Challenging global economic conditions will propel telepresence usage to replace 2.1 million airline seats per year by 2012, costing the travel industry US$3.5 billion annually, IT research and advisory firm Gartner predicted last month. While such forecasts may sound a little high, it does appear as if now is the perfect time for telepresence to gain momentum and achieve mass appeal. Michelle Mills reports

Telepresence solutions, such as Tandberg’s T3, emphasis the sensation of being across the same table when holding a virtual meeting

Telepresence and video conferencing has long
been heralded as a time-saving and cost-effective alternative to flying and meeting clients, while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Yet, many ICT executives openly admit they rarely, if ever, use the technology. However, with cost-cutting measures being implemented across the board, the investment case for companies to reconsider the merits of virtual meetings has never been as relevant as in the past three quarters.

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South Africa’s MTN today launched the largest deployment of mobile wallet services to date in a deal worth US$9.7 million, which will enable more than 80 million subscribers across 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East, to access mobile banking services.

MTN subscribers will have the option to receive a debit card for withdrawing cash from ATMs

‘MTN MobileMoney’ will use the mobile wallet solution of Fundamo, a specialised mobile banking software provider, with the aim to bring basic financial services to the largely unbanked populations in the region. MTN MobileMoney has already been available in South Africa, and this deal will extend MTN and Fundamo’s existing relationship to an additional 20 countries.

The mobile wallet service will allow subscribers to transfer money, make mobile payments, check their balance, make mobile purchases and buy air-time. Users also have the option to receive a branded debit card that can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs. The software also uses HSM technology which offers a PIN system that prevents sensitive information from residing on the handset, safeguarding subscribers against theft and fraud. It is also fully compliant with all banking regulations, enabling banks to login to the system and manage the banking elements of the service, while the operator focuses on customer acquisition and retention.

MTN operates telecoms networks in South Africa, Botswana, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Benin, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Cyprus.

The deal follows recent announcements by other regional operators including Bahrain-based Zain, which launched ‘Zap’ mobile banking services in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania last month. Zap will eventually be rolled out to all of Zain’s 22 operations across Africa and Middle East, with a subscriber base of 63.54 million customers as of end-2008.

Saudi Arabia’s STC also launched in February a mobile commerce solution in Kuwait through its subsidiary Viva. STC has not confirmed whether it would extend its service to its operations in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Africa, Malaysia and Bahrain.

Related stories:

STC’s Viva launches M-payments solution in Kuwait

Zain launches Zap mobile banking in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

Paying the piper

HP ProCurve, the networking arm of the global IT solutions provider HP, is picking up the pace in its challenge of IP networking market leader Cisco. At a business strategy event in January, ProCurve revealed its multi-vendor alliance programme with partners including Avaya, Microsoft and McAfee, aimed at propelling the networking company to the forefront of the sector. Michelle Mills reports from Paris

ProCurve, which is integrated within HP’s Technology Solutions Group (TSG), is the number two networking infrastructure player globally, though the rift between second place and pacesetter Cisco remains significant. In the EMEA region, ProCurve’s eight per cent market share trails far behind Cisco’s 50 per cent, with the latter offering not just comprehensive networking hardware but also a variety of Cisco-branded applications integrated into its network, including unified communications, telepresence and Internet security.

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France Telecom (FT) launched mobile services in Uganda yesterday under the brand of Orange, making it the operator’s 15^th subsidiary in Africa. Earlier this month Comm. reported that FT was racing to launch services in the East African country before the end of the first quarter.

In addition to initial investments, Orange Uganda has committed €200 million (US$253 million) over the coming three years, with the GSM network to be expanded to provide nationwide coverage, as well as 3G services.

Orange Uganda’s launch offers include a national flat rate per second or per minute, a range of international tariffs and a call-back service. 3G broadband will be offered within the next few months.

The launch of operations follows the acquisition by France Telecom of a 53 per cent stake in the licensee Hits Telecom Uganda in November last year. The universal service licence allows the operation of a range of access technologies including GSM, WCDMA and WiMAX, and also permits the licensee to deploy an international gateway.

Uganda is currently served by MTN, Zain, Uganda Telecom and Warid, with Uganda Telecom the only 3G provider at present. The population comes to 30 million people, with a mobile penetration level of 27 per cent.

Other Orange subsidiaries in Africa are Egypt (Mobinil), Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Cameroon, Madagascar, Botswana, Mauritius (Cellplus), Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Bissau, Kenya and Niger. Globally, Orange has a customer base of 123 million subscribers.

Orange Uganda guns for Q1 launch

FT hands Hits Telecom Uganda a ‘get-out-of-jail’ card

Qtel Group has announced a record annual net profit of QR2.277 billion (US$625 million) for the full year 2008, a 36 per cent increase from a year earlier. The net profit came on the back of consolidated revenues of QR20.319 billion, a 93 per cent increase from 2007.

CEO Nasser Marafih says the Qtel Group focussed on extending reach during 2008, with a strong emphasis on improving profitability

Qtel Group customers numbered 57.5 million across 17 countries at the end of 2008, up 253 per cent from the end of 2007 when the group counted 16.3 million. The huge growth in subscribers is mainly attributable to the acquisition of Indonesia’s Indosat, which accounts for 37 million subscribers.

Qatar, Indonesia, Kuwait, Iraq and Algeria now represent the group’s five largest markets by revenue, contributing 27, 21, 15, 14 and nine per cent respectively.

The operator’s home market of Qatar continued to perform strongly with an active subscriber base of 1.9 million customers, and revenues of QR5.4 billion. Operating under the Asiacell brand in Iraq, Qtel’s subscribers grew 42 per cent to 6.1 million, while Nawras in Oman commands 47 per cent market share with 1.5 million active customers.

Regarding Q408 results, Qtel Group posted a net profit of QR446 million, representing a growth rate of 19 per cent from QR375 million in Q407, while revenues grew 74 per cent to QR6.045 billion.

As a result of the company’s solid results, the board has recommended a 100 per cent cash dividend to be distributed to shareholders, worth QR10.

“One of our most significant achievements in 2008 was that even as we extended our regional reach, we continued to enhance our profitability… It is particularly pleasing to see that this continued, strong growth has come from both the traditional and newer parts of the Qtel family. Our operations here at home in Qatar have continued to deliver solid growth in 2008, and we enter 2009 confident in our position as competition comes on-stream,” stated CEO of Qtel Group, Nasser Marafih.

“Furthermore, our operations in Indonesia, which are the newest additions to our group, have further consolidated their already strong position. Indosat now commands 28.7 percent of Indonesia’s mobile market: A market that holds great potential for future growth,” Marafih added.