African Telecommunications / ICT job opportunities high, skills lacking

A new survey published reveals that as telecommunication jobs in Africa booms, the continent still lacks skilled workers, calling on universities and governments to do more to boost the output of telecom and IT specialists in Africa.

The 2012 Telecommunications Survey, carried out by global Amrop executive search group member, Landelahni Business Leaders, highlights the skills gaps in the African ICT sector.

“Information and communications technology is a pre-condition for socio-economic development and national competitiveness. However, a shortage of key skills is a huge constraint,” Landelahni CEO Sandra Burmeister said in the report.

“Opportunities abound throughout Africa, despite the challenges of poor infrastructure, disparate regulatory environments and ferocious competition. Spending on ICT infrastructure is expected to total more than US$23 billion a year over the next few years. South Africa and the rest of the continent need to skill up to maximise this opportunity.

“(South African) minister of science and technology Naledi Pandor has acknowledged that the telecommunications industry holds promise as the backbone of this country’s economic, industrial and innovative advancement. Similarly, the Green Paper for Post School Education and Training released in January (2012) states that ‘ICT is increasingly becoming a critical ingredient for participation in a globalised world’.”

It also called on governments to do more to boost young people’s ability to enter the fast-paced ICT world with the skills needed to bring Africa into the global technology world.

Mobile services have transformed African societies - GSMA Report

 Over the past decade, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region formed by 471 diverse countries with a combined population of over 830 million, has experienced significant economic growth. The region includes seven of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world.

Governments in SSA have successfully liberalised the telecommunications sector, and competition has increased service affordability. This has generated a remarkable rate of growth in the mobile market across the region, the highest worldwide.

Since 2000, the number of connections in SSA has grown by 44%, compared to an average of 34% for developing regions and 10% for developed regions as a whole. Mirroring the region’s economic expansion, growth in mobile can reasonably be expected to continue in the medium term.

Operators in five key SSA markets (Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana) invested US$16.5 billion over the past five years and US$2.8 billion in 2011. Most of this investment has been focused on expanding network capacity, increasing the number of base stations in these five countries by 250% between 2007 and 2012.

This investment is critical to the citizens of SSA, as mobile services effectively provide all forms of telecommunications, to an extent not seen in any other part of the world. In SSA in 2010, there were 28 mobile connections for each fixed line subscription.

Mobile penetration has increased rapidly in the last 12 years in the region, from just 1% in 2000 to 54% in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate of over 36%. Today there are more than 454 million connections in SSA

 

Download GSMA Sub Sahara Africa report

Maroc Telecom To Invest $1.2 Billion In Morocco’s Broadband Network

Maroc Telecom (Maroc) would invest 10 billion Moroccan dirhams ($1.2 billion) to upgrade the country’s broadband network, Morocco’s biggest telecoms company said on Wednesday.

Maroc, which is 53 percent owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and 30 percent owned by the Moroccan government, said it would invest this money between 2013 and 2015 financial years.

The company will also invest 4 billion dirhams ($477 million) in other African countries where it has operations. These countries include Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali over the same period.

Maroc Telecom had already invested 25 billion dirhams ($3 billion) in Morocco, it said in a statement to the French securities exchange.

The company made this announcement at the time when Etisalat ETEL.AD, the United Arab Emirates’ largest telecommunications operator, said it is interested in buying Vivendi’s 53 percent stake in Morocco’s Maroc Telecom.

French conglomerate Vivendi is exploring selling several assets as part of an on-going strategic review intended to pay down debt, boost a flagging share price and reduce the group’s exposure to capital-intensive telecom businesses.

Maroc Telecom, in which Vivendi first bought a stake in 2001, offers fixed-line, mobile and internet services in the kingdom, and is also one of Africa’s main telecom operators.

Qatar Telecom QTEL.QA, the state-owned operator, has hired J.P. Morgan Chase to advise it on a potential bid for the stake.

South Korea’s KT Corp is also said to be considering a bid for the unit, which Vivendi hopes will fetch 5.5 billion euros ($7.31 billion), two people familiar with the matter said last month.

