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New PoPs, new fiber buildouts, new vendor deployments, and some hybrid 5G: … [visit site to read more]
Mobile money growth continues across Africa. Two recent announcements, from IDT Corporation, a global fintech company, and from TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company partnering with operator Safaricom, are the latest example of companies targeting consumers in Africa – and notably the remittance market.
IDT Corporation has announced the expansion of its BOSS Money app into Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The BOSS Money app now enables app users to send, receive, carry, and exchange money in multiple local currencies across Francophone Africa. The app also enables direct receipt of BOSS Money remittances within minutes from friends and family in the US.
IDT says the BOSS Money app aims to redefine the financial transaction landscape for individuals and small businesses in Francophone Africa, offering innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of the local communities.
Meanwhile, TerraPay and Safaricom plan to facilitate instant borderless payments. The partnership, through TerraPay’s group company Mobex (Kenya), a licensed money remittance provider, will enable more than 30 million M-Pesa mobile wallet holders in Kenya to send real-time payments through TerraPay’s interoperable network across all wallets in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Roll-out of the service in India and Nepal is expected in a few months.
Speaking about this new partnership, Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO, TerraPay says: « We believe this breakthrough collaboration with Safaricom will spur a world of new possibilities for mobile financial service operators to directly scale globally and provide customers with a choice to send payments in a secure, transparent and swift manner.”
He adds: “Our partnership with Safaricom will further boost our capabilities in providing an inclusive global financial ecosystem powered by our agile payments infrastructure and empower Safaricom customers with fast and affordable borderless payment options and access to TerraPay’s widespread partner network of more than 7.5 billion bank accounts and more than 2.1 billion mobile wallets. »
Today, Verizon Business has announced the launch of its new eSIM-based IoT platform, dubbed Verizon Global IoT Orchestration.
The platform will enable devices to switch connection seamlessly between Verizon’s carrier partners’ networks using an eSIM profile, allowing them to operate as a native network subscribers within that partner’s footprint.
In this way, IoT devices will be less reliant on roaming agreements to function effectively, with eSIM allowing for more streamlined connectivity and management.
The new platform will incorporate Verizon’s existing IoT management platform, Verizon ThingSpace IoT, which reportedly already manages millions of IoT devices.
Global IoT Orchestration is today launching with two strategic partners in Bell Canada and Norwegian multinational carrier Telenor, allow customers to receive eSIM connectivity in the US, Canada, and various countries in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.
Additional partners are expected to be announced by the end of the year, with Verizon suggesting it would ultimately like 30 carriers to sign up to use the platform, covering a targeted 200 countries and regions.
“The move toward global IoT reflects the reality of doing business in the massive IoT era. The number of IoT devices is expanding rapidly and fleets are fanning outward, so our customers need flexible, reliable connectivity that moves across borders,” said Debika Bhattacharya, Chief Product Officer at Verizon Business. “With our partners Bell Canada, Telenor, and more to come, Verizon Global IoT Orchestration will be able to provide that — a globe-spanning footprint with seamless eSIM IoT connectivity.”
Discussing the benefits of this eSIM approach over traditional IoT roaming, Shamik Basu, executive director of IoT and edge product for Verizon Business noted that it allowed devices entering a market to be considered “a local rather than a visitor”. This allows devices to operate without certain limitations that can be imposed on roaming devices, such as latency levels, as well as providing as regulatory compliance.
How is the rise of the IoT creating opportunities for businesses across the US? Join the digital ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Connected America
Also in the news:
EU and Japan sign deals for subsea cables and semiconductors
Home Office lambasted over Emergency Services Network delays
Ofcom probes VMO2 as customers complain about contract cancellation
Four interesting infrastructure items of regional interest to keep up with: … [visit site to read more]
What do you get when you pair an edge data center platform with a cable operator’s depth? Well, we may find out before long as Vapor IO and Comcast are teaming up in two major metro areas to demonstrate the possibilities. … [visit site to read more]
Tonomus, the first subsidiary of Neom, a region in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea coast described as ‘building a future fuelled by the power of cognitive technology’, has announced the opening of its first digital communications facility.
Tonomus says its mission is to transform the way we live through predictive, personalised and autonomous solutions enabled by unrivalled connectivity and next-generation technologies.
The TONOMUS.NEOM Telecommunications Centre contains a high-capacity, highly efficient data centre and associated infrastructure to enhance the availability, resilience and growth of 5G, satellite and fibre cable network connectivity, and enable the provision of secure private cloud services in the Neom region.
On-site offices and facilities within the centre will support day-to-day operations and collaboration with telecommunications industry partners.
The centre is described as a key upgrade to Neom’s existing ICT infrastructure that will, it is claimed, offer some of the highest and most reliable network speeds anywhere in the world.
