Industry News

Vodafone Ghana Foundation, on the eve of Ghana’s 62nd Independence Anniversary, settled debts of 108 detained patients, totaling GH¢250,000.00, at health facilities across the country.

The initiative was part of Vodafone Ghana Foundation’s way of celebrating the independence with the citizenry.

Detained patients at various regional hospitals including the maternity and surgery departments benefitted from the package.

Patients supported included pregnant women who had delivered for months and were detained due to their inability to settle their bills and accident victims who had undergone intensive and costly surgery but were not able to pay their bills.

Mr Gayheart Mensah, the Director of External Affairs and Corporate Security at Vodafone Ghana, said the company was not only concerned with yielding profits but sensitive to the needs, anxiety and aspirations of the citizenry.

He said it was for this reason that it allocated GH¢250,000.00 to put smiles on the faces of the detained patients to give them back their freedom, as the nation celebrates her 62nd Independence.

“Independence is all about enjoying freedom,” he said.

Mr Mensah noted that the gesture was also to support the Government in the efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of providing universal access to basic health.

Mrs Gladys Addo, a Principal Nursing Officer (PNO) and the In-Charge of the first floor of the Maternity Ward at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, expressed gratitude to Vodafone Ghana for the kind gesture.

She said the inability of many patients to settle their bills after receiving medical care had been a big challenge to the Hospital, as it lost huge sums of money.

She added that it was also disadvantageous to new patients who were admitted in terms of accommodation.

Other beneficiary patients, she said, were those who had sustained brain injury, and had undergone spinal and other fractured bone surgeries.

Ms Emelia Okai, a PNO of the Department of Surgery at the KBTH, said: “Vodafone has taught us that they don’t only take our money but extend their hands to make sure patients get well.”

She urged other institutions that undertake benevolent activities to consider the health sector and go to their aid.

Ms Lydia Tiwaa, a 20-year-old nursing mother and a beneficiary of the support, thanked Vodafone for releasing them as life at the Hospital was challenging.

She said she suffered from obstetric fistula after delivery, bringing her bill to GH¢4,700.00 including drugs, which her family could not pay.

Source: GNA

MTN Group increased its subscriber base by 16 million in 2018 to 233 million customers across 21 markets in Africa and the Middle East. The number of active data users increased by 10 million to 79 million, and the active mobile money subscriber base rose to 27 million. This strong commercial momentum drove a 10.7 percent constant currency increase in service revenue to ZAR 125.4 billion, the company said. The group said it met all its medium-term targets, reducing its holding company leverage and accelerating service revenue growth, driven by the implementation of its BRIGHT strategy. It also announced plans for asset disposals and raised its target for service revenue growth in the coming years.

EBITDA rose more than 15 percent, and the margin improved to 35.9 percent from 35.4 percent, thanks to underlying improvement in South Africa and Nigeria. Reported headline earnings per share (HEPS) increased to 337 cents from 182 cents in 2017. Adjusting for one-off items, HEPS would have been ZAR 5.65 per share. A final dividend of ZAR 3.25 was declared, down from ZAR 4.50 a year earlier, as expected.

Asset sales
MTN said it conducted an extensive review of its portfolio to reduce risk, improve returns and simplify MTN. This review covered not only its subsidiary companies but also its associates and its investments in e-commerce investments and tower companies. The group has ZAR 40 billion tied up in the value of the e-commerce and tower company investments and announced that they are not viewed as long-term strategic assets of the group and will be monetised over time. The group has committed in the portfolio review to realise more than ZAR 15 billion over the next three years, excluding any proceeds from its ZAR 23 billion position in towers group IHS.

The operator also announced that it would be disposing of its 53 percent stake in Botswana operator Mascom for USD 300 million, equal to 6.1x EBITDA. The other shareholder in Mascom, Econet Wireless will acquire the stake. The lack of control of the operator and MTN branding meant that the group is not able to execute on its BRIGHT strategy there.

MTN also confirmed plans to list MTN Nigeria on the stock market in the first half of the year. This will first be a listing by introduction followed later by a public offering. Over time, local ownership of the company is expected to grow to 35 percent.

Improved targets
MTN’s leverage came down to 2.3 times at end-2018 from 2.9 times in June and within the target range of 2.0-2.5x. The group’s overall gearing moderated to 1.3x.

MTN said it overcame several regulatory headwinds in 2018, the most material of which was the Central Bank of Nigeria dispute on historical dividend repatriations. This was resolved and MTN announced in December 2018 that an agreement to implement a notional reversal of the 2008 private placement and consequently made a resolution payment of USD 53 million.

