Telecel loses half a million subscribers
16 May 2019
Telecel Zimbabwe head office, Harare, Zimbabwe
Telecel, Zimbabwe’s third largest mobile operator, has lost over half a million subscribers, according to the sector performance abridged Q4 sector report.
The company was once Zimbabwe’s second largest mobile operator, but its continued loss of subscribers and failure to match rivals’ network expansion has seen it fall to third place behind Econet Wireless and NetOne, respectively.
Find out more Botswana mobile internet subs up vs fixed internet
16 May 2019
Mobile internet subscriptions in Botswana continue to increase in comparison with fixed internet, according to new data.
Statistics Botswana attributed the growth mainly to the rate at which data bundles were being purchased for mobile internet, specifically for social media use.
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Vodacom Lesotho and Facebook form new partnership
27 March 2019
The operator hopes the partnership will help more people become “first time users of the internet” in a part of the world with limited connectivity
Vodacom Lesotho has joined forces with Facebook to launch a free connectivity service that both companies claim will enable “hundreds of thousands of Basotho” to follow news and stay connected.
Facebook Flex will allow Vodacom Lesotho customers to switch seamlessly between free and data modes, making it possible for them to chat, post, comment, like or share content for free with family and friends.
The mobile network operator said it hoped the alliance would help more people access Facebook and become “first-time users of the internet” in a part of the world with limited connectivity.
Find out more New ‘smart feature phones’ aim to address affordability issues for mobile users in Africa
27 March 2019
The new ‘smeature’ phones are said to “combine the simplicity of a feature phone with the powerful capabilities on a smartphone”
Rather than forcing people to opt for a feature phone without internet access, or a budget smartphone with limited user experience, mobile users and MNOs in Africa now have a choice.
That’s according to KaiOS which specialises in smart and feature phone operating systems. Following partnerships with MTN, China Mobile and Unisoc, and another with Orange, the company is bringing what’s claimed to be a new category of affordable mobile devices to the continent.
These so-called ‘smart feature phones’ will run KaiOS’ platform and are said to “combine the simplicity of a feature phone with the powerful capabilities of a smartphone”.
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