’en Afrique de l’Est où existent quelques acteurs majeurs comme Smile. Le Groupe Suisse YouMee Africa, déjà présent au Cameroun, vient d’annoncer le lancement de ses activités en Côte d’Ivoire. Comment les opérateurs peuvent-ils contrôler les coûts pour maximiser leur profitabilité? • Par la mise en commun des infrastructures de transport (backbones) et des infrastructures passives des sites radios • Par la limitation progressive des capacités d’accès radios (3G/4G) en fonction de la consommation mensuelle des clients (formules de « faux illimité ») Quels développements de satellites vont avoir le plus d’impact sur le secteur des communications dans la région? L’apparition des offres satellitaires en bande Ku et surtout Ka permet une réduction drastique des coûts de bande passante, d’une part pour l’activité de backhauling, et d’autre part pour le développement d’offres de services managés d’accès large bande individuels. Ces offres devraient notamment permettre d’adresser le segment des TPE dans les petites localités et les zones rurales où le déploiement d’infrastructures de transport terrestre est trop couteux. Quel est l’impact des technologies de fibre sur le marché de la région? Cet impact porte essentiellement sur le déploiement de réseaux de transport (backbones) nationaux et internationaux, terrestres et sous-marins, qui ont décuplé les capacités de connectivité large bande au moins le long des côtes de toute l’Afrique et qui devraient en faire baisser le prix si les conditions de concurrence et d’accès libre s’améliorent. En termes d’accès, cet impact, pour des raisons de coût d’investissement, restera limité à court et moyen termes aux (très) grandes villes pour le raccordement des administrations, des grandes entreprises et éventuellement de grands ensembles immobiliers professionnels et résidentiels. ✆ Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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COMMERCE

Finance

Global entrepreneurship – a new era for global banking Tine Wollebekk, head of financial services at Telenor Digital, offers her vision of the road ahead for financial services

iNE WOLLEBEKK, HEAD of financial services at Telenor Digital, plays a key role in developing Telenor’s financial services offerings on a global scale. Speaking to Communications Africa, Wollebekk said, “I admit, I was reluctant to join the headquarters of such a large corporation at first, as I am used to working from a business unit-perspective. “But, with the Telenor Group’s new vision, ‘Empowering Societies’, financial services truly starts to make sense. Just imagine that through basic financial services, we can increase local markets’ GDP between two and five per cent. “This passion is balanced with my strong commercial focus, ensuring that our financial services initiatives are profitable for the Telenor Group, which again will ensure the longevity of our investments and further development of global financial services. Last but not least, I’m motivated by doing things I haven’t done before. And Telco global banking is truly entrepreneurship on a global scale,” Wollebekk added.

An important agenda, and the importance of inclusion Wollebekk was asked, then, which are the most exciting trends in financial services globally? She said, “Financial inclusion is at the top of the world economic agenda, recognised by leaders in developing and developed countries, and emerging as a priority issue on political agendas. It’s also a top priority for Telenor. Operational efficiency and simplifying customer experiences is at the heart of this, not forgetting the transparency aspect, getting cash into a regulated environment. There is an incredible opportunity worldwide to innovate within payment systems as a key driver for financial inclusion. “In addition to this – and perhaps most importantly – is the development of the role of

“The payment logic is in our telco DNA, and there is a large global commercial potential” 32 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Telenor Group's headquarters are located in Oslo, Norway

“Financial inclusion is at the top of the world economic agenda” the ‘bank’. Today this industry is changing drastically. More and more banking activities are outsourced, and a lot of the new development within payment is happening outside the bank. “The banking sector is becoming a wholesale industry. They still maintain the competence and the consultancy part of the business, and are involved in bigger economic decisions. But retail, transactions, operational excellence, is becoming more efficient within other structures, such as through a telco. Now we have to dare to take these new financial structures one step further.” Wollebekk continued, “It’s quite easy math. Globally, 80 to 90 per cent have a mobile phone. Fifteen per cent have a bank account. We have key beneficial assets as a telco, including an enormous customer base, global connectivity and structures. The payment logic is in our telco DNA, and there is a large global commercial potential. “Big Data is an important aspect of this, building one of the strongest customer insights databases possible. Creating a payment and credit history in these markets will place Telenor in a unique position. Predictive data is also an exciting area within this, as we can use our scoring tools to

monitor use of services. In combination with our Global Backend (a single plug-in to reach all business units), this means our partners will be able to access an enormous customer base with 160mn mobile subscribers. “It is however important to recognise that financial services is a very local exercise. There is a global logic for a telco to invest and scale financial services, but the actual start of some of our most recent and important business initiatives, stems from local needs, opportunities and market gaps,” she added. There are significant challenges, which Wollebekk recognises. Making products available for customers entails entrepreneurship within an established structure, a telco structure comprising all of the firm’s assets and strengths. Moreover, banking and payment is a very global industry – but with highly competitive local elements. The main components in financial services portfolios are very similar around the world. But there is no global strategy as to how to enter individual markets. Companies must look locally. They must look for gaps in each market, and find where there is an unmet need.

Visions and ambitions Wollebekk has a vision as to which financial services will be provided by Telenor in three to five years. The company is expected to focus on increasing services around four main pillars: • Payment – everything from transactions, billing, payment of digital content through your phone, and e-commerce • Lending – includes products such as small emergency credits, device loans (to rollout 3G you need devices, provide the customers with the possibility to actually own devices which in turn will ensure quicker adoption of 3G) and entrepreneur loans (such as loans to farmers and agents) • Savings – a lot of societies currently save in gold and the challenge will be to create trust in services, ensuring simple and safe savings products • Insurance – Telenor already has an ownership role in MicroEnsure Asia, which provides a range of insurance products to more than four million people in Africa and Asia. ✆ www.communicationsafrica.com

S06 CAF 3 2014 Report 04_Layout 1 07/05/2014 14:59 Page 33

AFRICA’S CARRIERS’ CARRIER

WIOCC core network Other WIOCC network (Inc. TEAMS, SMW3, Seacom and SAT3/SAFE)

Terrestrial network

How do you provide reliable, international connectivity into, within and out of Africa?

Choose a solutions provider with ownership in multiple submarine systems and the most extensive terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure in Africa - extending to 50,000km - offering diversity options for protection of your customer traffic. Choose a business partner that works with you to tailor solutions to your business needs, provides a complete connectivity package and manages the entire service end-to-end. Choose a service-focused supplier with a professional Customer Champions team: a single point of contact - available any time, any day - to manage your services throughout their entire lifecycle.

Choose WIOCC – Africa’s award-winning carriers’ carrier.

S06 CAF 3 2014 Report 04_Layout 1 07/05/2014 14:59 Page 34

INDUSTRY

Cloud

Improving productivity from anywhere How the implementation and management of new technologies are helping South African workers to avoid sitting in traffic

S INCREASING NUMBERS of commuters move into cities, the resultant congestion has caused a decline in productivity. The result is that the workplace of the future has had to adapt to this problem while meeting the demands of its employees. Corporates, specifically some of South Africa's big financial institutions in Sandton, are realising they have to offer flexible working time and flexible computing in order to attract and retain the best talent, while ensuring optimum productivity from every employee. To answer the question about how companies go about retaining staff, and lessen the impact of unproductive time in traffic, the simple answer is to allow them the flexibility and accessibility to get the job done. There’s no real need to ensure employees are sitting in physical office space any longer, since people can now collaborate and meet virtually. Talented individuals are inevitably moving to companies that afford them the work flexibility they demand, and saving hours everyday in productive and personal time. This raises another question about what the future working world will look like and which technology will be used to streamline the process of working from any location and on any device. The fact is, access to data and applications is more important than the historical concerns over available connectivity. Connectivity has become a commodity in recent years, and its cost is driving down almost as fast as its access is improving. Our current levels of access in metropolitan and outlying areas provide real freedom to access data from anywhere. We need to redefine the way we work, and rather focus on being

”There’s no real need to ensure employees are sitting in physical office space any longer, since people can now collaborate and meet virtually” more collaborative with co-workers, sharing and accessing applications, documents and data when needed. The ability to access documents from anywhere means you’re achieving two things: you’re avoiding sitting in unproductive traffic congestion and you’re getting more done in the time available to you. Cloud-based collaboration, which is available through a number of operators locally and internationally, delivers far higher levels of efficiency because you’re collaborating on the same master document, avoiding the need to send copies of documents back and forth multiple times. True cloud-based collaboration means you can track changes back and forward, for as long as needed, and never fear the potential loss of critical data. Users simply have to embrace a new way of working. The positive, tangible benefits are clear: short and long-term productivity gains; considerable cost reductions; and IT departments spend far less time supporting the mundane, and focus on innovation. There are more than enough options available to businesses of varying sizes to ensure their employees remain productive, are able to work remotely and from any device. We’re no longer constrained by the

34 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

We’re no longer constrained by the desktop PC or laptop computer, with the evolution of modern tablets, smartphones and other handheld devices

desktop PC or laptop computer; modern tablets, smartphones and other handheld devices offer the same functionality, processing power and a more intuitive interface than antiquated desktop PCs ever have. Allowing employees to work remotely while connecting via VPN is a legacy approach to remote productivity, and often proves more cumbersome and challenging than it’s worth; that was how we worked 10 years ago. More reliable, and readily available connectivity in South Africa, enables users to gain access from anywhere; and newer, lighter and more robust technologies are available on the market… technologies that in many cases, render VPNs unnecessary. While everyone appears to be fixated on how mobile their employees can be, the focus should rather be on how accessible their applications and content is. In fact, most ‘mobile’ applications are watered-down versions of the original, with limited functionality; in reality, fully-fledged applications are already being delivered to devices through any internet connection, allowing corporate networks to be securely accessed from anywhere. The key criteria to attract and retain talent is to allow employees flexibility in their work. Make it clear that the location from which they work is irrelevant, and provide access to data and applications to get the job done. Once we’ve convinced people to avoid sitting in unproductive traffic jams, we’ll have made some real progress. If traffic is always bad, many companies now allow employees to work from home in the morning to avoid rush-hour. Those who get in very early to avoid sitting in traffic, are then entitled to leave early. The question is whether or not companies can embrace mixing the two, which is the very definition of flexibility. One thing is certain: today’s ability to work remotely enables any level of flexibility a business chooses. There’s a new way of working... start embracing it or risk being left behind. ✆