The group said it is committed to further enhancing its risk management and stakeholder management processes. Considering the improved performance in 2018 and its growth plans, MTN revised its mid-term guidance upwards, targeting double-digit growth in service revenue at constant currencies rather than upper-single-digit growth. This is driven by double-digit growth from MTN Nigeria and mid-single-digit. MTN also aims to continue to expand the EBITDA margin in the next 3-5 years.

The improving revenue growth, margins and capex intensity are anticipated to drive significant improvements in group returns. MTN expects the adjusted ROE to improve from 11.5 percent in 2018 to over 20 percent over the medium term. While the board remains committed to growth of 10-20 percent in the dividend going forward, MTN said this is likely to be towards the lower end of the range in 2019.

Source: Telecompaper.com

On a journey to catalyze innovation and fast-track growth for businesses, AirtelTigo Business has rolled out “Flexi Business”, a tailor-made mobile solution for small and medium enterprises and corporate firms to meet their specific needs to grow and be profitable.

The product, which is first of its kind in the country’s telecommunications industry, allows SMEs and corporate firms to customize their package based on their needs.

Under this package, businesses enjoy value for money as the product has no expiry on data for SMEs and also gives an unlimited on-net call to corporate customers.

Additionally, SMEs and corporate firms will get 40 percent more data and 30 percent more on voice calls. Once a company signs on to the package, the company can pay all its employees through AirtelTigo Money for free.

Explaining further on the rationale behind “Flexi business”, the Chief Business Officer at AirtelTigo, Ms. Ethel Anamoo, said: “I’m really proud that we have developed this solution for businesses. It truly demonstrates our commitment to make businesses simple. With experience and rich understanding in this market, we believe that communication solutions for businesses, particularly small, medium and enterprises should be affordable. We also believe in offering innovative solutions with value to our clients.”

She noted that SMEs are playing a key role in fostering new ideas in the country and they need communication solutions that supports their growth. “In this market, we are the most trusted partner to businesses because we are offering value-for-money, integrated solutions and superior customer service.”

Commenting on the era of technology and business, Ms Anamoo stated that: “Technology is now a big driver for business efficiency and growth. Therefore, at AirtelTigo Business, we believe in helping small and large businesses to evolve with innovative technology solutions. Ultimately, our aim is to make businesses simple.”

Source: airteltigo.com.gh

MTN and Ericsson have signed a five-year contract extension to deploy new products and provide Managed Services for Mobile Money services in 13 countries across Africa and the Middle East. The new contract includes deployment of Ericsson Wallet Platform in new markets on top of existing 13 countries.

The deployment of Ericsson’s Wallet Platform will bring mobile financial services to MTN customers.
The strategic partnership between MTN and Ericsson will introduce Ericsson Wallet Platform across the operator’s footprint. MTN Group has Wallet Platform subscribers in 13 countries in Africa. Ericsson is providing MTN with an m-commerce solution that includes Ericsson Wallet Platform, systems integration, operational support and solution development.

MTN Group Executive for Mobile Financial Services, Serigne Dioum says, “A stable, secure and reliable platform is one of the fundamentals to building successful mobile financial services. Through this partnership, we look forward to working with Ericsson to further enhance our value proposition and expand our ecosystem.”

The five-year revenue sharing extended agreement includes a host of digital payment and transactional capabilities in line with MTN’s vision.

Ericsson Wallet Platform allows users to store, transfer and withdraw money, paying merchants and utility providers as well as using financial services like savings and loans.

Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Ericsson Middle East & Africa says, “This breakthrough deployment is yet another example of MTN’s ongoing commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. Ericsson Wallet Platform helps MTN offer the convenience of m-wallet financial services across its entire subscriber base.”

Part of the Ericsson Digital BSS portfolio, Ericsson Wallet Platform is an integrated mobile wallet solution that combines Ericsson Wallet Platform and Ericsson Charging. It also allows mobile operators to reuse existing assets and bundle telecom offerings with financial services to create a complete end-user solution for m-commerce needs.

Social media platforms aren’t living up to voluntary code of conduct, commissioner says.

Last October, in an attempt to fend off additional regulation, advertising trade organizations and major Internet platform providers—including Google, Facebook, and Twitter—signed off on a voluntary code of conduct aimed at reducing the threat posed by fraudulently purchased political advertisements and the posting of “fake news” articles. But a report released by the European Commission today called the social media platforms to task for not living up to those voluntary measures to help protect upcoming elections across Europe in the next few months—and particularly the European Parliament elections in May.

