MTN partners on e-commerce services for Africa

MTN Group has announced a partnership agreement that will enable Africa’s leading telecoms operator to extend online retail and other essential digital services on the African continent.

MTN has partnered with Rocket Internet and Millicom International Cellular to develop internet businesses in Africa through Africa Internet Holding (AIH), an exclusive vehicle to develop e-commerce businesses across the continent. MTN, Millicom and Rocket Internet will each become 33.3% shareholders in AIH.

Commenting on the transaction, Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN Group President and CEO, said: “We are excited to engage in a strategic partnership with Rocket Internet and Millicom to develop online ventures across the fast growing internet markets of Africa. Rocket Internet’s proven successful track record, coupled with Millicom and MTN’s leading mobile telecommunications position, will allow the partnership to capture the growth potential of the digital media space across our footprint in the region”.

source: www.biztechafrica.com

Digital pen reports disease outbreaks in seconds

Livestock farmers in Kenya are sighing with relief after introduction of a digital pen technology used by veterinary officers to immediately report to the capital about any disease outbreak.

The innovative tool which reports about an outbreak to the capital in ten seconds is aimed at curbing the losses of millions of shillings worth of livestock, which can occur when lengthy manual reporting processes make it difficult to contain an outbreak on time.

After witnessing farmers lose the source of their livelihoods to deadly notifiable diseases that could be contained on time if the detection was reported timeously, stakeholders in the veterinary sector set out on a mission to cub these misfortunes.

Dr. Kahariri Samuel, one of the brains behind the innovation noted: “Time is everything when it comes to curbing of deadly diseases like Rift Valley fever or Anthrax and therefore the faster a disease is detected and reported, then the less it may spread hence less economic losses.” He added that initially they were relying on paper and pen which not only took long to reach the capital but was also tedious as the officers at the grassroots had to make several copies and rounds of visits from rural areas to Nairobi to deliver the reports a process that took over three weeks.

The old trend has greatly been revolutionised with the Digital Pen Technology which reports about an outbreak to the capital in the shortest time span. The technology entails use of a digital pen, digital paper and an internet enabled phone. The digital paper has commands that are interlinked with the pen. It has a start and end command boxes. When one ticks the start box then the Bluetooth in the pen is activated and the pen will note anything that will be written on the paper using the camera on it and when the end box is clicked then the information is automatically stored in the pen’s memory chip.  The veterinary officer just writes on the digital pare normally and then the details are recorded simultaneously by the camera on the pen to the memory chip

source: www.biztechafrica.com

The Asia-Africa Link Is IT

Only 16 percent of Africa’s population of over a billion is online. But as Internet and mobile phone connectivity grows rapidly, the continent wants to join forces with Asian powerhouses to change its digital landscape.

While offering its vast market, Africa hopes to leverage Asia’s information and communication technology (ICT) prowess to develop sectors as diverse as banking, telemedicine, education and cyber security.

“There is a lot of opportunity for collaboration,” says Safroadu Yeboah-Amankwah, director and leader, McKinsey’s Business Technology Practice, South Africa.

Ghanaian engineer-turned-telecom strategist told IPS.

He was here to attend Telecom World 2013 organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) last month.

A large contingent of African countries led by Nigeria mounted a big roadshow at the event, both to display their growing mobile and broadband communication-oriented economies and to attract Asian investment.

“North America, to be honest, is not relevant to our markets. There are very interesting opportunities in terms of South-South collaboration, especially around banking, education and so forth, where collaborations will allow for bigger markets and therefore more innovation availability,” Yeboah-Amankwah said.

“Larger Asian and African e-commerce players could collaborate to make the opportunities even bigger. For us, integration between large African and Asian players is an exciting idea,” he added.

According to ITU statistics, more than 720 million Africans have mobile phones and some 167 million already use the Internet. And the figures are rising fast as mobile networks are built up and the cost of Internet-enabled devices falls.

But Asia is far ahead. Comparative figures show that a total of 3.5 billion out of the global 6.8 billion mobile subscriptions are from the Asia-Pacific region.

source: www.ipsnews.net

SA's 3G world class , fixed broadband

Naspers CEO Koos Bekker said that while South Africa’s mobile broadband (3G) services are world class, fixed broadband access remains poor.

Speaking to Talk Radio 702’s Bruce Whitfield, Bekker said that South Africa’s Internet access diverges between mobile phones and PCs.

