Telekom Malaysia Signs Backhaul Deal with 2 Mobile Networks:

Malaysia's landline operator, Telekom Malaysia has signed a wholesale bandwidth collaborative deal with two mobile networks, Celcom and Digi.

Telekom Malaysia will provide wholesale bandwidth connectivity via its backhaul services for aggregation and access sites jointly owned by Celcom  and DiGi, covering a span of between 3,000 and 3,500 kilometres in Peninsular Malaysia.

This forms part of the ongoing network collaboration initiative betweenCelcom and DiGi announced in early 2011, particularly with regards to the joint ambition to roll out more than 10,000 kilometres of fibre network nationwide.

Financial terms were not disclosed, although local media reports suggested that it would be worth RM400-600 million to Telekom Malaysia over the next 10-15 years.

Somalia get first cross border fibre optic link:

The Liquid Telecom Group has built the first fibre optic link into Somalia connecting the country to its neighbours, the rest of the world and the undersea cables by fibre for the first time.

The new fibre link connects across the Kenya Somalia border and then directly into the fibre network of Hormuud Telecom Somalia Inc. (HORTEL) for local termination.

Hortel’s fibre network will provide Liquid Telecom’s customers – fixed and mobile operators, wholesale carriers and enterprises – with reliable, robust and fast connectivity in southern and central Somalia.

Meanwhile, HORTEL’s customers now have access to Liquid Telecom’s award-winning pan-African fibre network which spans more than 17,000k across Botswana, DRC, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and provides connectivity onto the five main subsea cable systems landing in Africa; WACS, EASSY, SEACOM, SAT3 and TEAMs.  The Liquid Telecom Group is also the first wholesale carrier to connect the East African capitals of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Kigali on a single fibre network.

Nic Rudnick, CEO of the Liquid Telecom Group, said: “We will be providing the people of Somalia with access to the global internet at higher speeds and with more capacity available than ever before. Our goal is to connect every person and business in Africa to the internet and to each other. We are an agile and entrepreneurial company which is investing heavily in building our pan-African fibre network”.

Hormuud Telecom Chairman & CEO Ahmed Yuusuf said:  “The connection of the HORTEL network to Liquid Telecom’s international fibre network is a landmark for Somalia and will provide our customers with the fastest and most cost effective communications speeds available. This is a significant accomplishment for both companies.

Liquid Telecom Bought Rwandatel Landline Assets:

Pan-African landine network operator, Liquid Telecom says that it has acquired most of the telecoms network assets belonging to Rwandatel, Rwanda's fixed line network operator for an undisclosed amount.

The deal includes Rwandatel's copper and fibre network and its customer base but excludes most of the land (which remains the property of Rwandatel).

Rwandatel, which is 80% owned by the Libyan investment group - LAP Green filed for bankruptcy in 2011. At the time, it was estimated to have debts of US$89 million against assets of US$50 million. Its mobile towers network was sold to Bharti Airtel last April for US$15.5 million.

Nic Rudnick, CEO of the Liquid Telecom Group, said: "Liquid Telecom is expanding rapidly and this is an important and strategic investment. Rwanda is an outstanding FDI destination and we are very confident in the country's economic future and growth prospects."

Liquid Telecom operates Africa's largest fibre network which runs from the north of Uganda to Cape Town.

This transaction comes four months after Liquid acquired the East African assets of The Altech Group ncluding a controlling interest in Kenya Data Networks.

MTN Ghana Plans $100 Million Network Improvements in 2013:

MTN's Ghana network is investing over US$100 million this year on networks upgrades designed to improve the quality of the network, the company's Corporate Services Executive, Mrs Cynthia Lumor has told local news media.

She said the mobile network had invested US$1.2 billion in the network since it launched its network in 2007.

On the topic of why the network is suffering poor quality of service in some parts of the country, she cited frequent breaks to its fibre network, mainly by property developers and road construction efforts.

The company suffered 77 disruptions to its network in the first five months of this year.

Fibre cuts are major challenge to the operations of MTN in the country.