Brian Timperley, managing director, Cloudware

www.communicationsafrica.com

S06 CAF 3 2014 Report 04_Layout 1 07/05/2014 14:59 Page 35

DATA

Cloud

Be prepared for the Internet of Things Experts are advising businesses to gear up for one of this year’s most important and fastest-growing ICT trends

CT ANALYSTS HAVE emphasised how 2014 will see the execution of data management strategies, including analytics, volume control and application. The prediction is that businesses will aggressively begin to extract data on a completely new level - a level that will involve data streams sourced from various machines, processes, procedures and systems. Welcome to the Internet of Things. As a fast-growing trend the Internet of Things is defined by the expanded combination of networks and the Internet to facilitate a scenario in which all things/ objects are connected and have unique identifiers that enable them to transfer data. It will force decision makers to review their data management and application strategies. Today, in order to remain relevant and enhance the ability to compete, it is vital that businesses are able to not only effectively and securely store and manipulate structured data, but also extract the value of readily available unstructured data. The fact is that this type of data is everywhere and, if successfully tapped into,

www.communicationsafrica.com

can add enormous value in terms of consumer behaviour, buying patterns and insight into developing trends.

Businesses...will need to be strategic in the acquisition and implementation of technology Analytics of big data will remain relevant, however, there will be a new dimension to this facet of technology – brought about by the awareness of businesses to execute data management strategies to gain these benefits. Data analytics, management and strategy application are areas that international technology vendors are highly aware of- and intend to tap into going forward. They are faced with the reality of not only being able to help extract and collate streams of data, but be positioned at the network to ensure seamless connectivity – a prerequisite for the Internet of Things. One such vendor, Cisco, has put the situation in perspective and says that from the Internet of Things where we are today,

we are just beginning to enter a new realm: the Internet of Everything (IoE), where things will gain context awareness, increased processing power, and greater sensing abilities. Add people and information into the mix and you get a network of networks where billions or even trillions of connections create unprecedented opportunities and give things that were silent a voice. Cisco defines IoE as bringing together people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before – turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries. In order for businesses to better position themselves to take advantage of this trend and utilise both structured and unstructured data to the benefit of operations, they will need to be strategic in the acquisition and implementation of technology. This is where partnerships, alliances and consolidation will play a major in the industry this year. ✆

Bennie Strydom, chief sales officer at Integr8

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

S07 CAF 3 2014 Report 05_Layout 1 07/05/2014 15:01 Page 36

MOBILE

Health

Why health systems are gathering strength in Africa mHealth initiatives are building fast, with new apps and devices being embraced and driven by dedicated individuals and organisations who really are making a difference, reports Tim Guest

Photograph: Terres des hommes

OR SEVERAL MONTHS now people have been dying in Guinea due to an outbreak of the deadly ebola virus. Thankfully, over the past two months an increasing number of patients have been discharged from ebola treatment centres, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), after successfully beating the disease. And although typical mobile communications have been used by staff throughout, where possible, mHealth apps have so far not been involved in the outbreak. However, that didn’t stop new technology from having its moment. When MSF reached Guinea to set up shop in order to help combat the outbreak, they found themselves in a region with no accurate maps, and had to turn to digital mapping organisation, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), to create a map of the city of Guéckédou and the surrounding region, the focal point of the outbreak. Within a day in early April, HOT had populated maps with more than 100,000 buildings, hundreds of roads and tracks, all based on satellite imagery of the area.

The potential for mHealth can only be realised if policymakers, decision-makers and policies facilitate its development and implementation

36 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

The use of geographical data and mapping information has been incorporated into mobile health apps developed at Imperial College, London, where the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology has developed a webbased mobile health (mHealth) solution with corresponding smartphone apps, Spatialepidemiology.net and EpiCollect.net. These are now being used in Africa for a wide range of epidemiological studies into the spread of infectious diseases. The android-based EpiCollect app geotags data and uses Google Maps and Google Earth to analyse and display data from mHealth projects.

PAMI aims to support the scale-up of mHealth in the areas of nutrition and maternal/child health in sub-Saharan Africa The GSMA has been conducting its mHealth activities for some years now and has a panAfrican mHealth initiative aimed at improving the nutrition and health particularly of mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa. The GSMA’s director of health, mobile for development, Craig Friderichs, told Communications Africa that the GSMA’s Pan-African mHealth Initiative (PAMI), launched in 2012, was extended in September 2013 after an initial focus on South Africa, to include Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. PAMI aims to support the scale-up of mHealth in the areas of nutrition and maternal/child health in sub-Saharan Africa, by developing commercially sustainable services that meet public health needs. Friedrichs said 96 mHealth services are currently being tracked in South Africa by the GSMA, including the BabyInfo, MAMA and The Baby Club, where pregnant women receive messages related to nutrition, stage of pregnancy, wellness tips, and other matters. Friedrichs said PAMI was launched to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4, 5 and 6, where MDG 4 aims to reduce the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three-

quarters and provide universal access to reproductive health; and MDG 6 aims to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, provide universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS and halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other diseases. But he added that the GSMA’s mHealth country feasibility reports (the first two, Nigeria and Malawi, are to be published shortly), show that each country presents a different landscape, both in terms of the specifics of the health burden and the number of unique mobile subscribers and mobile affordability. According to Friedrichs, PAMI is addressing these obstacles by bringing together the mobile and health industries in each priority country, to create sustainable public-private partnerships that will launch mHealth services within the specific product areas of demand generation, registration and data surveillance. One of Europe’s leading mHealth experts based out of Swizerland’s Università della Svizzera italiana, professor Suzanne Suggs, has been involved in the development of mobile-phonebased, clinical-decision support tools for physicians dealing with paediatric cardiomyopathy and otitis. Communications Africa took the opportunity to put a range of questions to the expert for her insights into where mHealth in Africa is headed. Which areas offer the greatest potential for mHealth projects? The answer depends on what you mean by potential. If designed properly using social marketing and systems-thinking approaches, mHealth can be part of the solution to improving health and reducing health disparities. In terms of impact on society, mHealth has great potential as a tool in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Increasing attention is paid to chronic diseases in developed countries with programmes that address management and prevention of NCDs. With NCDs in Africa and other low and middle income countries expected to rise dramatically, lifestyle-support mHealth solutions will become more common and have potential to be part of an integrated solution. By supporting healthy lifestyle behaviours through mobile devices, through education, cues to action, skill building and social support, along with monitoring www.communicationsafrica.com

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MOBILE

Health

thinking and desire to be a leader, by making low-cost mobile devices and networks available in some of the richest and poorest places in the world. Thus, the need for improved public health combined with the availability of a low-cost technology provides a solution to the economics of health and healthcare.

biometrics and behaviours, m-health can be a catalyst for behaviour change and support. Two ongoing examples include SMSDiabetes in Gabon and Communicating Diabetes in Kenya. Both use SMS to exchange educational messages, questions and answers between providers and patients. However, the potential for mHealth can only be realised if policymakers, decision-makers and policies facilitate its development and implementation. Too many projects see solutions imposed on problems and have not taken account of the context in which the mHealth solution will exist. Further, we have to be careful not to get caught up in hype about technological products and instead rely on careful and quality evaluation evidence.

mHealth has great potential as a tool in the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)” - professor Suzanne Suggs The greatest challenges may be to know which mobile solutions are effective and likely to produce the greatest positive outcome in the future and convincing policymakers and funders to follow evidence-based planning and evaluation frameworks for ICT health solutions. Thus, we desperately need a process to identify what is working and what is not and to understand how to communicate such evidence convincingly to policy makers and funders and planners. We also need to know more about effective communication strategies including the message, the timing, dosing, and frequency and messengers, and user experience, in the African context, before smart decisions can be made moving forward. At the Geneva Health Forum, in the session on ICT for Global Health promotion, we saw the great potential in mHealth in the www.communicationsafrica.com

surveillance ability of ebola and in education about ebola risks, symptoms, services, and current news. As for SMS, there are 98 mHealth programmes using SMS in low and middle income countries. Simple SMS communication is providing access to services, epidemiologic data through surveillance and monitoring, and improving health competencies and abilities through educational programmes by exchanging SMS questions and answers by text, pictures and games. The MoTECH programme from Ghana, for example, uses SMS to provide pregnant women in remote areas with reminders about appointments, facts about pregnancy, common issues, myths, and practices. Health workers are alerted when a person misses an appointment, and are able to remind women through basic SMS. Which organisations do you see as the most innovative and the leaders in driving mHealth uptake in Africa? Various organisations are making important innovative contributions in m-Health and ultimately their efforts will be a catalyst for improved global health. The real innovators are the individuals throughout Africa (and other parts of the world) who are willing to take chances and change the way in which problems are solved through ICT. I believe the most innovative mHealth programmes or interventions have yet to be developed and that the innovator(s) will not be one of the usual suspects. I also strongly believe it will not be an institution that stands out as making the biggest impact or greatest innovation, but will be a group of individuals from various organisations and perspectives who collaborate to design a programme that is truly effective, scalable and financially smart. As for who is driving mHealth uptake in Africa? That’s easy - the economy. It’s the economics of health and the need for efficient, mass-reaching solutions to tackle some profound health problems. Industry has jumped in with its large financial resources, innovative