In a joint statement issued by the European Commission, Vice President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip; Commissioner for Justice, Consumers, and Gender Equality Věra Jourová; Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King; and Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel wrote:

“We need to see more progress on the commitments made by online platforms to fight disinformation. Platforms have not provided enough details showing that new policies and tools are being deployed in a timely manner and with sufficient resources across all EU Member States. The reports provide too little information on the actual results of the measures already taken.

Finally, the platforms have failed to identify specific benchmarks that would enable the tracking and measurement of progress in the EU. The quality of the information provided varies from one signatory of the Code to another depending on the commitment areas covered by each report. This clearly shows that there is room for improvement for all signatories… We urge Facebook, Google and Twitter to do more across all Member States to help ensure the integrity of the European Parliament elections in May 2019. We also encourage platforms to strengthen their cooperation with fact-checkers and academic researchers to detect disinformation campaigns and make fact-checked content more visible and widespread”.

The EC report specifically called out each of the major social media platforms for specific failures. Facebook was cited for not providing details of its efforts to scrutinize political advertisement placement, which the company said it began in January. Facebook had also promised a Europe-wide archive for political and issue advertising, to be available by March 2019. And while Facebook’s reports to the EC thus far have given details on “cases of interference from third countries in EU Member States,” the commissioners said, it does not provide the number of fake accounts removed due to “malicious activities targeting specifically the European Union.”
Google’s reporting to the EC detailed actions the company had taken to improve its oversight of advertisements targeting citizens of EU countries, but the commissioners found fault in how Google measured its result. “The metrics supplied are not specific enough and do not clarify the extent to which the actions were taken to address disinformation or for other reasons (e.g. misleading advertising),” according to a summary of the report published by the EC. And while Google issued a new election advertising policy in January that includes the creation of a transparency report, the company did not provide any evidence that it had done anything concrete to implement “integrity of services” policies in its January report to the EC.

For its part, Twitter did’t even provide a report to the EC in January—the company announced the expansion of its political advertising transparency report to Europe on February 19. Twitter did release five new data sets of what it called state-backed information campaigns, including collections of posts from accounts connected to campaigns by Russia, Iran, Bangladesh, and Venezuela, which are publicly downloadable. But Twitter did not give any details on how it was measuring progress on spotting such activity.

The commissioners plan on pushing for full compliance with the voluntary rules by before the May 2019 European Parliament elections and continuously monitoring the results of the platform vendors’ actions through the end of the year. “By the end of 2019, the Commission will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the Code’s initial 12-month period,” the commissioners’ statement noted. “Should the results prove unsatisfactory, the Commission may propose further actions, including of a regulatory nature.”

Source: arstechnica.com

This year’s Mobile World Congress Barcelona is a wrap, and organizer GSMA is celebrating a very successful event.

The mobile alliance says that MWC19 Barcelona saw 109,000 visitors from all over the world, with 55 percent of attendees being senior-level executives and 7,900 being CEOs. The event also attracted 3,640 media and industry analysts, and is estimated to have contributed €473 million to the local economy.

Commenting on the successful event, GSMA CEO John Hoffman emphasized the prominence of 5G technology at this year’s flagship MWC. “With the theme of ‘Intelligent Connectivity’, 5G was prominent at MWC19 and it was exciting to see a glimpse of that new world, with 5G-enabled handsets launched, new products and services, and even the first demonstration of live tele-monitored surgery over 5G technology,” he said, adding, “The mobile industry continues to make strong progress with 5G and MWC Barcelona continues to showcase the best and most creative elements of our connected world.”

Of course, other major tech trends in the mobile world shared the spotlight, too, with artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, VR/AR, and biometrics generating a lot of buzz. The latter, in fact, was more prominent than ever, with organizers having implemented a new biometric access system that allowed visitors to register to gain entry to the MWC venue with a face scan, instead of having to show ID or badges. Biometrics have become integral in mobile technologies over the last few years, and this new ‘BREEZ’ system offered the latest indication of just how prominent biometric tech is in the mobile world.

Source: mobileidworld

As the European Parliament election inch closer, the European Commission has claimed Facebook is withholding key data on its efforts towards how the platform is rooting out the spread of poll-related disinformation.

According to a report in The Guardian on Thursday, the European Commission has complained that Facebook has set up fact checkers only in eight of the European Union’s (EU) 28 member states.

