MTN Zambia becomes first operator in Africa to deploy Instavoice ReachMe app
06 March 2019
The app allows customers to use their existingMTN Zambia number anywhere in the world. Even where the operator has no roaming partners
MTN Zambia has become the first operator in Africa to offer a new roaming service for customers travelling outside Zambia, which makes a “drastic” reduction in the cost of making and receiving calls overseas.
The Instavoice ReachMe app, from voice messaging and social media mobile apps specialist Kirusa, also allows customers to use their existing MTN Zambia number anywhere in the world, even where the operator has no roaming partners.
It works by converting regular phone calls into Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, which allows users to make or receive such calls within the app.
This means the user does not suffer when roaming, is out of network coverage or the device is on flight mode but without an active data connection.
It could be data from a sim card, roaming data or a Wi-Fi network.
Furthermore, there will be an opportunity to purchase virtual numbers for the US, UK, Canada and France for $1 a month.
Find out more FNB makes customer data promise
06 March 2019
FNB said customers who use FNB Connect will now benefit from data rollover changes and the ability to transfer mobile data, the company announced.
The company said its mobile virtual network operator would align with new regulations from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) for mobile operators, which came into effect 28th February.
ICAS’s regulations also call for data depletion notifications and out-of-bundle data usage by default prevention.
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Orange launches ‘Sanza’ smartphone across Africa
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05 March 2019
The new smartphone from Orange comes with the UNISOC SC7731EF processor and is powered by the KaiOS operating system.
Orange said it has democratised access to the internet for a large number of Africans with the launch of a $20 USD voice recognition smartphone called “Sanza”.
The device, which will be made available in 15 African countries from April this year – as well as in the Middle East.
Alioune Ndiaye, managing director of Orange MENA, said the launch of Sanza was a major step toward giving a larger number of Africans access to the internet because the smartphone was affordable.
“Sanza is concrete proof of the capacity of Orange to be a key player of digital inclusion in Africa and the Middle-East” he said. ”With its access to internet with the voice (recognition) and its attractive price around $20 USD I have the conviction that this 3G phone and soon 4G is a powerful lever to develop access to internet for all Africa.”
The smartphone penetration rate in Africa is low because of price, which has made the devices unaffordable for low-income earners that make up the majority of the continent’s population.
Regional connections and usage will continue to boom
21 May 2018
Mobile penetration in East Africa as at 4Q17. (1) Eritrea; (2) Djibouti; (3) Ethiopia; (4) South Sudan; (5) Uganda; (6) Kenya; (7) Rwanda; (8) Burundi; (9) Tanzania. SOURCE: OVUM FORECASTER
East Africa will have 186m mobile broadband connections by 2022, according to Ovum.
In a report published in mid-May, the analyst said mobile data will be the key growth driver for the East African telecoms market in the next five years to 2022.
The forecast for mobile broadband (MBB) in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda is 112m subscriptions at end-2022, while the forecast for MBB in all nine East Africa countries is 186m subscriptions at end-2022.
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