“Our 3G [mobile broadband] systems are as good as we get anywhere in the world,” said Bekker, adding that fixed broadband [used on a PC] has a problem with a lack of bandwidth.

The bandwidth restraints of fixed broadband access in SA, said Bekker, has a consequence on their pay-TV operations.

Bekker said in an interview with Moneyweb that they are forced to “fake the Internet” using their new DStv Explora decoder to make it possible for users to catch up on news or sporting events when it suits them.

“But we can fake the Internet a bit by putting it on satellite, loading it down into the PVR and then offering it to you as if it were the internet.”

source: www.mybroadband.co

MTN makes data deal permanent

Mobile data price war continue to benefit South African consumers as the operators drop the cost of connecting smart devices to the internet.

MTN on Wednesday announced that its data promotions were now permanent as the company looked to take on Vodacom in SA.

"We at first extended the data offerings promotion to our customers, but have now decided to make it permanent to provide our customers a bold, new digital world," said Brian Gould Gouldie, chief Marketing Officer at MTN SA.

Junior operator Cell C currently offers data at 15c per megabyte and the price contributed to disrupting the data market. Competitors reacted with a variety of pricing offers to reduce the cost of smartphone data.

MTN's data promotions of R10 for 20MB up to R249 for 2GB are now permanent.

source: www.news24.com

ISPs beat mobile operators to LTE in Africa

WiMAX used to be the technology of choice for data insurgent challengers but now they seem to be shifting to LTE.

West African ISPs Surfline (in Ghana) and YooMee (Cote d’Ivoire) both look like stealing a march on the mobile operators with LTE roll-outs early next year.

Russell Southwood spoke to YooMe Africa’s CEO Dov Bar Gera about what the company is looking at doing.

YooMe is a privately held Swiss company that has two African ISP operations, one in Cameroon and the other to open shortly in Cote d’Ivoire. In the past CEO Dov Bar Gera has set up and sold ISP operations in Eastern Europe before moving his focus to Africa.

Its Cameroon operation has deployed WiMAX 16e and it claims to have covered 85% of the population in the country’s two main cities, Douala and Yaounde with 20 base stations. Its main competitors are the two mobile operators (MTN and Orange) and a handful of smaller ISPs.

It has taken significant market share, having around 20,000 out of the 50,000 broadband subscribers in the country if you define broadband as over 512 kbps download speed. Overall Bar Gera estimates that there are probably around a million Cameroonians who use the Internet at least once a week.

But there is a cap on growth as the monopoly international bandwidth provider Camtel has not yet reduced its wholesale prices:”Because of this monopoly, international bandwidth is 5-7 times more expansive (than in other more competitive countries)”. Obviously higher wholesale prices lead to more expensive retail prices, which in turn means a smaller market.

source: www. bussinesstech.co

high-speed internet hits Arusha

Smile Communications (Tanzania), a company that specialiases in providing high speed Internet services, has opened for business in Arusha. Smile deals in the new 4G LTE.

Arusha, located to the northern part of Tanzania with booming developments and the headquarters of the East African Community, becomes the second place after the initial launch in Dar es Salaam during May this year.

These developments make Tanzania the first country in Africa to gain access to this revolutionary technology of its ultra-high speed broadband Internet access, the Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) billed as the cutting-edge fourth -generation mobile technology.

Speaking in Arusha recently, Fiona McGloin, the Country Manager for Smile Communications in Tanzania and Uganda, said Smile was confident that providing reliable, high speed Internet will significantly contribute to the success of Arusha. Smile hopes to give Arusha a faster , more reliable and cost effective service.

Arusha is famed for its cosmopolitan city with regional and International Institutions and Organizations such as the EAC, Africa's Human Right Court, Commonwealth Regional Health Secretariat, WWF and more, including institutions of higher learning, corporate businesses, tour and travel agents as well as SMEs, NGOs and residents.

"Smile Communications Tanzania rolls out the high speed Internet to Arusha that is comparable to the speed and quality enjoyed in Europe, said Ms McGloin adding that Tanzania was the first country to be connected with the fastest, most reliable Internet service at a transparent competitive price and high-level customer satisfaction and service".

The Arusha launch came in on the sidelines of the 10 year celebration of the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), cited by Smile Communications Tanzania as a regulatory authority which factors in conducive investment policies.

