Author: Akin Naphtal

WhatsApp has doubled its group limit capacity from 256 to 512 participants in a move to counter the rising competitive profile of the Telegram app that allows about 100,000 participants. The latest update is released to its Android, iOS and Desktop versions. The Meta-owned instant messaging platform officially announced the update in a new blog post on its website. The new capacity has already been tested in Argentina. The new feature will now be rolled out globally to all its users in addition to a new feature that allows sharing media files up to 2GB in size. The new file-sharing…

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has appointed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the Chairman of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2022. The event will take place at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The appointment was conveyed to the minister through a letter from the Secretary-General of the ITU, who noted that Professor Pantami was appointed “in light of his overall commitment to Information and Knowledge Societies and the active role he has played in the WSIS Process” and it followed consultations with various stakeholders. The Forum is to be…

Zimbabwe has increased taxes on electronic foreign currency transactions, including ATM withdrawals and payments, as part of several measures President Emmerson Mnangagwa has initiated to try to address the country’s economic decline. The Southern African country’s economic crisis has deepened, with increasing inflation and the Zimdollar continuing to lose ground. Companies have not been able to raise foreign currency to settle international obligations and this has impacted quality of service. In a position paper to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the Finance Ministry on Monday, the Zimbabwe Chamber of Commerce said, “players within the telecommunications sector are seeking acknowledgement…

The National Commissioner (NC) of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, has stressed the strategic importance of data to sustaining the digital economy. Olatunji, speaking recently during a working visit to the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited, said with the exponential rise in the processing of data online through satellite communications, appropriate mechanisms is needed to ensure adequate security and regulation of personal data processing in line with laid down legislations in Nigeria. Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Dr. Abimbola Alale, agreed with Olatunji. She said best practices that meet global standards in the protection of data must…

Pan-African and Gaborone-headquartered financial services company Letshego Holdings has terminated its contract with its Group Chief Executive, Andrew Okai, and has simultaneously suspended Company Secretary Matshidiso Kimwaga pending a disciplinary process. The company confirmed developments in a statement released by Enos Banda, Group Board Chairman, to shareholders via the Botswana Stock Exchange and cited an irreparable breakdown in trust and confidence between parties. The development comes only twenty-six months after Okai’s appointment to the company’s helm to drive growth for the retail financial service organisation through technology. The statement reads: “Letshego has terminated with immediate effect the employment of Mr.…

Mobile operator MTN’s decision to pay off its US$91-million licence renewal fees under a ten-year amortization agreement in Rwanda has had a 39.6% “negative” impact on its profits after tax for the quarter period to the end of March. Following a renewal of its licence last year, the company will make the second instalment payment in July this year. Payment for the fees for the license, valid for a period of 10 years, follows renewal of the permit by the Rwandan government last year. “Following the renewal of our operating license in 2021, we are well on track to complete…

Nigeria-based digital freight forwarding company OnePort365 is eyeing regional expansion after successfully raising US$5-million in seed funding. The African maritime trade is set to benefit from the company’s services as it offers logistical management of goods at the ports. Users can also compare prices of services, track their goods and make payments all on the platform. Apart from connecting with shipping and inland transportation vendors, traders get GPS-enabled, real-time visibility of their shipments and they can view all documents relating to the shipment via the platform, eliminating the laborious process of physically retrieving these documents from offices or shipping line…

The telecommunications networks of Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) will be interconnected via land-based fibre optic network infrastructure by January 2023. This follows an MoU signed this week in Yaounde between Cameroon’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng and CAR’s Minister of Digital Economy, Posts and Telecommunications Justin Gourna Zacko. The memorandum covers the physical and logical interconnection of the electronic communications networks of both countries. It includes restoration channels to secure the telecommunications networks of both countries, as well as reduction of the costs and tariffs of electronic communications services. The MoU also spells…

Nigeria draws closer to the deployment of 5G services as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed the issuance of the final letters of award of 5G spectrum licences to MTN and Mafab Communications. The duo are winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction conducted by the telecom regulator last December. The NCC management led by its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, confirmed this to the Board of Commissioners at a special meeting, which took place on Wednesday, April 20 where the Board considered updates from management on the status of the spectrum auction. With the issuance of the final…

As a result of the increased cost of doing business in Nigeria, telecommunication companies have proposed to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) a 40% rise in the cost of calls, SMS, and data. According to their suggestion, the call price floor will rise from N6.4 to N8.95, while the SMS price cap will rise from N4 to N5.61. This was revealed in a letter titled ‘Impact of Economic and Security Issues on the Telecommunications Sector,’ to the regulatory body by the telecoms firms. The telecommunications businesses wrote the letter to the NCC on Tuesday under the auspices of the Association…