We understand you are involved in an important mHealth summer school. How can members of Africa’s health community/telecoms sector can become involved? The Swiss School of Public Health plus (SSPH+) will from 25-31 August 2014 offer the course ‘mHealth: Mobile Communication for Public Health’. I teach the six-day course where we explore, analyse and examine mobile health technologies and strategies used for public health communication purposes. The course specifically focuses on the use of mHealth in promoting, facilitating, changing and maintaining health behaviours. Emphasis is placed on the planning and development process in terms of when and why to use mHealth, how to develop mHealth programmes and evaluation of mHealth projects. This is not a technical course for programmers, but is a course for public workers and researchers. ✆

Photograph: Terres des hommes

An outbreak of the ebola virus has recently taken hold in Guinea

The need for improved public health combined with the availability of a lowcost technology provides a solution to the economics of health and healthcare" professor Suzanne Suggs

The GSMA has a pan-African mHealth initiative aimed at improving the nutrition and health particularly of mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

S08 CAF 3 2014 Broadcast BG_Layout 1 07/05/2014 15:03 Page 38

BROADCAST

Buyers’ Guide Guide de l’acheteur 20 1 4

The guide to the major international manufacturers in all areas of broadcasting and their agents throughout Africa. Classifieds - Manufacturers listed under type Suppliers - With Agents’ names Local Agents - Index

Ce guide contient une liste des principaux fabricants internationaux de matériel de l’audiovisuelle ainsi que leurs distributeurs en Afrique. Liste des produits avec fabricants par produits Liste des fabricants avec noms des distributeurs en Afrique Liste des distributeurs locaux

Classifieds Amplifiers

Distribution & Links

Satellite Communications

Comtech EF Data

African Union Communication (Pty) Ltd.

Eutelsat

Kathrein SA (Pty) Ltd.

AFRIKANET Oxford Consultech

GL Communications Inc.

Globecast France

Amos-SpaceCom

Intelsat

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.

AnaCom Inc.

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.

PCCW Global Ltd.

Applied Satellite Technology SA (Pty) Ltd

Newtec Cy n.v

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

CET Teleport

PCCW Global Ltd.

Cobham

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

Comtech EF Data

Space Television

Antennas - Industrial Amphenol Corporation Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd. Kathrein SA (Pty) Ltd.

Audio - Other DTL Broadcast Ltd. Ghielmetti AG Netia

Automation and Control Netia

Broadcast Facilities Build & Operation

Down Converters AnaCom Inc. Axon Digital Design Comtech EF Data

Milano Teleport S.p.A.

Encoders/Decoders

Newtec Cy n.v

Transmitters and Antennas

PCCW Global Ltd.

AnaCom Inc.

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

Applied Satellite Technology SA (Pty) Ltd

Space Television

Turnkey Systems

Telemedia Pty Ltd.

African Union Communication (Pty) Ltd.

Thaicom Public Company Ltd.

AFRIKANET Oxford Consultech

Satellite Receivers

Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd.

AnaCom Inc.

Filters

Video - Other

Harmonic

DTL Broadcast Ltd.

Kathrein SA (Pty) Ltd.

Newtec Cy n.v

Ghielmetti AG

Headend Equipment

Rascomstar-QAF

Intelsat

African Union Communication (Pty) Ltd.

Space Television

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.

Harmonic

Set Top Boxes

Netia

Newtec Cy n.v

Infomir

VSATs

SMATV - Systems & Components

AFRIKANET Oxford Consultech

Space Television

Amos-SpaceCom

African Union Communication (Pty) Ltd.

PCCW Global Ltd.

Telemedia Pty Ltd.

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

Encryption Equipment

Telemedia Pty Ltd.

Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd.

Kathrein SA (Pty) Ltd.

Colour Correctors Axon Digital Design

Connectors Amphenol Corporation

Telemedia Pty Ltd.

LNBs AnaCom Inc.

Microwave Links

Harmonic

Digital Glue / Distribution Cabinets Axon Digital Design

Axon Digital Design

Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd.

OB Vans

Newtec Cy n.v PCCW Global Ltd.

Ghielmetti AG

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

Telecommunications

Space Television

AFRIKANET Oxford Consultech

Radiocommunications

Amos-SpaceCom

Netia

AnaCom Inc.

Digital Video Equipment

Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd.

African Union Communication (Pty) Ltd.

Applied Satellite Technology SA (Pty) Ltd

DTL Broadcast Ltd.

CET Teleport

Harmonic

Cobham

38 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.

Studio Furnitures DTL Broadcast Ltd. Globecast France

GL Communications Inc.

AnaCom Inc.

Standards Converters

Kathrein SA (Pty) Ltd.

Decoders

Ghielmetti AG

Netia

Harmonic

Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd.

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.

Globecast France

Amphenol Corporation

Test & Measurement

Editing Systems

DTL Broadcast Ltd.

Cables & Cable Equipment

Hellas Sat Consortium Ltd. Intelsat

Ghielmetti AG

Broadcast Towers & Masts, Channel Combiner Units & Filters

Globecast France

www.communicationsafrica.com

S08 CAF 3 2014 Broadcast BG_Layout 1 07/05/2014 15:03 Page 39

BROADCAST BUYERS’ GUIDE 2014

Suppliers AAE Systems Inc.

Alcatel-Lucent

AnaCom Inc.

642 North Pastoria Avenue Sunnyvale, 94085 USA Tel: +1 408 7321710 Fax: +1 408 7323095 Web: www.aaesys.com E-mail: sales@aaesys.com

3 av. Octave Gréard Paris, 75007, France Tel: +33 1 40761010 Fax: +33 1 40761413 Web: www.alcatel-lucent.com E-mail: execoffice@ alcatel-lucent.com

1996 Lundy Ave, San Jose 95131, USA Tel: +1 571 294 7456 Fax: +1 408 716 2538 Web: www.anacominc.com E-mail: sales@anacominc.com

African Union Communication (Pty) Ltd. PO Box 4187, Rietvalleirand, 0174 South Africa Tel: +27 12 0018670 Fax: +27 12 3474376 Web: www.aucom.co.za E-mail: admin@aucom.co.za

Our other office in Africa: Alcatel-Lucent Egypt PO Box 5, Giza – Egypt Postal Code 12577 Tel: +202 3539 5555 Fax: +202 3539 2330

Amos-SpaceCom

AFRIKANET Oxford Consultech Oxford Culham Innovation Centre Science Center, Building D5 Oxford, England, OX14 3DB United Kingdom Tel: +44 1865 408365 Fax: +44 207 9006479 Web: www.afrikanet.net E-mail: contact@afrikanet.net

7 Menachem Begin Street Ramat Gan, 52521 Israel Tel: +972 3 7551000 Fax: +972 3 7551001 Web: www.amos-spacecom.com E-mail: amos-info@ amos-spacecom.com

Our other offices in Africa: AFRIKANET – Cemac Online Olembe – Yaounde – Cameroon BP: 25240 Yaounde Cameroon Tel: +237 22 621739 E-mail: cemac@afrikanet.net

Agents:

AIRTI-AFRIKANET – Côte d’Ivoire 28 BP 989 ABJ 28 Abidjan – Côte d’Ivoire Tel: +225 24 493779 E-mail: airti@afrikanet.net CNC – Computer Network Corp – AFRIKANET DRC 4765 Avenue colonel Ebeya, Kinshasa – DRC Commune de la Gombe Tel: +243 998 204833 E-mail: cnc@afrikanet.net AFRIKANET Zambia (JBL Global NW & Zambezi Technologies) Broadway Complex Ndola 7928 Chozi Road Northmead Lusaka E-mail: zambia@afrikanet.net PRESTA-BIST Telecom – AFRIKANET CHAD Avenue Charles De Gaulles B.P. 587 N’djamena – Chad Tel : +235 66 299378 E-mail: prestabist@afrikanet.net MENG-ENGENHARIA, LDA – AFRIKANET ANGOLA Rua Kimpemba, 23-1B Cabinda – Angola Tel: +244 913 140075/926 240759 E-mail: meng@afrikanet.net

www.communicationsafrica.com

Cameroon - MDR Space Ltd. Congo DR - NITD Solutions SPRL Senegal - Systemes PV South Africa - Eltekon satellite Consulting & Services Zambia - Network Consultants Limited

Agents:

South Africa - Stratosat Datacom (Pty) Ltd.

Andrew Wireless Solutions Africa (Pty) Ltd. PO Box 786117, Sandton, 2146 South Africa Tel: +27 11 7196000 Fax: +27 11 4482500 Web: www.andrew.com www.commscope.com/andrew E-mail: asa@commscope.com

Applied Satellite Technology SA (Pty) Ltd Deus Exorno, Block A1 Bondev Park c/o Willem Botha & Wierda Road Eldoraigne, Centurion South Africa Tel: +27 12 6585740 Fax: +27 82 0656148 Web: www.ast-sa.co.za E-mail: info@satcomms.com

ArabSat

Amphenol Corporation 358 Hall Avenue Wallingford, 06492 USA Tel: +1 203 2658900 Fax: +1 203 2658516 Web: http://industrialamphenol.com/markets/broadcastentertainment/broadcast E-mail: paule@amphenolafrica.com Amphenol provides high performance connectors, wire and cable, fibre optic connectors, custom assemblies and interconnect products for audio and video applications for the commercial and professional broadcast and entertainment markets. Our extensive portfolio includes RF, DIN, XLR, Power & Lighting, SMPTE304M, expanded beam and tactical connectors. Our other office in Africa: Amphenol Africa 30 Impala Road, Chislehurston Sandton, 2146 South Africa Tel: +27 83 4420514 Fax: +27 11 7839519 Web: www.amphenolafrica.com Email: paule@amphenolafrica.com

PO Box 1038 Diplomatic Quarters Riyadh, 11431 Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 11 4820000 Fax: +966 11 4887999 Web: www.arabsat.com E-mail: info@arabsat.com

Asia Broadcast Satellite Ltd. PO Box 502129 Unit 21701 - 2108 Al Thuraya Tower 1 Dubai Media City Dubai United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 4542677 Fax: +971 4 4542655 Web: www.absatellite.net E-mail: salesmea@absatellite.com Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) is one of the fastest growing satellite operations in the world. ABS offers a complete range of solutions including DTH, CATV,

Cellular Backhaul, VSAT and Internet Backbone Services.