McGloin said that the laying of the fiber optic cables has to a greater extent boosted Internet uptake by people for development - all being the motivating factors for Smile to invest in Tanzania.

source: www.allafrica.com

Liquid telecom scoops best African wholesale carrier award

It is the second year in succession Liquid Telecom has won the gong, beating off strong competition from WIOCC, Orange and PCCW Global.

According to the panel of judges: “Liquid Telecom has again shown great promise and ambitious plans for development in Africa. It has aggressively targeted expansion of its fibre footprint in the continent and is attempting to access a range of countries where infrastructure maintenance remains the most challenging in the world.”

The judges said Liquid Telecom’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy was a significant highlight to the company being recognised, with the firm having acquired four companies in 2013.

They also said the company commitment to serving the region’s communications sector was a key highlight, where Liquid Telecom has been diverting traffic as a result of multiple cuts to undersea cables to enable redundancy on a number of routes from Africa to Europe.

Nic Rudnick, Liquid Telecom’s chief executive officer (CEO), said: “At Liquid Telecom we celebrate the people who make it happen. This award is a real team effort and recognises our company’s drive and ambition to provide internet connectivity across the whole of Africa”.

It is the second week in a row Liquid Telecom has been recognised after it bagged Best Connectivity Solution in Africa at last week’s AfricaCom 2013, in Cape Town, for building the longest fibre links in Africa.

Organised by Capacity Magazine and now in its eighth year, the Global Carrier Awards have become the biggest and most prestigious awards event of the wholesale telecoms calendar.

HumanIPO reported last week Liquid Telecom had built the first fibre optic cable into Somalia, connecting the country to undersea cables by fibre for the first time.

“We are providing the people of Somalia with access to the global internet at higher speeds and with more capacity than ever before,” said Rudnick.

source: www.humanipo.com

Hot topics headline agenda at ITU telecom world 2013

ITU Telecom World 2013, the leading networking, knowledge sharing and industry showcasing event took place recent in Bangkok, Thailand. The event welcomed some 6000 participants from across the industry for a packed programme of far-reaching debate.

Discussions at the event spanned a diverse range of topics from social and mobile apps to the transformative impact of the Internet in Africa.

Here we explore just some of the conversations headlining the event agenda:

Visions of the future

Inspirational futurist Gerd Leonhard, CEO, Futures Agency, speaking at ITU Telecom World 2013, delivered a compelling, challenging, and at times chilling glimpse into a possible near future dominated by data, digital dependence and dramatic sociological changes.

Over the next ten years, human-to-machine interfaces will take us far beyond connected fridges, self-parking cars and intelligent wristwatches – and at an unbelievable pace, as real life begins to outstrip fiction.

Artificial intelligence will augment our bodies and extend our personalities into devices, as chips as small as 5 nanometres across become fast, cheap and embedded in everything.

This is the new version of the Internet: the Internet of everything with up to 100 billion connected devices. We will be living inside a computer – and our mobile phones will function as an external brain. Used responsibly, this can bring unprecedented benefits, increased efficiency, vastly more comfortable and convenient lifestyles. But there is an equally huge associated risk of unintended consequences in an age of exponential expansion in connectivity.

source: www.itnewsafrica.com

SA ranks for internet affordability

South Africa ranks highly for Internet affordability in Africa, according to the first annual Affordability Report, compiled by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI).

In the report, A4AI indexes 46 emerging and developing countries across the world in terms of communication infrastructure and Internet access and affordability (equally-weighted).

Out of the 46 countries, South Africa is ranked as the 12th most affordable country for Internet access – 3rd in Africa, behind Mauritius (1st) and Morocco (2nd).

Malaysia is ranked the most affordable, overall, with and index score of 68.6, while Yemen is ranked as the least affordable market, with an Index score of 0.0 – below Malawi (45th at 3.1) and Zimbabwe (44th at 3.6).

According to the report, top-ranked Malaysia launched a National Broadband Initiative in 2010, with the aim to increase both supply and demand for broadband.

source: www.mybroadband.co

African ISPs steal march on LTE

YooMe is a privately held Swiss company that has two African Internet service provider (ISP) businesses, one in Cameroon and the other to open soon in Côte d’Ivoire. Its CEO, Dov Bar Gera, has set up and sold ISPs in Eastern Europe, but his focus now is Africa.