Airtel (Bharti Group) to expand in Africa: Sunil Mittal

Indian telecom czar Sunil Bharti Mittal said that Bharti group wants to expand presence in Africa, which has high growth potential and needs huge investments for infrastructure development.

The chief of Bharti group, which already has significant presence in Africa's telecom space, said that infrastructure could become a major challenge for the continent's growth.

The commitment that people like us have made in the continent (Africa) is good.

We want to expand in Africa," Mittal said at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting Davos.

Participating in a session on 'De-risking Africa', Mittal expressed happiness over the active participation of African governments in working with investors.

Even USD 93 billion (investment) in infrastructure (in Africa) is not enough. It is a large continent, it has got a lot of catching up to do," Mittal noted.

If you can have hard infrastructure in place, that is where the governments must concentrate," Mittal said.

In a deal that made Bharti Airtel one of the world's biggest mobile phone company (in terms of subscriber base), the company in 2010 had snapped up Zain's Africa operations in a deal worth over USD 10 billion.

The transaction bolstered Bharti group's presence in the fast growing African telecom market, where it had more than 5.86 crore customers at the end of September last year.

France Telecom to expand its presence in Africa

France Telecom wants to expand its presence in fast-growing African mobile markets by entering Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Elie Girard, the group's head of strategy and development, said plans for Africa also included seeking to sign management contracts with telecom groups in Libya and Algeria.

He said no talks on acquisitions were currently underway, but Africa and the Middle East were a priority for growth.

"If we manage to enter Benin, Togo, Burkina (Faso) and Mauritania, for example, that would be very valuable for us," he told reporters at a briefing in London. He said the countries' proximity to Orange's existing operations in Mali and Senegal made them more attractive.

The group, which markets its services under the brand Orange, operates in 21 Middle East and African countries.

Orange, sponsor of soccer's Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, is the third-largest mobile operator in the region, behind South Africa's MTN and Britain's Vodafone.

A presence in Benin would also improve a link between the company's network in Niger and the submarine cables that carry Internet traffic between Africa and the world, Girard said.

He said France Telecom also wanted to expand into Libya, Algeria and Ethiopia, and would seek contracts to manage other operators' telecom networks as a way to get a foot in the door.

Girard gave no update on whether France Telecom would bid for Vivendi's stake in Moroccan operator Maroc Telecom . Vivendi hopes to get at least 5.5 billion euros ($7.34 billion) for its 53 percent stake in Maroc Telecom in a sale process now underway.

South Korean telecom firm KT Corp submitted a preliminary offer for the Maroc Telecom stake in mid-December.

A move by France Telecom would be complex given that it already owns a 40 percent stake in Morocco's second-biggest operator Meditel, which it might have to divest.

Tigo Ghana - Contact Address

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tigo has 14.34 %of Mobile Market in Ghana

Contact Address of Tigo Ghana

 

Head Office Millicom Ghana Limited Millicom Place, Barnes Road PMB-TUC, Accra P. O. Box AN 239

Telephone:

+ 233 27 7555888

Fax:

+ 233 27 7503999

Email:

info@tigo.com.gh

 

Osu Oxford Street Opp Frankies Osu - Oxford Street

Aporta Pierta Guest house Opp Dansoman Presby Dansoman

Sotrec Building Mallam Junction

Madina Shell, Hollywood Madina

 

Greater Acrra (Tema Area Office) First Floor Ahiadome Complex Behind Ecobank, Community 1, Tema

Telephone:

233 27 7551442

Fax:

022 206829

Upper West Region Opp. Inter-City STC Yard Nayiri, Wa

Telephone:

+ 233 756 20830

 

 

Upper East Region Alhadji I. D Danladi Palace No. C 5/2 Area On, Bolgatanga

Telephone:

+ 233 72 24013

 

Northern Region Opp. Central Post Office House No. B/33 Commercial Area, Tamale

Telephone:

+ 233 71 22364

 

Brong Ahafo Region Adjacent S.S.N.I.T Building No. C 5/2 Area On, Sunyani

Telephone:

+ 233 61 27165

 

Ashanti Region Millicom House Nhyiaeso, Kumasi

Telephone:

+ 233 51 27675

Fax:

+ 233 51 27676

Ashanti Region Tigo House 17 Old Bekwai Road Nhyiaeso, Kumasi

Telephone:

