Etisalat Group announced the promotion of Obaid Bokisha from senior VP – Mobile Networks, Etisalat Group, to his new position as chief procurement officer for the Group with immediate effect.

The appointment will support Etisalat Group’s strategic business directions for the UAE and across its 16 other markets. Bokisha will be in charge of all major contracts and agreements for the Group across all of its regional and global markets.

Bokisha has been in his previous role for the last three years, and brings with him over thirteen years of experience in the field of technology.

Meanwhile, former Group chief procurement officer, Abdulrahim Al Nooryani, has been appointed chairman and CEO of Etisalat International Pakistan.

Zimbabwe’s latest broadband Internet offering, uMAX, was launched in Harare under the umbrella of Dandemutande Investments, the holding company for Utande Internet Services, a well-known communications provider in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry.

Dandemutande Investments is majority owned by Masawara plc, a Jersey registered investment company that is primarily focused on acquiring interests in companies and projects based in Zimbabwe and the southern African region. Dandemutande Investments has made an initial capital investment of over US$17 million as part of its uMAX roll-out.

uMAX promises super-fast 1 Mbps connections for all customers; 24-hour customer support; an expertly managed network for maximum up time and superior and consistent quality; and multiple “MAX mini-stores” within some of Harare’s leading retail stores and brands.

uMAX claims to be the only broadband Internet service provider to offer a loyalty programme – MAX Rewards – for all customers.

The company offers three bundles for customers, all based on speeds of 1Mbps, with 60 days validity. These are: megaMAX with 2GB at US$70; mightyMAX with 6GB at US$140 and monsterMAX with 12GB at US$240.

uMAX indoor access devices are sold for US$200 including VAT, with the outdoor access device retailing at US$475, including installation, with the Wi-Fi router and VAT.

Dandemutande holds an Internet Access Provider ("IAP") Class A telecommunications licence that it was awarded by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) in 2009. The licence allows the company to construct, operate, develop, extend, and maintain a public data and Internet access network, and to offer Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") services.

Orange Money has passed the milestone of having four million customers or 14 per cent of its customer base in the 10 markets in Africa and the Middle East where the mobile payment service is offered. Orange Money counted one million users at the end of 2010 and nearly three million a year later. The operator added its latest two countries – Mauritius and Jordan – only recently, the latter being the first Orange Money service in the Middle East.

Orange Money is also available in Cote d’Ivoire, Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger and Senegal. In Madagascar over a third of all of Orange customers have opened an Orange Money account, while in Cote d’Ivoire daily transactions now exceed XOF 1 billion (US$1.9 million) a day. Two categories of services are growing quickly, the mobile payment of utility and other bills and bank account services. Orange intends to launch Orange Money in all of the 22 countries in which it operates across of Africa and the Middle East.

Airtel Chad has collaborated with one of the leading banks in Africa – Ecobank – to launch Airtel Money. Touted as the first mobile commerce product in the country, the service will allow subscribers to carry out financial transactions on their mobile phones and enhance the delivery of financial services at affordable costs.

The launch ceremony of the new service was held in the capital Ndjamena.

Recent studies have suggested that the total value of mobile money transfers in Africa is expected to exceed US$200 billion in 2015 due to the growing confidence of users in the system, coupled with a wide range of services on offer.

Transactions will be simple and secure. All the customer needs is a mobile phone and a personal password whenever he wants to complete a transaction. A simple registration is sufficient to register for the service. The client must be an Airtel subscriber, have a valid identification document and fill out a registration form.

Qtel Group has named Ahmed Al Derbesti as its new Group chief operating officer, who will report directly to the Group CEO.

Al Derbesti has worked with Qtel Qatar since 1985 and has held a variety of positions, including executive director, Group Strategy, taking on this key responsibility in the early days of the Group’s expansion outside of Qatar.

He has also held the positions of executive director, Customer Care; executive director, International Services; and most recently, chief officer Wholesale and International Services, with responsibility for national and international voice, data and roaming services.

As part of its growth strategy, the Qtel Group is increasing its focus on broadband solutions, business-to-business opportunities, digital futures (such as entertainment, finance and health) and fibre technologies. The operator is also driving further operational and cost efficiency, productivity, and scale benefits, while growing organisational and people capabilities.