Countries in Africa in urgent need of national cyber vetting and code review

I am a huge fan of the popular TV series Border Security: Australia’s Front Line, where visitors to the country’s airports are put through their paces in a bid to prevent the importation of prohibited items.  

In much the same way border security is constantly on the lookout for prohibited imports or items that may pose a threat to the island state’s natural ecosystem, countries in Africa need to start implementing active measures to vet all digital, connected equipment being imported and utilised in-country

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Resurrecting the Decisive Dozen in tumultuous times

The Decisive Dozen list was first compiled by Comm. in 2010, and published in early 2011, with the aim of identifying the top 12 telco service provider leaders across the Middle East and Africa who had exerted the highest impact on the sector measured by their company’s activities. At the time, economies across the world were still reeling from the financial crisis of 2008, with corporate leaders needing to bring all their experience and talent to bear to navigate the challenging period.  

The effective use of innovation will be a key factor in determining the telco service provider leaders included in the Decisive Dozen list 2020

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State-sponsored hacking emerges as the new arms race

The world appears to be going through a period of rising real-world international tension, what with China and India sabre rattling over territorial claims at their shared border, and North Korea ratcheting up aggressive rhetoric against the South. Ongoing disputes continue to simmer in other regions including Syria, Yemen Hong Kong, and parts of the Middle East, though even more alarming than these infractions is the seeming rise of far less tangible though equally destructive cyber espionage.

It is no exaggeration to say that safeguarding exploding digital environments is one of the single most important undertakings of our time

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Uncertainty should compel greater investment in cyber defences not less

Perhaps the ongoing pandemic and the havoc it is wreaking across economies and societies around the world has me a little skittish, but the revelations this week that Japanese car manufacturer Honda has been hit by a cyber attack made me hope this is not a precursor to significant difficulties for yet another global brand.

Socio-economic distractions being wrought by Coronavirus are emboldening threat actors to prey on averted attention on technologies, people, and processes to exploit digital systems

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Zain and Orascom pushed out of Lebanon, at least temporarily

The government of Lebanon has resumed operational management of state-owned cellcos Alfa and touch after operating contracts held by Orascom Telecom Media and Technology (OTMT) and Zain Group, respectively, expired earlier this year.

An international tender for new contracts is set to be readied within three months, covering management and operation of the cellcos

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News

Batelco provides nationwide 5G coverage in Bahrain

Batelco has successfully activated 5G coverage across Bahrain, which is available in all four governorates, covering 95% of the nation’s population. The telco’s launch of the network makes Batelco the first operator to provide national 5G coverage in Bahrain.

Omantel extends managed services deal with Ericsson

Omantel has renewed and expanded its managed services agreement with Ericsson for a further five years, with the renewed agreement being more outcome-based and customer-centric.

MTN Group CEO opts to depart after expiry of fixed contract

South Africa-headquartered MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter will step down from his role at the end of his fixed four-year contract in March 2021, having given no explanation why he would not seek to stay on beyond that date.

Nokia CEO, Rajeev Suri to step down as vendor considers its options

Nokia CEO and president, Rajeev Suri, is set to step down from his position later this year, to be replaced by Pekka Lundmark, currently CEO and president of energy company Fortum. The move comes as Nokia struggles to keep pace with the global shift to 5G.

Batelco introduces 5G roaming with du in the UAE

Following Zain Group’s regional milestone announcement in November 2019 that its operations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had successfully launched the first 5G roaming service across the MENA region, Bahrain telco Batelco has announced partnering with the UAE’s du to deliver 5G international roaming services in the UAE.

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