+ 233 51 27675/6

Fax:

+ 233 51 27675/6

 

Western Region Customer Service Centre Axim Road, Takoradi

Telephone:

233 31 27643

Fax:

233 31 27643

 

Western Region (Tarkwa Area Office) Tigo Office Ground Floor SIC Building, Tarkwa

Telephone:

233 27 7555345

Fax:

233 27 7555345 

 

Western Region Tigo Office Axim Road, Takoradi

Telephone:

+ 233 31 27643

 

Close to Kasoa lorry park JUCAD Pharmacy Kasoa

Central Region Commercial Street Near Medx Pharmacy London Bridge, Cape Coast

Telephone:

+ 233 42 37856

 

Eastern Region Kama Plaza Effiaduase Road, Koforidua

Telephone:

+ 233 81 26670

 

Volta Region Former G.N.T.C Building No. I3/16, Alhliha, Ho

Telephone:

+ 233 91 25656

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Telecom Mobile Operators in Ghana - MTN, Vodafone, Tigo, Airtel, Expresso Telecom and Glo

The first cellular mobile network was launched in this sub-Saharan Africa in 1992, Ghana has become one of the Africas most competitive mobile market with 6 telecom operators -  MTN, Vodafone, Tigo, Airtel, Expresso Telecom and Glo. Glo(Nigeria’s Globacom) has launched its services in 2012 but its subscriber count is picking up fast.

Ghana has 90% penetration in 2012, for voice sunbscribers.

Due to the huge competition the profit from subscribers to the companies is limited. Average revenue per customer (APRU) has fallen to $5 per month

Great potential exists for data services in 3G mobile broadband services which is already the major part of Internet connections in Ghana.

 Market Share of Telecommunication Operators in Ghana

MTN Ghana (45.33%), Vodafone (20.20 %), Tigo (14.34 %), Airtel (12.23%), Glo (6.16 %) and Expresso Telecom (0.66 %) 

The Total Cellular/Mobile Voice Subscriber Base in Ghana as at November, 2012 stood at 25,344,745.

Rank	Operator	Technology	Subscribers Nov 2012	Ownership
1	MTN Ghana	GSM-900/1800 2100 MHz UMTS	11,615,801 (45.33%)	MTN (97.7%)
2	Vodafone	GSM-900 UMTS	5,175,377 (20.20 % )	Vodafone (70%)
3	Tigo	GSM-900 UMTS	3,673,934 (14.34 %)	MIC (100%)
4	Airtel	GSM-900 2100 MHz UMTS	3,132,615(12.23%)	Bharti Airtel (75%)
5	Expresso Telecom	CDMA2000 1X	168,572 (0.66 %)	Sudatel (100%)
6	Glo	GSM	1,578,446 (6.16 %)	Globacom (100%)

Website and Contact Details of Mobile Operators in Ghana

 MTN Ghana (http://www.mtn.com.gh/)

Scancom Limited,
Plot # 17&19
Ridge Towers
10th - 12th Floor
6th Avenue, Ridge
P.O. Box 281 Intl. Trade Fair La,
Accra - Ghana

E-Mail: info@mtn.com.gh
Tel: 00 233 24 4300 000
Fax: 00 233 21 231974

Customer Care Numbers MTN Ghana
 
MTN Ghana, please call 111 Toll Free on your MTN number or e-mail customercare@mtn.com.gh 

Vodafone Ghana (http://www.vodafone.com.gh/)

Vodafone Ghana,
South Liberation Link,
Manet Tower A, Airport City,
Accra Ghana
Email:info.gh@vodafone.com

Customer Care Numbers Vodafone Ghana

 

General enquiries / fault reporting	100
Directory assistance	160

 

Tigo (http://www.tigo.com.gh/)

Customer Care Numbers Tigo

• 111
• 841
• 810 
• 0277 55 1000
• 0277 55 1002
• 0277 55 1003
• 0277 55 1004
• 0277 55 1006

Airtel (http://www.africa.airtel.com/wps/wcm/connect/africaairtel/Ghana/)

Bharti Airtel Ghana Limited
Airport City Accra
Private Mail Bag
Accra-North,

E-mail
customercare.gh@gh.airtel.com
 

 Customer Care Numbers Airtel Ghana


Call (toll free) 24 hours, 7 days a week on 121 from your Airtel phone, 0260 000 121 from other networks within Ghana or +233 260 000 121 if you are calling outside Ghana.