“Mark Zuckerberg’s company has been under fire from the European Commission for failing to provide it with the hard numbers to prove that it was living up to promises made in a voluntary code of conduct,” said the report.

“Facebook has again failed to provide all necessary information, including any data on its actions in January on scrutiny of ad placements or efforts to disrupt advertising and monetisation incentives for those behind disinformation,” the report said, quoting EU’s security commissioner Sir Julian King and digital economy commissioner, Mariya Gabriel.

The commission, however, said Google has fared slightly better on sharing information on election-related misinformation.

The next elections to the European Parliament are expected to be held in May. A total of 751 members of the European Parliament currently represent more than 512 million people from 28 member states.

Facebook in January said it is committed to setting a high standard for transparency when it comes to political advertising on Facebook in EU. “To run electoral ads or ads about highly debated and important issues related to the European Parliament Elections, advertisers will be required to confirm their identity and include additional information about who is responsible for their ads,” Anika Geisel, Public Policy Elections, Europe said in a blog post.
Facebook said it was planning to set up new operation centres, focused on election integrity, including one in Dublin.

“Working together with our teams in our Menlo Park headquarters and across Europe, the new initiative will serve as an added layer of defence against false news and misinformation, hate speech, voter suppression and election interference,” said Facebook

Source: Economic Times

The Global System for Mobile Communication Association (GSMA) has stressed the need for a regulatory framework in telecommunications that will drive the global digital transformation agenda.

Director General of the GSMA, Mats Granryd, who made the call at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, proposed a regulatory framework to boost security and bring to fruition, an era of intelligent connectivity, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of a common digital transformation agenda.

According to him, the move would help to build a better future by demonstrating leadership in security and trust.
“The GSMA is working on behalf of our members to unite the broader digital ecosystem behind a common vision, namely to act ethically in the digital economy. The security of financial transactions is critical to consumer trust.
“When you can trust someone with your money, you can trust them with pretty much anything.”

Meanwhile, the European Commission (EU) has vowed to ensure swift resolution of 5G security issue across globe. European Commissioner for digital economy and society, Mariya Gabriel sought to diffuse what she described as mobile industry unrest on the 5G network security issue, stating her organisation was working to bring a solution to the table very soon.

Speaking at the MWC in Spain, Gabriel acknowledged concerns raised by the mobile industry on potential legislation related national security and 5G rollout.

“I am well aware of the unrest among all of you key actors in the telecommunications sector caused by the ongoing discussions on the cybersecurity of 5G, but let me reassure you that the Commission takes your view very seriously, because you need to run these systems every day,” Gabriel said.

Outside of the security debate, Gabriel praised the status of 5G development and rollout across the European Union, adding the Commission aimed to be at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development.

On the issue of regulatory framework for digital agenda, Granryd said: “If the mobile and tech industries take the lead on this, we will be able to bring other industries and governments with us.”

The regulatory framework, Granryd explained, “must be fit for the digital age, with key objectives such as the need for various governments to support the initiative without killing the long-term opportunity by short-term greediness.”

“Next, is the approval for consolidation to drive investment while maintaining effective competition, and thirdly, we need to see the same rules for equivalent digital services, with an even playing field for operators and internet players; and lastly, we must have harmonised international privacy and data protection rules,” he added.

“The framework is something we at the GSMA will be working hard on behalf of the generality of the public to secure,” Granryd said, adding that the organisation stood ready to work with governments and regulators of various countries to put any of such concerns to rest.

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MTN Ghana is organising the Independence Day edition of the MTN Music Festival on 05 March, which will feature Ghanaian music and culture. “The MTN Music Festival is geared towards celebrating our evergreen Ghanaian music and culture”.

“This is one of the best treats we can give our customers on the eve of Ghana’s independence anniversary celebrations”, Noel Ganson, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana said. Artistes billed to perform on the night are Daddy Lumba supported by musician Ofori Amponsah and vocalist Efya.

The Music Festival includes dance and poetry, too. The event is one of several platforms that MTN Ghana uses to support and promote the creative arts industry. Its other platforms include the MTN Hitmaker and MTN Regional festivals. The recent partnership between MTN and Aftown supports listening, streaming and monetising of local music in the digital age.

Source: Telecompaper

The telecoms industry is acutely aware of the need to ensure that ever-more complex mobile networks are safe, the head of its main lobby group said , as debate swirls over whether to bar some equipment vendors on national security grounds.