YooMe’s Cameroon operation has deployed WiMax and it claims to have covered 85% of the population in the country’s two main cities, Douala and Yaounde, with 20 base stations. Its main competitors are the two mobile operators, MTN and Orange, and a handful of smaller ISPs.

It has taken significant market share, having about 20 000 of the 50 000 broadband subscribers in the country if you define broadband as 512kbit/s or faster. Overall, Bar Gera estimates that there are probably around a million Cameroonians who use the Internet at least once a week.

But there is a cap on growth as the monopoly international bandwidth provider, Camtel, has not reduced its wholesale prices. “Because of this monopoly, international bandwidth is five to seven times more expansive [than in other more competitive countries].” Obviously, higher wholesale prices lead to more expensive retail prices, which in turn means a smaller market.

YooMee’s next move is to roll out a time-division duplexing long-term evolution (LTE) network in Côte d’Ivoire’s capital, Abidjan. It will launch a network of 35 base stations from Alcatel Lucent in the second half of February, which, according to Bar Gera, will provide “good coverage in populated areas. We will also be looking at the lower income segments.”

He’s quite dismissive of WiMax vs LTE comparisons: “Subscribers don’t care whether it’s WiMax or LTE. They want to know the speed and price of the service. In Côte d’Ivoire, we will be delivering up to 2Mbit/s.” This speed is significantly less than Smile Telecom’s 6Mbit/s service. Prices have not been finalised yet but are likely to be in the US$32-51/month range, which seems competitive.

source: www.techcentral.co

Tanzania : why internet users in Arusha are smiling

LTE (Long Term Evolution) also known as 4G LTE enables ultra-high-speed internet access because it is the cutting-edge fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology standard and represents a step change in evolution from existing wireless technologies such as GSM-2G/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS-3G/3.75G.

4G LTE is the future platform of all online as well as voice and data communication, and its inherently flexible and constantly evolving nature guarantees that it will remain the superior standard in mobile data and voice services for years to come.

“Smile launched in Dar es Salaam on May 16 2013, making Tanzania the first country in Africa to access this revolutionary technology. We are very excited about bringing this technology to Arusha. As a notable international hub that has vast, thriving and dynamic service and tourism sectors and a range of learning institutions, Arusha has so many businesses, organisations and people that will benefit from high speed internet,” said Fiona McGloin, Smile Country Manager for Tanzania and Uganda.

“We at Smile are confident that providing reliable, high speed internet will significantly contribute to the success of Arusha based businesses and also give the people in Arusha a faster, more reliable and cost effective service,” McGloin said.

In Tanzania’s vibrant communications sector, 4G LTE internet now leads the race being six-times faster than 3G and four-times faster than 3.75G. Smile provides an average speed of 6Mbps download and 3Mbps upload.

source: www.itnewsafrica.com

Google books offers huge discounts on meldela's auto/biographies

You  just have to look around the internet to see just how big an impact the passing of Nelson Mandela made on the world. For only the second time in its history Apple has changed its home page to memorialise someone, the first time was for its founder Steve Jobs. The former head of state is one of the most revered individuals in world history, certainly in South African history and as such we think that learning more about the man who helped shape our future is the duty of every South African.

Good thing then that Google Play is having a sale on a bunch of Mandela related biographies and his famous biography, ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’. The Google Play team even managed to pen a small missive on the great man which shows the impact his life has had throughout the world.

It is not enough to say that Nelson Mandela embodied the spirit of democracy: he is in fact an architect of freedom. He lived and suffered fearlessly for peace, for justice, and for equality, and his impact on individuals and nations is more intimate and expansive than any political leader of our time. We pause today to honour his life and share with you his remarkable legacy.

source: www.htxt.co 

Telkom mobile breaks barriers to internet access

Telkom Mobile is championing internet access for all in South Africa with the launch of the Prepaid SIM Only Internet Starter Pack. This offer provides first time Internet users the opportunity to start their online journey with South Africa's best Mobile Broadband provider. To kick-start the online journey, Telkom Mobile will provide customers with a SIM card and 2.4 GB of data, allocated as 200 MB per month over 12 months for a once off fee of R49.

"The Internet has become a way of life, and it is our goal to make it accessible and affordable to all," says KG Moncho, Executive of Product Development. Moncho believes that the Internet provides a wealth of information and resources that can aid in elevating gaps in education, employment and self-development.

