14 June 2019

Kenya’s telecom service providers could be forced to break off mobile money from their core business if a new Bill is passed into law.

It follows proposals in the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2019, for a new regulatory framework for Kenyan telecommunication service providers.

The Bill would force telecom companies to split their core business from other ventures and seek regulatory approvals for each.

“A person may engage in any other business provided that such person shall; obtain the relevant licences from the respective regulators of any industry or sector ventured into; legally split or separate the telecommunication business from such other business; and provide separate accounts and reports in respect of all businesses carried out,” according to the Bill.

Under the new laws, Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya would have to separate their mobile money offering from their core telecommunication activities to create new companies with separate accounts regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya.

The Bill would also give telecom businesses six months from the date it is signed into law to effect the separation.

Tunisie Telecom and 3S to launch Tunisia’s first IoT network

Tunisie Telecom has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IT firm 3S for the launch of a LoRaWAN internet of things (IoT) national network developed by LoRa Alliance.

The two companies said the project is mainly aimed at addressing the various emergencies requiring the transmission of small quantities of long-range information with energy and cost constraints. It is also aimed at enterprises and start-ups in their IoT projects.

Mohamed Fadhel Kraiem, chief executive officer of Tunisie Telecom and Adel Dahmani, deputy managing director of 3S signed the deal in the presence of Anouar Maârouf, Tunisia’s minister of IT and digital economy.