Axon Digital Design Hercules 28 RK Gilze 5126 The Netherlands Tel: +31 16 1850450 Fax: +31 16 1850499 Web: www.axon.tv E-mail: info@axon.tv Agents:

Egypt - Etaco South Africa - Jasco ICT - Broadcast Solutions South Africa - Neimeyer A.J.

CET Teleport Bexen 2 Aerzen 31855 Germany Tel: +49 5154 9371500 Fax: +49 5154 9371010 Web: www.cetteleport.com E-mail: info@cetteleport.com

Cobham Lundtoftegardsvej 93 D 2800, Lyngby Denmark Tel: +45 39 558800 Fax: +45 39 558888 Web: www.thrane.com E-mail: info@thrane.com Explorer Bgan Satellite terminals from Cobham are mobile broadband units enabling broadcast units enabling broadcasters to transmit live from any hotspot in the world from the minute they arrive, EXPLORE terminals combined with a low bit-rate video codec provides a mobile, cost efficient and easy to use solution for mobile SNG.

Comtech EF Data 2114 West 7th Street Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA Tel: +1 480 3332200 Fax: +1 480 3332540 Web: www.comtechefdata.com E-mail: sales@comtechefdata.com Comtech EF Data - the leader in satellite bandwidth efficiency and link optimization. Our solutions encompass Advanced VSAT Solutions, Satellite Modems, RAN & WAN Optimization, Network & Bandwidth Management and RF Products. Our offerings enable commercial and government users to reduce OPEX/CAPEX and increase throughput for fixed and mobile/transportable satellite-based applications.

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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BROADCAST BUYERS’ GUIDE 2014

Corning Inc. One Riverfront Plaza, Corning New York 14831 USA Tel: +1 607 9749000 Fax: +1 607 9745927 Web: www.corning.com E-mail: inquiries@corning.com Agents:

Brazil - Corning Brasil Indústria e Comércio Ltda. Brazil - Corning International South Africa - Corning Products SA (Pty) Ltd.

DTL Broadcast Ltd. Johnson’s Estate Hayes, Middlesex UB3 3BA United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 88135200 Fax: +44 20 88135022 Web: www.dtl-broadcast.com E-mail: info@dtl-broadcast.com DTL Broadcast market extensive ranges of rack mount and stand alone miniature video and audio converters, distributors and audio embedders/deembedders. If you work with formats such as SMPTE SDI, composite and component video, AES and analogue audio, you’ve come to the right place! Just call +44 20 88135200

Gazprom Space Systems, JSC

Moscowskaya Street, Bld 77B Schelkovo, Moscow Region 141112 Russia Tel: +7 495 5042906 Fax: +7 495 5042911 Web: www.gazpromspacesystems.ru E-mail: info@gazpromspacesystems.ru

Ghielmetti AG Industriestrasse 6 Biberist 4562 Switzerland Tel: +41 32 6711313 Fax: +41 32 6711314 Web: www.ghielmetti.ch E-mail: info@ghielmetti.ch Agents:

Morocco - Abchir SARL

GL Communications Inc.

Eutelsat

70, Rue Balard, Paris Cedex 15 F-75502, France Tel: +33 1 53 984747 Fax: +33 1 53 983700 Web: www.eutelsat.com E-mail: booking@eutelsat.fr Eutelsat is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 36 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. African Office: Eutelsat South Africa 2nd Floor West Floor Maude Street Nelson Mandela Square Sandton Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 8815512

40 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Inmarsat

4300 North First Street San Jose California 95134 USA Tel: +1 408 5422500 Fax: +1 408 5422511 Web: www.harmonicinc.com E-mail: info@harmonicinc.com

99 City Road London EC1Y 1AX United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 77281777/20 77281000 Fax: +44 20 77281142 Web: www.inmarsat.com E-mail: customer_care@inmarsat.com

Hellas Sat Consortium Ltd.

Intelsat

PO Box 27556 Nicosia 2435 Cyprus Tel: +357 22 861400 Fax: +357 22 861510 Web: www.hellas-sat.net E-mail: sales@hellas-sat.net

Hughes Network Systems, LLC 11717 Exploration Lane Germantown 20876 USA Tel: +1 301 4285500 Fax: +1 301 4281868 Web: www.hughes.com

iDirect Technologies

Agents:

Brazil - Sterling Do Brazil

Harmonic

818 West Diamond Avenue Third Floor Gaithersburg, 20878 USA Tel: +1 301 6704784 Fax: +1 301 6709187 Web: www.gl.com E-mail: gl-info@gl.com

Globecast France 5, allée Gustave Eiffel Issy les Moulineaux 92136, France Tel: +33 1 55952600 Fax: +33 1 55952741 Web: www.globecast.com E-mail: info@globecast.com Our other offices in Africa: Globecast Africa PHL Mentone Center 1 Park RD Richmond Johannesburg Gauteng 2092 Johannesburg South Africa Globecast Africa CVS Plaza - 4th Floor Lenana Road, PO Box 1069 0606 Sarit Centre Nairobi Kenya Fax: +27 11 4822792

13865 Sunrise Valley Drive Suite 100 Herndon Virginia 20171 USA Tel: +1 703 6488000 Web: www.idirect.net

Infomir 4-D, Marshal Zhukov Avenue Odessa 65121 Ukraine Tel: +38 48 7406740 Fax: +38 48 7406740 Web: www.infomir.eu E-mail: sales@infomir.eu Infomir is a European manufacturer of equipment and software for IPTV/OTT/VOD market, specializing in design, engineering, manufacturing and maintenance of equipment and enduser devices for broadband digital services and offering cost-effective solutions to large and smaller providers for starting IPTV/OTT/VOD projects with MAG series of STBs and free Middleware Stalker.

138 West Street Sandton Johannesburg Gauteng 2146 South Africa Tel: +27 11 5354700 Fax: +27 11 8847269 Web: www.intelsat.com

Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications 2nd Smolensky per. 1/4 Moscow 121099 Russia Tel: +7 499 2528333 Fax: +7 499 2410784 Web: www.intersputnik.com E-mail: sales@intersputnik.com The Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications was established 15 November 1971. Today, Intersputnik has 26 member states in practically all parts of the world, from Latin America to SouthEast Asia and from Europe to Africa.

Kathrein SA (Pty) Ltd.

Annandale Road Off R44, Stellenbosch 7600 South Africa Tel: +27 21 8818200 Fax: +27 21 8818203 Web: www.kathrein.co.za E-mail: admin@kathrein.co.za KATHREIN-Werke is the world’s largest and oldest antenna manufacturing enterprise. Products range from mobile antennas to satellite reception systems. ‘Quality leads the way’ is our philosophy and key to the success of the company.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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BROADCAST BUYERS’ GUIDE 2014

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.

MEASAT Teleport and Broadcast Centre Jalan Teknokrat 1/2 Cyberjaya, 63000 Malaysia Tel: +60 3 82132188 Fax: +60 3 82132233 Web: www.measat.com E-mail: sales@measat.com MEASAT is a premium supplier of satellite communication services to leading international broadcasters, DTH platforms and telecom operators. In Africa, the AFRICASAT-1a satellite at 46.0°E provides high powered state of the art satellite capacity across the African continent, with connectivity to Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. To contact our agent in Africa, please call. Tel: +254 731 434789 E-mail: edna@measat.com

Milano Teleport S.p.A. Via Cascina Nuova, 1 Lacchiarella Milan 20084 Italy Tel: +39 02 89085000 Fax: +39 02 89085050 Web: www.milanoteleport.com E-mail: info@milanoteleport.com sales@milanotelport.com Milano Teleport S.p.A. operates the largest independent teleport in Italy. Founded in 1997 its business spans from DTH and DTT TV Broadcasting to Broadband Wireless and Maritime services worldwide. For the Media & Broadcast Industry, Milano Teleport provides Satellite Services Worldwide (DTH, DTT, Contribution Links, Turn Around Services and Video over IP Connections) leveraging its modern Uplink Facility and its massive fiber connections with European main carriers.

Netia

Netia, a globecast company is a leading provider of software solutions enabling efficient management and delivery of content to today’s full array of media platforms. Relied on by more than 1,000 users in 200 installations over 40 countries, Netia solutions allow content producers to manage content from ingest to delivery.

www.communicationsafrica.com

Signalhorn

1 Place du President Wilson Toulouse, 31000, France Tel: +33 5 34572340 Fax: +33 5 61298214 Web: www.rascomstar.com E-mail: marketing@rascomstar.com

Illerstrasse 15 Backnang 71522 Germany Tel: +49 7191 9710 Fax: +49 7191 971100 Web: www.signalhorn.com E-mail: info@signalhorn.com

Agents:

Belgium - Studiotech Egypt - ETACO Ethiopia - Fortune Enterprise PLC Ethiopia - USI South Africa - Soundfusion

Newtec Cy n.v Laarstraat 5 Sint-Niklaas 9100 Belgium Tel: +32 3 7806500 Fax: +32 3 7806549 Web: www.newtec.eu E-mail: sales@newtec.eu

O3b Networks Ltd. Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan 5 The Hague 2582 The Netherlands Tel: +31 70 7116500 Web: www.o3bnetworks.com E-mail: getconnected@o3bnetworks.com

PCCW Global Ltd. 33rd Floor PCCW Tower Taikoo Place Quarry Bay Hong Kong Tel: +1 703 6211590 Fax: +1 703 3732612 Web: www.pccwglobal.com E-mail: africa@pccwglobal.com PCCW Global is an operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider which is majority-owned by PCCW Limited. With teams based in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas, PCCW Global serves the voice and data needs of multinational enterprises. Covering more than 1,800 cities and 120 countries, the PCCW Global network supports a portfolio of integrated global communications solutions. To learn more about PCCW Global, please visit www.pccwglobal.com.

