Telecom
Nigeria Becomes Cash Cow for MTN Group
MTN Group, Africa’s largest telecoms provider, reported a 27 percent rise in full-year earnings on Wednesday, but also revealed a dip in revenues in its home market South Africa due partly to fierce competition.
The revenue drop meant Nigeria overtook South Africa to become the group’s biggest revenue earner.
Reuters reported that South African revenue shrank by 6.1 percent to 39.7 billion rand ($3.7 billion) while in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, it rose nearly 6 percent to 48.2 billion rand.
MTN, which has operations in nearly two dozen countries across Africa and the Middle East, added 279,000 users in South Africa in 2013, compared with 9.3 million new Nigerian customers.
In South Africa, price competition between MTN and its rivals, including Vodacom, Cell C and Telkom’s 8ta has squeezed MTN’s margins.
“Our response to the competitive environment was probably not as effective but we are satisfied that the initiatives (around pricing) that were brought in during the second half have started showing some good results,” Sifiso Dabengwa, chief executive said.
The company is also challenging a South African regulatory decision to reduce the rates it charges competitors to carry calls on its network, arguing smaller operators stand to gain from the decision.
Johannesburg-based MTN said overall revenue rose 12 percent in 2013, underpinned by data revenue, which climbed more than 40 percent to 20.7 billion rand.
Mobile phone operators are reinventing themselves to rely less on telephone calls and pushing customers to use more data, which is seen as having growth potential on a continent where most people lack traditional internet access.
MTN said it was diversifying into e-commerce by forming a partnership with Germany’s Rocket Internet to launch services in Africa and the Middle East.
Dabengwa said e-commerce penetration was still below 1 percent in Africa.
MTN’s diluted headline earnings rose to 1,378 cents per share in the year to end-December, from 1,082 cents a year earlier. Headline EPS, the main profit measure in South Africa, excludes certain one-time items.
MTN had already flagged that earnings would be higher following foreign exchange gains of 1.1 billion rand ($101.96 million). The rand currency lost around 20 percent last year, hit by a sell-off in emerging market assets, and lifting overseas earnings for exporters and internationally focused companies such as MTN.
SHELT, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its new business unit in Nigeria, SHELT System Integration (SHELT SI).
SHELT SI PR – 1
With a solid reputation built over six years of serving the nation’s financial, telecom, and government sectors, SHELT is now expanding its offerings to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation. The new business unit will operate under Cyber Immune Limited, a SHELT subsidiary in Nigeria.
SHELT SI emerges as a vital addition to SHELT’s portfolio, providing customers in Nigeria with trusted and unbiased expertise to design and implement cutting-edge, resilient, secure, and scalable solutions.
SHELT SI will forge strategic partnerships with global leaders to provide Networking and Cloud Management Solutions, Security Solutions, Collaboration Solutions, Managed services, Communication services, and IT Professional services while attracting top talent in Nigeria.
When asked about this milestone in SHELT’s growth, Mr. Youssef Abillama, Managing Partner of SHELT Global Limited, said: “We have full confidence in Nigeria and its commitment to digitization. SHELT is well positioned to be the technology partner of choice and trusted advisor to our customers in every step of their digitization journey.”
Mr. Walid Bou Abssi, Country Manager of SHELT Cyber Immune Limited, commented: “I am immensely proud of the launch of SHELT SI in Nigeria. This expansion underscores our dedication to empowering the nation’s digital evolution.
With SHELT SI, we are committed to providing unparalleled service to our clients, offering an unmatched value proposition driving innovation and resilience in Nigeria’s cybersecurity and network infrastructure space.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has advised telecommunications subscribers to opt for strong passwords to prevent unauthorized access to their mobile devices.
In a recent update on its official Facebook page, the NCC focused on how cyber-attacks could be prevented, emphasizing the importance of creating strong passwords to safeguard online accounts
The Commission urged subscribers to ensure that they have a password to log in securely.
The NCC wrote on its official Facebook page, “Protect your online accounts (such as banks and digital media) by using strong and complex passwords.”
It believes that by opting for strong passwords, individuals could defend themselves against cyber attacks.
Starlink users in South Africa are facing a major setback as the satellite internet service provider has issued a warning that their services will be terminated by the end of the month.
In an email sent to many South African users, Starlink stated that their internet access will cease on April 30 due to violation of its terms and conditions.
The email emphasized that using Starlink kits outside of designated areas, as indicated on the Starlink Availability Map, is against their terms. Consequently, users will only be able to access their Starlink account for updates after the termination.
Starlink, a company owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, operates a fleet of low earth orbit satellites that offer high-speed internet globally. Despite its potential to revolutionize connectivity, Starlink has been unable to obtain a license to operate in South Africa from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).
Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) requirements mandate that any applicant must have 30% ownership from historically disadvantaged groups to be considered for a license.
However, many in South Africa resorted to creative methods to access Starlink services, including purchasing roaming packages from countries where Starlink is licensed.
However, ICASA. clarified in a government gazette last November that using Starlink in this manner is illegal.
Additionally, Starlink itself stated in the recent email to users that the ‘Mobile – Regional’ plans are meant for temporary travel and transit, not permanent use in a location. Continuous use of these plans outside the country where service was ordered will result in service restriction.
Starlink advised those interested in making its services available in their region to contact local authorities.
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