Glo Ghana (http://www.gloworld.com/ghana/home.asp)

GLO Mobile Ghana Limited
4, Adjuma Crescent, South Industrial Area, Kaneshie,
Accra.
Ghana.

Customer Care Numbers Glo

121 (Prepaid) / 200 (Postpaid), or email to customercare@glomobileghana.com for Prepaid customers or corporatecare@glomobileghana.com for Postpaid customers. 

Expresso Ghana (http://www.expressotelecom.com/en/african-presence/ghana/)

TARIFFS OF MOBILE TELEPHONY OPERATORS (PREPAID) - SEPTEMBER, 2012

All rates are quoted in Ghana Cedis and the billing rate is per minute

	MTN	Tigo	Vodafone	Airtel	Glo Mobile	Expresso	Industry Average
On Net	0.09	0.03	0.144	0.084	0.08	0.0954	0.0872
Other Local Networks	0.13	0.102	0.144	0.084	0.09	0.1494	0.1166
U.K	0.3	0.354	0.3	0.36	0.44	0.2118	0.3276
U.S.A	0.144	0.132	0.13	0.19	0.11	0.2118	0.1530
Canada	0.14	0.132	0.13	0.19	0.11	0.2118	0.1530
Italy	0.44	0.54	0.86	0.49	0.275	0.3601	0.4942
Nigeria	0.192	0.198	0.3	0.36	0.165	0.2118	0.2378
South Africa	0.44	0.354	0.86	0.39	0.275	0.3601	0.4465
Germany	0.44	0.54	0.44	0.36	0.275	0.3601	0.4025
China	0.144	0.132	0.13	0.19	0.11	0.2118	0.1530
U.A.E	0.44	0.354	0.44	0.39	0.44	0.3601	0.4040
SMS-On Net	0.04	0.0403	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.0424	0.0405
SMS-Other Networks	0.05	0.0477	0.0424	0.044	0.04	0.0438	0.0447
MMS	0.18	0.212	0.19	0.18			0.1905
Data/MB	0.06	0.2	0.2	0.07	0.05	0.05	0.1050

SMS-IDD	MTN	Airtel	Tigo	Vodafone	Glo Mobile	Expresso	Industry Average
MTN West & Central Africa	0.13			0.0848		0.0636
USA	0.15	0.12	0.1152	0.0848	0.142	0.0636	0.1126
Canada	0.15	0.12	0.1152	0.0848	0.142	0.0636	0.1126
UK	0.18	0.15	0.1152	0.0848	0.182	0.0636	0.1292667
Germany	0.18	0.15	0.1152	0.0848	0.162	0.0636	0.1259333
Italy	0.18	0.15	0.1440	0.0848	0.162	0.0636	0.1307333
Nigeria	0.15	0.15	0.1440	0.0848	0.152	0.0636	0.1240667
S. Africa	0.15	0.15	0.1152	0.0848	0.162	0.0636	0.1209333
China	0.14	0.15	0.1152	0.0848	0.142	0.0636	0.1159333
U.A.E	0.15	0.15	0.1152	0.0848	0.182	0.0636	0.1242667

 

Mobile Telecom operator in Baharin - Batelco, Zain Baharin and Viva Baharin

Bahrain’s telecoms market although small but is one the most developed telecommunication markets of the world. 

WiMAX is growing very rapidly in the country and the future is mobile broadband,


Bahrain was one of the first to introduce LTE in the Middle East, with every operator working on HSPA+ or LTE

3 mobile telecom network operators in Bahrain

Rank	Operator	Technology	Subscribers (in millions)	Ownership
1	Batelco	GSM-900 2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA	0.738 (December 2011)	Bahrain Telecommunications Company (100%)
2	Zain Bahrain	GSM-900/1800 2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA	0.508 (including WiMAX subscribers, December 2011)	Zain Group (56.25%)
3	Viva Bahrain	GSM-900/1800 2100 MHz UMTS, HSDPA	Launched March 2010	STC (100%)

Mobile telecom operators in Angola - Movicel and Unitel

 

 

 

The mobile telecom operators in Angola are

Angola Telecom Operators
Angola Telecom (Movicel)
Unitel

Angola has 7.5m mobile phone subscribers in total, making it one of the  largest mobile telecoms markets in Africa.