"Many South Africans have unfortunately not been able to access information and resources on the World Wide Web due to the high cost of data, however Telkom Mobile is breaking that barrier by providing high quality and affordable data," he continues.

The SIM only internet starter pack can be used on most devices including tablets, smart phones or it can be inserted in a data modem to be used on a laptop or desktop.

Telkom Mobile will also provide technical support for the first time Internet user. "We understand that starting your online journey can be challenging. That is why we provide customers with a user-guide that gives them information they may need when setting up including how to purchase data bundles, viewing and managing data bundle balances and support contact details," concludes Moncho.

Data allocation is done on the first of every month and will be valid until the end of the current calendar month. In addition, customers can buy additional data bundles once they have depleted their monthly data allocation.

source: www.4-traders.com

SA,s 3G world class , fixed broadband poor : Naspers CEO

Naspers CEO Koos Bekker said that while South Africa’s mobile broadband (3G) services are world class, fixed broadband access remains poor.

Speaking to Talk Radio 702’s Bruce Whitfield, Bekker said that South Africa’s Internet access diverges between mobile phones and PCs.

“Our 3G [mobile broadband] systems are as good as we get anywhere in the world,” said Bekker, adding that fixed broadband [used on a PC] has a problem with a lack of bandwidth.

The bandwidth restraints of fixed broadband access in SA, said Bekker, has a consequence on their pay-TV operations.

Bekker said in an interview with Money web that they are forced to “fake the Internet” using their new DStv Explora decoder to make it possible for users to catch up on news or sporting events when it suits them.

“But we can fake the Internet a bit by putting it on satellite, loading it down into the PVR and then offering it to you as if it were the internet.”

source: www.mybroadband.co

mango called out over wifi services

Mango, the low-cost South African Airways subsidiary, has been forced to withdraw all advertising of its in-flight WiFi services after a passenger complained that he was unable to access the service.

Mango launched its in-flight WiFi service in the first half of 2012.

One Mr Kowen lodged a consumer complaint against Mango Airlines for its Internet and print advertising promoting the airline’s on-board wireless services.

He said that he had specifically chosen Mango instead of his preferred airline because of the service, and had to forego loyalty points as a result. This decision, he said, was solely based on the advertised WiFi in-flight internet.

“However, the two aircraft used did not have working WiFi. According to flight crew on one aircraft, the WiFi had not been working for more than a month. This clearly makes the promise of on-board WiFi misleading,” the complainant said.

According to the Mango adverts: “G-Connect will provide access to the Internet via 3G, WiFi, ADSL and In-Flight WiFi, with a single online account. There is no need for separate accounts from separate service providers and you can sign up for free at www.gconnect.co.za”.

An advert on the plane itself read: “Wi-Fi Internet available on this flight”.

The ASA took into consideration a charge of misleading claims by the airline, and the non-availability of advertised products.

In its defense, Mango submitted that the complainant has a choice of several airlines in South Africa to provide transportation between two cities.

source: www.bussiness.co

Mango not fulfilling its Wi-Fi promise

Mango, the low-cost South African Airways subsidiary, has been forced to withdraw all advertising of its in-flight WiFi services after a passenger complained that he was unable to access the service.

Mango launched its in-flight WiFi service in the first half of 2012.

One Mr Kowen lodged a consumer complaint against Mango Airlines for its Internet and print advertising promoting the airline’s on-board wireless services.

He said that he had specifically chosen Mango instead of his preferred airline because of the service, and had to forego loyalty points as a result. This decision, he said, was solely based on the advertised WiFi in-flight internet.

“However, the two aircraft used did not have working WiFi. According to flight crew on one aircraft, the WiFi had not been working for more than a month. This clearly makes the promise of on-board WiFi misleading,” the complainant said.

According to the Mango adverts: “G-Connect will provide access to the Internet via 3G, WiFi, ADSL and In-Flight WiFi, with a single online account. There is no need for separate accounts from separate service providers.

An advert on the plane itself read: “Wi-Fi Internet available on this flight”.

The ASA took into consideration a charge of misleading claims by the airline, and the non-availability of advertised products.

In its defense, Mango submitted that the complainant has a choice of several airlines in South Africa to provide transportation between two cities.