377 Chemin de Farjou Claret, 34270, France Tel: +33 4 67590807 Fax: +33 4 67590820 Web: www.netia.com E-mail: i.michoux@netia.com

Rascomstar-QAF

RascomStar-QAF is a pan-African satellite operator mandated by the pan-African governmental organization RASCOM (Regional African Satellite Communication Organization), which is a convention of 45 African countries acting through their Telecommunication Ministries to support its project. RSQ operates the RASCOM-QAF1R (RQ1R) satellite, successfully launched in August 2010 and is fully operational for an in-orbit lifetime of 18 years. The RQ1R satellite transponders bear four categories of managed services: GSM Extension Service (R*GES) based on low cost easy to install GSM integrated site Telephony Extension Service (R*TES) based on low cost easy to install small Ku-band terminals High Speed Internet Service (HSI) is an optional service for R*TES and R*GES to provide broadband connectivity Backbone Connectivity Service (R*BCS) connecting gateways (any to any) in Africa In addition to Managed Services, RSQ can lease raw capacity: Bandwidth Lease Service (R*BLS) in both Ku and C-band for customers needing to deploy their own telecommunication networks such as VSAT networks, TV contributions, GSM Backhauling, Internet access, etc.

Singapore Telecommunications Limited 31 Exeter Road #26-00 Comcentre, 239732 Singapore Tel: +65 67 880022 Fax: +65 64 834140 Web: www.singtelteleport.com E-mail: satellite@singtel.com With more than 35 years of experience in fixed satellite services and over 20 years of experience in mobile satellite services, SingTel Satellite has been proven to be a leading provider of customised satellite solutions for industries such as broadcasting, business continuity, remote telephony, data communications, emergency relief operations, maritime and offshore.

Soicex Electronique

Mauritius - Rascomstar-QAF

5, Avenue Crêtes BP 92139, Ramonville St-Agne 31520 France Tel: +33 5 61733072 Fax: +33 5 61756040 Web: www.soicex.com E-mail: contact@soicex.com

SES Africa

Space Television

Agents:

The Pivot Block E 2nd Floor Monte Casino Boulevard Fourways Johannesburg South Africa Tel: +27 11 0818200 Web: www.africa.ses.com

PO Box 9317 78 Republic Road Ferndale Randburg, Johannesburg 2000 South Africa Tel: +27 11 7819900/1/2 Fax: +27 11 7819908 Web: www.spacetv.co.za E-mail: sales@spacetv.co.za

Telemedia Pty Ltd.

SES Broadband Services Château de Betzdorf Betzdorf 6815 Luxembourg Tel: +352 7107251 Web: www.ses.com E-mail: broadband@ses.com Agents:

South Africa - SES Broadband Services

179th Ave Rivonia Johannesburg South Africa Tel: +27 11 8033353 Fax: +27 11 8032534 Web: www.telemedia.co.za E-mail: sales@telemedia.co.za

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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BROADCAST BUYERS’ GUIDE 2014

Thaicom Public Company Ltd.

41/103, Rattanatibet Road Nonthaburi Province, 11000 Thailand Tel: +66 2 5965060 Fax: +66 2 9505058 Web: www.thaicom.net www.africomsat.com E-mail: pradeepu@thaicom.net Thaicom, one of Asia’s leading satellite operators, delivers expertise and

technological firsts to customers worldwide. With AFRICOM-1—the payload mission dedicated to Africa on the THAICOM-6 satellite—the company will provide broadcasters and telecom operators in Africa with a full range of satcom end-to-end services via its PanAfrican high-power C-band beams.

Thuraya PO Box 283333 United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 4488888 Fax: +971 4 4488999 Web: www.thuraya.com E-mail: sales@thuraya.com

Viewsat

Yahsat

Building CH5 Normandy Business Park Cobbett Hill Road GU3 2AA United Kingdom Tel: +44 1483 235400 Fax: +44 20 81814591 Web: www.viewsat.eu

Al Falah Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 2 5100000 Fax: +971 2 5100001 Web: www.yahsat.ae E-mail: info@yahsat.ae Agents:

South Africa - Star Network Marketing Services Company

Agents BELGIUM

EGYPT

MOROCCO

Studiotech

ETACO

Abchir SARL

Rue de Ransbeerstraat 218 Brussels, 1120 Tel: +32 2 2661380 Fax: +32 2 2661388 Web: www.studiotech.be E-mail: rosenberg@studiotech.be

15 Nasser Elthawra Street Al Haram Cairo 12111 Tel: +20 2 5865270 Fax: +20 1 22126503/2 7794989 E-mail: mhalawa@etacoegypt.com

15 Angle Bd D’Alexandrie et Rue d’Armenie Quartier des Hopitaux Tel: +212 22864451 Fax: +212 22864450 Web: www.abchir.ma E-mail: salima@abchir.ma

BRAZIL Corning Brasil Indústria e Comércio Ltda. Indústria e Comércio Ltda. Rua Dr. Renato Paes de Barros 714 - 11° and, Itaim-Bibi, São Paulo 04530-001 Tel: +55 11 30897380 Fax: +55 11 30712263

Corning International Rua Dr. Renato de Barros 714 - 11° andar, São Paulo, 04530-001 Tel: +55 11 30893200

Sterling Do Brazil Rua Irineu Ferreira Pinto 74 - Unidade 24 - Maricá Rio de Janeiro, 24900-000 Tel: +55 21 26084544 Fax: +55 21 2608-544 E-mail: vendas@sterlingdobrasil.com.br

CAMEROON MDR Space Ltd. Bastos YaoundeB.P 35446 Tel: +237 22 208078 Fax: +237 73 626468 Web: MDR.space.cm@gmail.com

CONGO DR NITD Solutions SPRL Boulevard du 30 juin residence Taba Congo App.8, Commune de la Gombe Tel: +243 0 15102447/991417303 E-mail: freddy.mangala@ nitdsolutions.com

42 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

Etaco 15, Nasser El Thawra Street Al Haram Cairo Tel: +20 2 3586527 Fax: +20 2 7794989

SENEGAL Systemes PV Dakar Tel: +221 33 825 97 55 Fax: +221 77 569 8017 E-mail: contact@systemespv.com

ETHIOPIA Fortune Enterprise PLC PO Box 1525 Adis Abada Tel: +251 91 1233905 Fax: +251 11 3715429 E-mail: amduri@aethiopic.com

USI PO Box 2362 6th Floor Haile Gebre-Selassie Building Addis Abada 110 Tel: +25 111 6627303 Fax: +25 111 6627302 Web: www.usiethiopia.com E-mail: michael.shebelle@usi.com.et

MAURITIUS Rascomstar-QAF Rogers House 5 President John Kennedy Street Port Louis Web: www.rascomstar.com E-mail: marketing@rascomstar.com

SOUTH AFRICA Corning Products SA (Pty) Ltd. Perseverance Industrial Park 25 Kohler Road Port Elizabeth, 6209 Tel: +27 41 4046400 Fax: +27 41 4046440

Eltekon satellite Consulting & Services Mogale City 1746 Tel: + 27 83 2836861 E-mail: kevin@eltekonsat.com

Jasco ICT - Broadcast Solutions Cnr Alexandra Avenue 2nd Road Midrand, Gauteng 1685 Tel: +27 11 2661500 Fax: +27 11 2661532 Web: www.jasco.co.za

Neimeyer A.J. PO Box 652374 Benmore, 2010 Tel: +27 11 7841322 Fax: +27 11 7841304 Web: www.broadcastequipment.co.za

SES Broadband Services The Pivot Block E 2nd Floor Monte Casino Boulevard Fourways Johannesburg

Soundfusion PO Box 3073 Pinegowrie Gauteng Afrique du Sud 2123 Tel: +27 11 8380620/21/22/23/24 Fax: +27 11 8380625 E-mail: soundf@global.co.za

Star Network Marketing Services Company Unit 101, The Gatehouse Century Way Century City 7441 Cape Town 8000 Tel: +27 21 5285200 Fax: +27 21 5285219 E-mail: africa@yahsat.ae

Stratosat Datacom (Pty) Ltd. 24/26 Spartan Road Aeroport Ext. 21 Spartan 1619 Tel: +27 11 9740006 Fax: +27 11 9740068 Web: www.stratosat.co.za E-mail: alan@stratosat.co.za

ZAMBIA Network Consultants Limited 6879 Olympia Park Extension Postnet #343 P/Bag E891 Lusaka Tel: +260 211 290674/977 445708 E-mail: chewe@netcon.co.zm

www.communicationsafrica.com

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EQUIPMENT

Wyzetalk connects mass workforce AFRICAN SOCIAL BUSINESS software (SBS) specialist Wyzetalk has ‘democratised’ its enterprise communication and collaboration suite with the launch of Wyzetalk Workforce. Originally designed for smart devices and Web-enabled PCs, the platform now also supports feature phones. Gys Kappers, CEO of Wyzetalk, said Wyzetalk Enterprise has helped companies including EOH, Protea Hotels, Discovery, Deli Spices, Synchron and Cash Crusaders amongst others form high-impact communities with their staff, customers and partners. “It helps organisations retain knowledge, drum up corporate spirit, get new employees up to speed, collaborate on businesspurpose projects, foster innovation and improve customer service by creating highly engaged communities.”