Movicel is a mobile operator with shares of government (Angola Telecom (18%), Correios Telegrafos de Angola (2%)), Porturil (40%), Modus Comicare (19%), Ipang (10%), Lambda (6%)
Movicel has a subscriber base of around 2.5m.

Unitel is a private operator with shares of Mercury (Sonangol group) (25%), Group GENI(25%), Vidatel (25%), Portugal Telecom (25%). Unitel started services in March 2001.

With more than 6 million customers, Unitel is the leader in market. Unitel is roughly twice the size of Movicel and offers GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, international roaming and 3G

Angola is eyeing 4G even before the US and Europe. 

 Angola is developing technologically very rapidly as compared to other African countries. Movicel has parterned with ZTE for 4G technology.

Africa Mobile Subscriber base - Total mobile connections in African countries

Africa is 2nd largest in terms of subscribers

The data given below considers 25 African countries which contain 91% of the continent’s mobile connections. It is not possible due to some regions to collect the data for all African countries.

Africa has become the second largest mobile country in the world, overtaking Latin America. Its now only second to Asia in terms of number of subscribers.

Over the last 10 years the mobile connections in Africa has grown an average of 30% per year.

Africa continues to be the fastest growing mobile market in the world

The African market is highly price competitive and has experienced significant price reductions in the recent years.

Country	Mobile subs.	%
Nigeria NGA Egypt EGY South Africa ZAF Algeria ALG  Morocco MAR  Kenya KEN Sudan1 SDN  Tanzania TZA  Ghana GHA Côte d’Ivoire CIV Uganda UGA DR Congo COD  Tunisia TUN  Ethiopia ETH Libya LBY Angola AGO  Cameroon CMR Mali MLI Senegal SEN Zimbabwe ZWE  Benin BEN Mozambique MOZ Burkina Faso BFA Zambia ZMB Madagascar MDG Others	89,343,017 80,616,921 59,474,500 36,741,368 36,522,899 26,135,115 24,628,765 23,334,395 20,049,412 17,991,035 14,754,199 14,098,685 12,254,728 11,902,288 11,158,560 10,797,078 10,658,991 10,000,229 9,686,372 8,281,749 7,996,577 7,750,845 6,740,148 6,544,630 6,147,499 56,190,285	14% 13% 10% 6%  6%  4%  4%  4%  3%  3%  2%  2%  2%  2%  2%  2%  2%  2%  2%  1%  1%  1%  1%  1%  1%  9%
Total	619,800,290	100%

Mobile Telecom operators in Algeria - Djezzy, Mobilis and Nedjma

The mobile penetration in Algeria is close to 100% and thus the subscriber growth in Algeria’s telecom market has slowed down in the recent years. The 3 major networks in Algeria are Algerie Telecom’s Mobilis, Orascom’s Djezzy, and Wataniya’s Nedjma. There is a huge price war between these operators.

These companies are looking to impress users with data plans and 3G holds a great future here in the coming years. Do expect a big jump in subscribers as 3G comes in.

Mobile Telecom Forecast for Algeria 2015

1. Total mobile subscriber connections in Algeria to reach 37.8 million in 2015
2. Djezzy will continue to hold a dominant position in Algeria with a 44.7% market share in 2015. 

Current Operators with number of Subscribers

Rank	Operator	Technology	Subscribers (in millions)	Ownership
1	Djezzy	GSM-900/1800 (GPRS, EDGE)	16.49 (Nov 2011)	Orascom Telecom
2	Mobilis	GSM-900 (GPRS, EDGE)	9.45 (Nov 2011)	Algerie Telecom
3	Nedjma	GSM900/1800 (GPRS, EDGE) 2100 MHz UMTS	8.46 (Nov 2011)	Qtel (46.4%)