Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | With Uganda poised to host the highly anticipated 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77 + China Third South Summits, MTN Uganda has been designated as official telecommunications operator, an acknowledgment of its multifaceted contributions to the planning and execution of the summits. MTN Uganda has …
Read More »Africell to exit Ugandan market after 7 years
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stiff competition and high indebtedness have forced Uganda’s third largest telecom service company by subscriber base, Africell, to quit the country. The company say its services will stop on October 7, this year, according to a letter circulated to its employees, who will continue to …
Read More »Mobile banking on itsknees. How safe is your Money?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | “With the advancement of information technology will come more sophisticated crime”. This and other related statements are commonly used by even those who advance the need for a digitally-led society. This, therefore, means that the advancement in IT is a necessary evil, which will …
Read More »MTN announces $1.6bn Nigeria investment
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | South African mobile giant MTN has said it will make investments worth $1.6 billion (1.45 billion euros) in Nigeria as it seeks to put a series of legal wrangles to bed. The telecommunications firm said late Wednesday that its top executives made the announcement during …
Read More »Twitter CEO account hacked, tweets by text halted
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Wednesday halted users’ ability to fire off tweets via text messages as it seeks to fix a vulnerability that led to CEO Jack Dorsey’s account being hijacked. Dorsey last week was the target of so-called “SIM swap” fraud, which enables a hacker …
Read More »British police say no crime in Huawei 5G leak
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The top-secret leak that Britain had conditionally allowed China’s Huawei to develop its 5G network, which brought down the defence minister, does not amount to a criminal offence, police concluded Saturday. Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday sacked Gavin Williamson as defence secretary over …
Read More »MTN gains 16 million clients despite scandals
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African telecommunications giant MTN on Thursday said its subscriber base grew by 16 million customers last year to 233 million, good news for the embattled mobile operator. MTN faces regulatory issues in some of the countries it operates in, including the largest, Nigeria. A …
Read More »New details on MTN deportations
Kampala expels boss of MTN’s Uganda arm, citing ‘national security’ Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Compromising national security has been cited as one of the reasons Kampala has deported the Belgian CEO of the Ugandan branch of MTN Wim Vanhelleputte. It is the fourth such expulsion targeting the South African telecoms …
Read More »France to seek tougher oversight of 5G network gear
Paris, France | AFP | France will require telecommunications companies to allow more government oversight and control of the equipment required for next-generation 5G wireless networks due to security concerns, a government official said Tuesday. The move comes as several Western nations have barred China’s Huawei from participating in contracts for …
Read More »13 Canadians held in China since arrest of Huawei executive: official
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Thirteen Canadians have been detained in China following the arrest on December 1 of a senior executive from Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei, Ottawa said Thursday, with eight subsequently released. Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Guillaume Berube confirmed the detentions to AFP, adding the figures excluded …
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