“While true that the WiFi was not working on any of his four flights, this is due to maintenance and repairs that were necessary,” Mango said.

source: mybroadband.co

The internet as a catalyst for change in YEMEN

The economy is suffering, illiteracy levels are among the highest in the world, most of high school and university graduates are struggling to find jobs, and most devastating of all, the security situation has worsened as assassinations, kidnappings, and other violent activities continue unabated. That is the state of Yemen. But is it all that bad? Perhaps not. To characterize Yemen this way is unfair to a part of the community that is trying to reverse the country’s trajectory: the youth. My theory that the youngest generations of Yemenis are the country’s greatest asset and that they will help the country get back on its feet, relies heavily on the role of the Internet as a major catalyst for development.

For those young people who are searching for new ways to find jobs, engage with one another, do research and take a break from life’s daily hardships, the Internet has provided some sort of relief and hope mainly through the rich social networking experience it provides.

If the official launch of the Yemen chapter of the Internet Society ( IS O C) is any sign, I believe there is a reason to be hopeful. More than 200 people attended the Society’s launching ceremony that took place in a remote part of the capital Sana’a. Given the extra effort one had to take to arrive at the event on time made me optimistic about the strong desire Yemenis, particularly the youth, have for a stronger, more resilient and more accessible Internet.


source; www.yementimes.com

liquid telecom provides Somalia first fibre cable link to the world

a number of undersea fibre cable systems have landed on the shores of the African continent, it’s easy to assume that any country on the continent has reasonable access to these cables. More so countries in East Africa that have a huge shoreline. Easy to assume yes, but not the case with Somalia. Apparently, owing to conflict, Somalia has so far had no access to a fibre cable and has had to rely on expensive satellite links for internet.

That will now change as Liquid Telecom, the continent’s largest terrestrial fibre network operator, has finalised a deal with the Somalia’s Hormuud Telecom to link the mobile operator to its fibre network directly. The cable link will become Somalia’s first fibre connection and is set to improve internet speeds in the horn of Africa.

The announcement was made at the ongoing AfricaCom conference in South Africa by Liquid Telecom chief executive, Nic Rudnick. Liquid Telecom will link Somalia to cables that land in Kenya where it already has presence.

Rudnick also disclosed at the conference that his company will spend $250 million over the next two years in its mission to connect people and businesses on the continent to the internet. Liquid Telecom’s fibre cable network in Africa now spans 17,000 km connecting Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and several other countries.

source: www.techzim.co

African telecom landscape looks towards landscape

number of factors have contributed to Africa’s increasing adoption of mobile phones for internet use over PCs — cost and lack of ethernet infrastructure for two. The cost of computers versus the lower prices of mobile phones in addition to the lack of physical internet cable implementation has spurred the growth of mobile devices in Africa — a trend that is now of global proportion. But Africa’s mobile scene presents unique challenges, and the recently reported interest in the continent’s digital communications from Mideast and European telcos has spun a larger conversation over the future of the continent’s growth.

MidEast telcos have been developing their presence in North Africa for a while. Etisalat — an Emirates-based telco — took over France’s Vivendi’s stake in Maroc Telecom in July, heightening its presence in West Africa. (Maroc Telecom was also Morocco’s largest operator, according to reports.) And European companies such as Orange have been increasing their investments in various countries to get a foothold in the developing markets. These growing investments from operators have accumulated throughout the year, and made for conversation at AfricaCom 2013 — a telecom conference held in Cape Town, South Africa earlier in November which calls together global technology leaders.

An executive from Gemalto — a digital security company — spoke after the conference and called for operators to take advantage of the unique communications landscape in Africa in order to bypass 3G implementation and escalate quickly to 4G. While attaining high speed wireless seems unlikely in regions that have barely reliable 2G, Sherry Zameer, head of Africa and Middle East telecommunications for the company, described the lack of regulation and restrictive platforms actually make Africa ripe for the buildout of 4G.

Naturally, this lofty goal still seems out of reach given the general lack of connectivity around the continent in the face of obstacles like cable theft and the availability of spectrum. But some regions have made more hefty moves in the 4G direction than others; Rwanda made significant progress in late October signing a deal with Korea Telecom to deliver 4G to its citizenry over the next three years. And Alcatel-Lucent just partnered with YooMee Africa to bring LTE to Cameroon and other countries.

As foreign investors and native companies alike band together to develop high-speed wireless in Africa — despite the tangible results from work in 2013 likely being years away — the continent will still see increasing web traffic as more mobile devices connect to the internet through these new, spreading networks.

blogs.bloiun.com