Alcatel-Lucent collaborates with Intel to speed industry move to cloud ALCATEL-LUCENT IS EXPANDING its collaboration with Intel Corporation to help operators worldwide improve their time to market and operational efficiency, and to drive the creative development of new products and services for consumers and business customers with the use of cloud technologies. As long-standing partners already working in the virtualisation space together, Alcatel-Lucent and Intel are committed to accelerating these joint efforts and strengthening this relationship. Both companies believe these are the key underlying technologies to apply their combined resources and expertise and the ones that will drive a huge leap forward for the industry. Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) appeals especially to mobile service providers now because it allows them to innovate more quickly and easily while providing the best return on their investments in an all-IP network infrastructure such as LTE. Specifically the expanded collaboration will focus on three areas to accelerate the development of three Alcatel-Lucent platforms optimized on Intel architecture to improve performance and scale: • Virtualised Radio Access Networks (RAN) portfolio, developing and optimizing Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE and LTE-Advanced wireless products. The solution will enable operators to use general purpose platforms in configurations that will reduce TCO and increase

AMOS-5 at 17°E launches hybrid satellite-cellular solution SPACECOM, THE OPERATOR of the AMOS satellite fleet, announced recently that AMOS-5 at 17°E is now providing a hybrid satellite-cellular communications solution in Africa. The hybrid solution delivered on AMOS Ku-band capacity enhances the quality of affordable high speed Internet connectivity to a telecom provider in Africa. Spacecom's hybrid solution enables the user to take advantage of satellite for downloading data while relying on cellular or any other terrestrial data network for internet upload requests and data offload. Data downloads typically account for between 80-90 per cent of Internet traffic. The solution brings the best of both technologies by connecting the cellular network and satellite to a central hub hybrid platform on one side and a hybrid terminal at the customer's location. The customer’s cellular modem, together with a small, receive-only, DTH-type antenna for satellite reception, allows traffic from the Internet to be delivered over satellite to the customer while traffic from the user to the Internet is delivered over the cellular network. The setup has optional WiFi connectivity for PCs, tablets, and other handheld devices. "The AMOS-5 hybrid solution offers greater access to greater bandwidth leading to higher quality of service to a larger group of consumers who are not necessarily located in urban areas. For operators, our cost-effective hybrid solution expands coverage regions, adds bandwidth, enables introduction of new services to more customers and uses existing network infrastructure and channels," stated Eyal Copitt, Spacecom's senior vice president of sales for Africa and Asia and marketing. AMOS-5 was designed and built specifically for the African market with a pan-African C-band beam and three Ku-band beams that cover the continent and provide connectivity to Europe and the Middle East. The satellite's 17°E position enables its signal to reach every region in SubSaharan Africa. www.communicationsafrica.com

“In the last year we have seen an acceleration of innovation and industry changes. This is nothing compared to what we will see in the next decades, bringing new possibilities to our digital lifestyles.” - Michel Combes, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent operators’ ability to scale networks to satisfy mobile data demand with rapidly changing devices and applications. • Cloud Platform, developing and optimizing AlcatelLucent’s CloudBand NFV platform including joint contributions to the Open source community and a push to accelerate service provider testing, validation and deployment of NFV technology and products. • High-performance Packet Processing for advanced IP/MPLS platforms and functions to enable AlcatelLucent’s IP development team the insights required to use the features and capabilities of Intel® architecture to deliver improved performance in virtualized IP/MPLS functions.

Talia to work with Thuraya on oil and gas TALIA WILL NOW be able to provide its customers in the oil and gas industry across the Middle East and Africa access to Thuraya’s wide range of mobile satellite products and solutions. Talia is a provider of data communications and voice services, recognised as a market-leading network provider in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Talia provides global network coverage, and enable businesses, enterprises, NGOs, and government customers, through the Talia teleport and datacentre, to link remote locations with all the major regional telecom hubs around the world. Alan Afrasiab, chief executive officer of Talia said, “Our partnership with Thuraya allows us to extend a complete portfolio of mobile satellite services to our customers. We are pleased to provide our customers with Thuraya’s wide range of innovative products and solutions which includes the IP+, SatSleeve and XT.” Thuraya Telecommunications Company is a mobile satellite services operator and a global telecommunications provider offering innovative communications solutions to a variety of sectors including energy, broadcast media, maritime, military and humanitarian NGO. Thuraya’s network enables clear communications and uninterrupted coverage across two thirds of the globe by satellite and across the whole planet through its unique GSM roaming capabilities. “Our partnership with Talia demonstrates Thuraya’s commitment to serving our customers through a network of sector-specific service partners,” said Bilal El Hamoui, vice president of distribution at Thuraya. “Talia’s experience with providing end-to-end satellite solutions for oil and gas customers is complementary to ours and will enable us to better serve our customers in this important sector across Thuraya’s satellite footprint. We are well-positioned to offer VSAT backup solutions with our Thuraya IP+ or broadband terminals with flexible rate plans for high or low volume usage.”

Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

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EQUIPMENT

Fluke Networks launches integrated solution FLUKE NETWORKS HAS announced its award-winning Application-Aware Network Performance Management solution (AANPM), and its flagship network analysis tablet, the OptiView XG™, Visual TruView™, have been integrated to provide the industry’s first AANPM solution capable of analysing an enterprise’s entire network infrastructure—including wired and wireless, application performance and device interconnectivity, and path analysis all the way to an end user’s specific device. Without the back-and-forth checking of separate tools with multiple user interfaces and sign-ons to find and resolve problems usually carried out, network engineers now have a unified view of wired and wireless performance across the entire organisation, including remote sites and applications delivered across cloud, carrier and enterprise networks. Using Visual TruView, not only can they quickly spot if a problem exists, they can also isolate where in the path of delivery the problem may be hiding and effectively troubleshoot it. Over the years, IT has moved towards application-centric, service-oriented operations, and the need for application awareness within performance monitoring and management technologies has skyrocketed as a result. End user expectations have also increased rapidly, together with their use of smart devices, mobile applications and streaming media. “The new solution from Fluke Networks brings two advanced, best-in-class products together to address the challenge of truly effective end-to-end AANPM visibility,” revealed Jim Frey, vice president at Enterprise Management Associates. “Organisations who embrace this newly combined solution stand to gain substantial benefits in terms of increased operations effectiveness, shorter Mean Time to Repair, and improved ROI on their network management tools investments.”

Cisco partners with Citrix for mobility CISCO SYSTEMS AND Citrix Systems will join forces to allow businesses to construct simpler and secure mobile infrastructures. At the Citrix Synergy 2014 show held in Los Angeles 6 May, the two firms launched Cisco Mobile Workspace Solution with Citrix, bringing together Cisco's computing, networking and security capabilities with Citrix's new Workspace Suite of mobile of virtualization and mobility tools. The goal is to provide companies an enterprise mobility infrastructure offering, both companies revealed. Citrix launched Workspace Suite during the show, which was partly focused on mobility, virtualization and networking. "This new Cisco Mobile Workspace Solution with Citrix, built on the Citrix Workspace Suite, provides the complete hardware and software technology stack for delivering all the applications, content, and tools," stated Prashanth Shenoy, director of enterprise networks at Cisco. “This new Workspace Solution is excellent for companies moving into the second stage of their mobility journey—where their focus is on providing all the applications, content and services their employees need on their devices. This solution can help your employees, partners, and consultants work and collaborate on their mobile and desk devices.” IT departments dealing with bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environments will need to ensure data and the corporate infrastructure is secure. "Today we are … offering customers a powerful solution that enhances user experience and productivity while simplifying and securing IT infrastructure in a cost-effective manner," stated Sudhakar Ramakrishna, senior vice president and general manager for Citrix's Enterprise and Service Provider Division.

AVG showcases managed workplace RMM platform AVG, THE ONLINE security company for devices, data and people, offering integrated data security, RMM, outsourced helpdesk and IT support launched its award winning AVG Managed Workplace®, an open ecosystem Remote Management & Monitoring (RMM) application platform at this year’s CeBIT show. The computer expo, which took place between 5-7 May at Australia’s Sydney Olympic Park, provided an opportunity for AVG to showcase its AVG Managed Workplace, following its integration with the AVG CloudCare™ cloud security services suite late last year. The event welcomed more than 500 exhibitors, from smaller businesses to global companies across the world, exhibiting their innovations and technologies on the CeBIT Exhibition Show Floor, the largest technology exhibition in Australia. AVG Managed Workplace allows Managed Services Providers (MSPs) to improve productivity and lower the cost of managing their customers’ business IT systems. This provides greater simplicity and tighter integration between the large number of disparate management tools from different vendors that they use in the course of their work. This will help to lower their costs down and improve margins. Michael Dowling, channel and corporate sales director at AVG Technologies AU, stated, “With AVG CloudCare and AVG Managed Workplace working together, our channel partners can benefit from having everything they need to manage their customers from a single trusted vendor. But AVG also allows them to work with any solution of their choice. We believe that having an open ecosystem and vendor-agnostic approach are an important value-add to MSPs and key to the lasting success of AVG Managed Workplace.” The integrated AVG CloudCare service module for AVG Managed Workplace allows MSPs to remotely monitor their customers’ device security measures from within a single dashboard and readily identify where protection is missing. This will let partners improve most of their customers’ devices, while also protecting their IT environment. AVG CloudCare is a range of data security and protection services with simple cloudbased remote IT management capabilities. It is purpose-built for small businesses and the channel partners (resellers and MSPs) that serve them. With its integrated AntiVirus, Content Filtering, Email Security and Online Backup components, AVG

44 Communications Africa Issue 3 2014

AVG CloudCare is a suite of data security and protection services with easy-to-use cloud-based remote IT management capabilities.

