France’s Orange has signed a deal to allow tower operator IHS to oversee more than 2 000 of its towers in the West African markets of Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. Though Orange will continue to own the towers, IHS will manage them for the next 15 years.
Surplus space on the towers will also be marketed to rival mobile operators through IHS’s tower-sharing business. In a reciprocal agreement, Orange subsidiaries will gain access to available slots on towers IHS already owns in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.
South African-headquartered mobile operator MTN last October announced it would sell its towers in both countries to IHS.
IHS has committed itself to building hybrid solar/generator power sites in an attempt to cut diesel consumption at towers in the region.
Orange says the deal will improve network coverage and reliability, reduce costs and drive efficiencies.
The operator has also hinted that it might look at similar partnerships in other parts of Africa and the Middle East where it operates. Source: Telecoms.com
Zimbabwe to get LTE
Mobile operator Aquiva Wireless says it plans to invest US$80m over the next three years in rolling out a national fourth-generation long-term evolution (LTE) network in Zimbabwe.
The company expects data rather than voice to dominate the demands both consumers and businesses make on operators in the near future. It says it hopes the move will help grow Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry. Source: Bulawayo24
MTN Uganda decries price cuts
MTN Uganda CEO Mazen Moroue has spoken out against price cuts in mobile fees, saying that price war that has broken out in the East African country is harming the industry and is unhealthy for the economy.
Speaking at the MTN Uganda’s results presentation in Kampala last month, Maroue advised his counterparts not to engage in a price war because doing so limits theirr ability to invest in their networks. Source: The Monitor
M-Pesa hiccup leaves Tanzanians livid
Vodacom Tanzania’s mobile payments system, M-Pesa went offline for two days last weekend, leaving thousands of customers irate at their inability to transfer or receive payments ahead of Easter celebrations.
Vodacom claimed the issue was a “normal technical problem”, rather than due to the network being overburdened. The service is used by more 4,5m Tanzanians. Source: Mobile Money Africa
