Telecom Namibia Rebranded Mobile Subsidiary:

The Namibian mobile network operator, Leo had adopted the brandname of its landline operator parent, Telecom Namibia and is to be known as TM Mobile.

Telecom managing director Frans Ndoroma said his company acquired Powercom, which traded as Leo last year and the board of directors and management decided to give it a vibrant new brand; TN Mobile.

"The unveiling of the TN Mobile brand is aimed at supporting the Telecom Namibia Group's strategic direction. The introduction of a new brand also represents the beginning of the end of Leo branding across our operations," Ndoroma explained.

The former Leo website is already redirecting visitors to the Telecom Namibia website.

Leo was owned by Telecel Globe, a subsidiary of Egypt's Orascom Telecom and was sold to a consortium of banks for US$60 million in 2011, before being bought by Telecom Namibia, for a reportedly paltry amount in November 2012.

Telecom Namibia is 100% owned by the government and competes with MTC, which has a 90% market share of the mobile market, and is also 64% owned by the government.

Tanzania Blames World Bank for Slow Rural Phone Coverage Growth:

Tanzania's ICT Ministry has blamed red tape at the World Bank for delays in plans to expand mobile phone coverage to over 200 rural villages.

The Ministry is seeking Sh246 billion (US$152 million) to cover the cost of expanding the mobile network's coverage through their Universal Communication Services Access Fund (UCSAF).

The government said that it is in talks with India to release the funds through the Ministry of Finance.

A recent report by Business Monitor International (BMI) warned that growth in the country's mobile market remains slow for a country with penetration rate of less than 60%  and put the blame on poor rural phone coverage.

It's currently unclear as to why expanding coverage to 200 villages would cost over $150 million though.