CloudCare adds up to an essential security services platform for any MSP wanting to serve and protect their small business customers remotely anywhere. AVG also offers channel partners of various sizes the opportunity to outsource basic helpdesk or professional IT services support through its Helpdesk (HD) and Network Operations Centre (NOC) services. Having access to these services allows them to expand and take on more business without the risk or responsibility of hiring extra in-house staff before their operations are able to sustain them. For channel partners visiting CeBIT, Michael Dowling and his team will be on hand to organise trials, explain AVG’s lucrative channel program and demonstrate the value of AVG products to individual and business clients, AVG stated. AVG is hosting multiple roadshows around Australia to showcase AVG Managed Workplace and AVG CloudCare to its partner community. Mike Foreman, general manager SMB, will be attending and will be there to answer questions on the direction of AVG’s SMB business and product portfolio.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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EQUIPMENT

GL announces enhanced voice and data testing solutions GL COMMUNICATIONS INC has launched its enhanced voice and data testing solutions VQuad, WebViewer and Mobile Device Controller. Speaking to reporters, Robert Bichefsky, senior manager for product development at the company, said, “As advanced technologies such as LTE, Advanced LTE, WiMax, 3G, and Broadband are becoming common, basic voice/data quality will ultimately determine the fate of carriers and end equipment manufacturers.” “Simple and effective methods of testing voice and data are basic requirements - GL's mobile test solution provides this capability with the flexibility of connecting to and between any network, any service, and any interface,” Bichefsky added. VQuad, as well as the NetTest option, supports Data Testing from any PC or from any smart phone or tablet which supports Apple, Android and Windows 8 operating systems. The Data Tests include TCP, UDP, HTTP, FTP, DNS, VoIP, SMS and email based tests run automatically or manually or not. Bichefsky continued, “The VQuad™ software is used for automated call control as well as to automatically send and record voice files from any type of network (Wireless, VoIP, TDM, & Analog). VQuad™ supports up to 8 telephony devices simultaneously. A minimum of two telephony nodes are required for transferring files, either within same VQuad™ Node or between multiple geographically separated VQuad™ Nodes. GL’s enhanced WebViewer™ offers node management capability, featuring real-time status of each node within the network. The WebViewer™ also supports distant access of any VQuad™ node within the network. While the company’s new Mobile Device Controller (MDC) provides a liaison to all supported Apple/Android based mobile devices for conducting data NetTests, according to Bichefsky.

Cannon Technologies Africa launches Power Management Solution CANNON TECHNOLOGIES AFRICA will launch a new range of smart power management solutions which are expected to boost the efficiency of data centres as well as reducing wasted manpower by offering monitoring and control of PDUs. The manufacturer’s of data cabinets and metal enclosure systems will create a total of 16 PDU, which can be connected together to monitor and control hundreds of individual sockets using one simple, secure, webbased graphical management interface. The Cannon Power PDUs offer a complete power management solution; each equipped with a 1.8 inch colour LCD display making reading information easier for the strip, such as the current, voltage, power, energy consumption (kWh), power factor, as well as humidity and temperature. The system also features an IP dongle that allows multiple PDUs to be assessed and controlled remotely via a single IP address over an Ethernet network; lowering manpower and travel costs as well as assisting with capacity planning and ensuring the data centre is more efficient. The management suite depending on the model can control individual power outlets and switch them on and off. Measurements can also be recorded to help with reporting and alerts can be raised when designated thresholds are surpassed. Cannon Technologies Africa will also launch releasing a costsaving strip for local smart monitoring solution. These strips consist of a centrally-mounted, blue LED display to allow true RMS current monitoring and have the same range of mounting and socket options as Cannon Technologies smart PDUs.

Hitachi Data Systems offers business-defined approach for IT HITACHI DATA SYSTEMS Corporation (HDS), a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd, will launch new technology to improve customer experience with Business Defined IT; bringing together a company’s business and technology objectives, which requires a more responsive IT foundation. The “Continuous Cloud Infrastructure” is expected to improve IT efficiency through a responsive, software-rich architecture that can quickly react to changing needs without continual redesign and disruption. The Hitachi Storage Virtualisation Operating System (SVOS), Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G1000, a new version of the Hitachi Command Suite management platform and significant enhancements to its Hitachi Unified Compute Platform converged computing offerings. Combined, these technologies offer the foundation of an IT infrastructure that can adapt to continuously changing business needs, without disruption. “Our customers across industries have told us for them to keep up with the fast pace of business, they are aligning the IT and business functions more closely than ever,” said Wayne Dick, business development manager, Hitachi Data Systems for sub-Saharan Africa. “IT teams are looking to new infrastructure strategies to deploy more continuous, adaptable and scalable infrastructure. Businesses need solutions that don’t require constant and

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disruptive changes to the technology they support. And that is what we are delivering today,” Dick added. Deep ecosystem Integration and Solution Readiness Hitachi Data Systems’ technologies come to market with integration across virtualisation platforms, databases and a variety of clustering and operating systems platforms, and can be quickly adopted to support various workloads.

to the software defined data center. It delivers the flexibility of software-defined architectures with the proven capabilities of Hitachi enterprise storage software. Primary features include flash optimisation and advanced storage virtualisation.

Deep work with strategic partners such as Microsoft, SAP and VMware allows SVOS and the VSP G1000 to be certified in key programmes like Microsoft Private Cloud deployments, SAP HANA’s Tailored Data Center Initiative and extended integration within VMware ecosystems. Hitachi Storage Virtualisation Operating System: Software-Defined Without Compromise Hitachi Storage Virtualisation Operating System (SVOS) is the first stand-alone software implementation of Hitachi storage virtualisation. This new storage operating system provides a common software architecture that will double the useful life of hardware architectures. SVOS customers have improved flexibility and a simplified infrastructure for a future-ready path

Hitachi launches the Hitachi Storage Virtualisation Operating System (SVOS) and Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G1000

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ÉQUIPEMENT

Airbus Defence and Space et Sapura s’engagent dans un partenariat C4ISR AIRBUS DEFENCE AND Space et Sapura Secured Technologies ont signé un accord de coopération visant à établir un partenariat de long terme entre les deux entreprises dans le domaine C4ISR (commandement, contrôle, communication, informatique, renseignement, surveillance et reconnaissance). Et Zarif Hashim, CEO de Sapura Secured Technologies, d’ajouter : « Cette collaboration permettra à Sapura de bénéficier de la technologie C4ISR d’Airbus Defence and Space pour développer des solutions C4ISR de classe mondiale pour nos clients. Nos activités de développement conjointes renforceront la position de leader de Sapura dans le secteur des technologies d’ingénierie avancées ainsi que sa compétence en matière d’intégration de systèmes, qui vise à regrouper de multiples systèmes et informations sur une seule plate-forme opérationnelle intelligente et interactive. Nous avons pour ambition de développer ensemble des solutions capables de répondre aux futures exigences C4ISR au-delà de nos frontières ». Airbus Defence and Space est une division du groupe Airbus, née du regroupement des activités de Cassidian, Astrium et Airbus Military. Cette nouvelle division est le numéro un européen de l’industrie spatiale et de la défense, le numéro deux mondial de l’industrie spatiale et fait partie des dix premières entreprises mondiales du secteur de la défense. Sapura Secured Technologies est un leader de l’innovation dans le domaine des systèmes de missions critiques avec une orientation claire sur les activités de R&D. L’entreprise dirige plusieurs programmes nationaux en Malaisie et exporte ses produits et services dans le monde entier. Elle fournit des solutions et des services aux agences de défense et de sécurité, de maintien de l’ordre, de sécurité publique et de secours.

L'EPITA invite ses étudiants au voyage EN AVRIL 2014, l'EPITA organisait sa traditionnelle semaine internationale sur son campus. L'occasion pour tous les étudiants d'assister à des conférences et de participer à différents ateliers plus ou moins dépaysants. Créée en 1984, l'EPITA (Ecole Pour l'Informatique et les Techniques Avancées) est l'école d'ingénieurs qui forme celles et ceux qui conçoivent, développent et font progresser les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC). Quoi de plus normal pour de futurs ingénieurs que de vouloir assouvir leur curiosité. C'est pour cela que l'EPITA organise désormais chaque année sa semaine internationale. « L'idée, c'est de faire toucher les étudiants à d'autres cultures avec qui ils devront, à un moment ou à un autre, communiquer ou travailler, explique ainsi Christophe Rouvrais, directeur du développement et des relations internationales de l'école. Plus qu'une pause dans leur scolarité - le programme d'ingénieur étant extrêmement soutenu -, cette semaine est pour eux surtout le moment idéal pour se projeter dans l'avenir. » Une véritable aubaine pour les différentes promotions réunies qui peuvent alors (re)découvrir les différents partenariats entrepris par l'école, ses programmes d'échanges et ce à quoi ressemble un stage à l'étranger grâce aux témoignages d'étudiants actuels, d'Anciens et de professionnels ayant déjà vécu une expérience professionnelle en dehors de l'Hexagone. « Dans le métier d'ingénieur informaticien, métier qui va s'appliquer partout dans le monde, il y a une vraie dimension internationale », explique Joël Courtois, le directeur général de l'EPITA. C'est pourquoi l'école forme ses étudiants afin qu'ils puissent développer une compétence fondamentale dans le domaine informatique actuel : le management inter-culturel.

Le cloud déshabillé par Google POURQUOI FAIRE COMPLIQUÉ quand on peut faire simple ? C'est la question que posait Martin Görner de Google en insistant sur l'intérêt pour les start-ups de faire appel aux technologies cloud pour se concentrer en priorité sur leurs produits plutôt que sur les infrastructures serveurs. Pour l'intervenant, il semble inconcevable que ces start-ups-là, qui peuvent être amenées à devoir gérer un flux important, aient encore à se soucier des « montées en charge ». « Ça, ça ne devrait plus exister aujourd'hui, estimait-il. Si vous voulez vous lancer, concentrez-vous sur ce qui fait la valeur ajoutée de votre application, pas sur des problématiques de serveurs que d'autres gens savent très bien résoudre ! » Martin Görner, Google

Le buzz, ce faux-ami Pour étayer ses propos, Martin Görner prenait le soin de présenter les services proposées par Google Cloud Plateform, nourris par un « travail en R&D réalisé depuis quinze ans » qui permet de « faire marcher des centaines de milliers de serveurs ensemble ». App Engine est l'un de ces services et résout justement les problèmes de montées en charge. Pourtant, au grand dam de l'intervenant, certaines start-ups n'en ont pas encore compris l'importance : « Beaucoup de développeurs ne s'en rendent pas compte au moment de démarrer leur projet et font tout fonctionner sur un seul serveur. Et, malheureusement, encore trop de start-ups se lancent, ont la chance de faire un bon

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buzz, mais (à cause de ce buzz et du trafic généré) voient leur serveur s'écrouler ! Ils passent alors deux mois à tout remettre en place pour passer de un à plusieurs serveurs. Ils essaient ensuite de se relancer mais c'est trop tard : le buzz est déjà passé... » Un atelier pratique pour comprendre App Engine S'il demeure encore des développeurs imprudents, certaines sociétés appliquent déjà les conseils donnés par Martin Görner. C'est généralement le cas de celles qui aspirent à « lancer des services planétaires » avec une petite équipe et à être remarquées par TechCrunch, le media n°1 des

start-ups et de l'innovation technologique, capable de générer le plus gros trafic de l'histoire d'un site ou d'une application quelques minutes après en avoir parlé. C'est aussi le cas pour des start-ups dont les applications ont une très courte « durée de vie » prévue dès le départ, comme certains jeux vidéo (qui surfent sur une tendance)... ou des sites censés annoncer un résultat très attendu. C'est justement cette catégorie-là qui a été utilisée par Martin Görner pour un workshop : un atelier pratique avec des start-ups et développeurs chez Google à Paris, France. « On a proposé aux participants de faire en deux heures un site qui annonce les résultats de l'élection présidentielle, développe-t-il. C'est un bon exemple car, imaginons qu'au soir de l'élection, la France tout entière se retrouve sur le même site, au même moment. Il faut que le site tienne la charge mais, comme son utilité est très courte, on ne va pas prendre des mois pour construire une infrastructure très intelligente qui va tenir cette dernière. On se sert alors de briques existantes. » Pour les étudiants de Ionis-STM et SUP'Internet, il s'agissait d'une belle opportunité pour constater à quel point l'utilisation du cloud pouvait changer la donne, optimiser le rendement d'une idée et faciliter la vie des développeurs. Nul doute qu'ils sauront sans souvenir quand ils seront amenés à faire grandir des start-ups ou quand ils lanceront leur propre projet.

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LE MINISTRE MALAISIEN des communications et du multimédia a appelé l'UIT à élaborer des normes pour des technologies de pointe destinées à faciliter la transmission de données de vol en temps réel. Il s'exprimait à l'ouverture de la Conférence mondiale de développement des télécommunications de l'UIT qui se tient à Dubaï. Cette annonce fait suite à la tragique disparition du vol MH370 de Malaysian Airlines, le 8 mars dernier, lors d'un vol régulier entre Kuala Lumpur et Beijing. Plusieurs pays se sont associés aux opérations de recherche de l'avion disparu et de ses 239 passagers et membres d'équipage et déploient actuellement des avions et des navires de recherche qui explorent de vastes zones du sud de l'océan Indien. "Je pense que les données provenant des appareils, y compris celles de la boîte noire, pourraient être émises en permanence et stockées dans des centres de données au sol", a dit Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Ministre malaisien des communications et du multimédia. "J'invite instamment l'UIT à collaborer avec le secteur privé pour élaborer une meilleure méthode qui permettrait de surveiller en permanence les données de vol et la situation dans le poste de pilotage. Grâce aux progrès des TIC aujourd'hui, nous devrions être en mesure de récupérer et d'analyser ces données, même si nous ne localisons pas la boîte noire. Selon moi, une mesure aussi simple que cela aurait pu permettre d'éviter d'en arriver là aujourd'hui. Dans ce contexte, je ne peux que constater que, alors que les technologies de communication ont radicalement évolué au cours des cinq dernières années, rien n'a changé depuis trente ans en ce qui concerne les boîtes noires". "Je tiens à exprimer toute ma sympathie et mon inquiétude face aux incertitudes entourant le sort des nombreux passagers du vol MH370", a déclaré le Secrétaire général de l'UIT Hamadoun I. Touré. "Nous devons

Photograph: ITU/E.Homed

L'UIT va élaborer des normes pour les futurs enregistreurs de données de vol

H.E. Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Ministre malaisien des communications et du multimédia

faire en sorte que les avions puissent être localisés en temps réel, pour qu'un accident aussi tragique ne se reproduise plus jamais. L'UIT s'engage à élaborer des normes qui tireront parti des "big data" et des derniers progrès de l'informatique en nuage". Toutes les lignes aériennes commerciales et les avions d'affaires sont tenus d'installer et d'utiliser des "boîtes noires" pour suivre un certain nombre de paramètres de vol. L'enregistreur de données de vol (FDR) est destiné à enregistrer les données d'exploitation provenant des systèmes d'un aéronef, notamment l'altitude-pression, la vitesse-air, l'accélération verticale, le cap magnétique et la position des systèmes de commande. Les enregistreurs phoniques, ou CVR, enregistrent les échanges entre les pilotes et l'environnement acoustique du poste de pilotage. Tous ces équipements de surveillance fournissent aux enquêteurs de précieuses indications sur les causes d'un accident.

Viber publie un nouveau design pour l’iPhone et fait son apparition sur BlackBerry 10 VIBER, LA PLATEFORME de file communication mobile de premier rang qui offre la messagerie gratuite et des appels téléphoniques de grande qualité, a publié une nouvelle version de son application pour l’iPhone. Cette nouvelle version est conçue pour l’iOS 7, et offre de multiples améliorations aux utilisateurs de l’iPhone. La société a publié en même temps une nouvelle application mobile pour BlackBerry 10, offrant pour la première fois au tout dernier système d’exploitation de BlackBerry plusieurs des plus populaires fonctionnalités de Viber. « La conception de Viber a été revisitée depuis le début afin d’offrir simplicité et facilité d’utilisation. Pour cette version pour iPhone, nous nous sommes inspirés de la finition lisse et propre de l’iOS 7 ; l’objectif était de faire de Viber une partie homogène de l’appareil, » a commenté Talmon Marco, PDG de Viber. « Notre application pour BlackBerry 10 est une belle intégration de notre design offrant à nos utilisateurs la meilleure expérience actuelle. »

«Notre application pour BlackBerry 10 est une belle intégration de notre design offrant à nos utilisateurs la meilleure expérience actuelle.» - Talmon Marco, PDG de Viber www.communicationsafrica.com

Le version BlackBerry de l’application ont toutes deux été améliorées avec de nouvelles et puissantes fonctions qui permettent d’élargir les fonctionnalités de la plateforme

Les versions iPhone et BlackBerry de l’application ont toutes deux été améliorées avec de nouvelles et puissantes fonctions qui permettent d’élargir les fonctionnalités de la plateforme. Et surtout, Viber 4.2

pour iPhone permet aux utilisateurs d’envoyer plusieurs photos et vidéos en même temps et de créer une liste de blocage pour les numéros ou les contacts indésirables. Parmi les mises à jour supplémentaires pour l’iPhone figurent notamment : • Envoi de messages vidéo plus longs • Affichage du statut lorsqu’un utilisateur saisit un message sur une tablette Android, une plateforme Linux, Mac, PC ou Windows 8 • Corrections des bogues Les principales fonctionnalités de l’application pour BlackBerry 10 sont Viber Out la boutique Viber Sticker, qui fournissent aux utilisateurs des moyens d’utiliser la plateforme, de communiquer avec leurs amis, tout en y prenant du plaisir. En outre, cette version offre une multitude de fonctions classiques longtemps attendues des utilisateurs de BlackBerry 10 : • Messages textuels dans les conversations personnelles ou de groupe • Appels gratuits avec une qualité sonore haute définition • Partage de photos, vidéos, messages vocaux, géolocalisation, autocollants et émoticônes • Notifications Push afin de ne jamais manquer un message ou d’un appel, même lorsque Viber est désactivé • Prise en charge de de l’application Viber Desktop sur Windows et Mac • Traduction dans 34 langues

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ÉQUIPEMENT

Photograph: Guilhem Boyer

Retour sur le Space App Challenge

LES 11, 12 et 13 avril s'est déroulé, à Paris et dans le monde entier, le Space Apps Challenge. Basée sur le principe du hackathon, cette initiative débutée en 2012 mobilise les passionnés avec des profils complémentaires et un minimum de ressources en un minimum de temps en apportant des solutions libres de droit et applicables immédiatement. Numa et le Carrefour Numérique ont ainsi permis à 6 équipes de travailler sur des challenges imaginés par des experts de la NASA, parfois en dupleix avec un autre pays et ces mêmes experts. En sont nés des projets

incroyables : solutions opensource pour par exemple déployer une serre sur Mars (Hexafield) ou fabriquer un satellite low cost à partir de son téléphone portable. Ces deux derniers projets sont sélectionnés pour la suite du challenge, et seront étudiés par un jury NASA auprès de tous les gagnants des chapitres locaux. Mais cette sélection ne doit pas faire oublier les autres projets de qualité qui ont été réalisé ce weekend : EV32 Mars, Astro 1 et Team Salad. L’équipe EV32Mars a conçu un rover éducatif muni de capteurs permettant de s’intégrer dans son environnement.

L’utilisation de briques Lego Mindstorms le rend utilisable dès l’école primaire. L’équipe Astro1 a imaginé un vaisseau suffisamment polyvalent pour atterrir sur un astéroide et changer sa trajectoire, ou le pousser. Il serait constitué de deux espaces, un technique l’autre habitable, avec un noyau principal et des roues permettant de maintenir une gravité artificielle. L’équipe Team Salad réalise un jeu de cartes sur support informatique Le joueur, incarnant une agence spatiale, doit construire son deck pour réaliser des missions habitées.

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