Strategically located in Oxagon, a city that will be home to advanced and clean industries in Neom, it will provide consistent bandwidth for secure information sharing and fast decision-making, supporting the demands of construction across the Neom region, keeping a growing number of residents and businesses connected securely and without interruption, and driving down operating costs.
The centre will power a software-driven network and secure private cloud that is projected to service up to 60 locations, some 1,800 structures, approximately 300,000 construction staff needed at Neom by 2025 and 200 million IoT devices by 2030. It will also interface with key existing and future national and international digital networks and services to offer a seamless experience to end users.
The facility site spans an area of 18,000 square metres, with a two-floor office building hosting 150 personnel. It will also serve as a hub for ongoing collaboration with telecommunications solution providers and technology partners.
Of course, the eventual demand for these services depends on funding for Neom itself. The region, which, it is said, will be 33 times the size of New York City once the project is finalised, is still in the early stages of its development. News service Middle East Eye says there has also been controversy about forcible displacement of local people.
Today, the UK government has unveiled fourteen chief executives that will form a new business council set to advise the Prime Minister on economic policy.
The group comprises the CEOs of AstraZeneca, NatWest Group, BAE, SSE, Google DeepMind, Sainsbury’s, Vodafone, GSK, Aviva, Shell, Sage, Taylor Wimpey, Diageo, and Barclays.
Together, they represent many of the UK’s largest industries, including banking, pharmaceuticals, retail, construction, energy, tech, insurance, telecoms, and defence.
Unsurprisingly, these companies are also some of the UK’s most valuable; nine of the companies represented are in the UK’s top 30 listed businesses, with only the relative newcomer, AI specialist Google DeepMind, not being featured on the FTSE 100.
Combined, the fourteen companies reportedly employ around 330,000 people in the UK.
“I look forward to hearing first-hand from business leaders about how we can break down the barriers they face and unlock new opportunities for them to thrive,” said PM Rishi Sunak. “The more businesses innovate and invest, the more we grow and create good jobs across the country.”
The business council will reportedly convene twice a year and will be refreshed at the end of 2023.
Today’s meeting will reportedly focus on the economic climate, inflation, skill shortages, and the ongoing impacts of Brexit.
As far as all this relates to the telecoms sector, the inclusion of new CEO of Vodafone Group, Margherita Della Valle, is noteworthy.
Della Valle was made permanent CEO of Vodafone back in April, having held the position on an interim basis since the end of 2022. Since the resignation of previous CEO Nick Read at the end of last year, she has been outlining plans to turn around the company’s dwindling fortunes, declaring its most recent financial results “not good enough”.
The company currently has plans to cut around 11,000 jobs across Europe over the next three years, including a significant number at the company’s UK headquarters, as well as streamlining operations across its portfolio.
Perhaps most notably, the company is in the process of merging its UK operations with those of CK Hutchison’s Three UK. The £15 billion deal would create a telecoms powerhouse with the scale to threaten the hegemony of BT, potentially making Vodafone the most powerful player in the UK market.
The deal is still awaiting the results of regulatory scrutiny.
“I am pleased to be joining the Business Council, an important forum to promote and support the global competitiveness of the UK. We have a vital part to play in the UK’s future, as our national communications infrastructure can help drive innovation and economic growth,” said Della Valle.
Aside from Vodafone, the other natural fit for a telecoms representative on this council would be Philip Jansen, the CEO of BT. As head of the largest UK telco, as well as one of the country’s largest employers in the country, Jansen would seem ideally placed to help steer the PM on the UK economy’s digitalisation.
However, just last week it was announced that Jansen is seeking to step down from the role of CEO over the next year, with analysts suggesting he had been on “shaky ground” for time due to the company’s disappointing results.
Shares in BT have fallen around 45% during Jansen’s four-year tenure.
Finally, it is also worth quickly noting here the lack of representation of SMEs on this business council. There are reportedly, 5.5 million SMEs in the UK, representing 99.9% of UK private sector businesses, yet none of these
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), one of the largest lobbying groups in the country, which represents around 160,000 SMEs, has been quick to criticise the composition of the business council, calling it full of “corporate bigwigs” and “suits”.
How much of a key role does the telcoms play in growing the UK’s economy? Join the ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Connected Britain conference, the UK’s largest digital economy event
Also in the news:
EU and Japan sign deals for subsea cables and semiconductors
Home Office lambasted over Emergency Services Network delays
Ofcom probes VMO2 as customers complain about contract cancellation
Some FTTH, managed services, and some data center M&A: … [visit site to read more]
Latin America and Caribbean-focused multilateral development bank IDB Invest says it has closed a standby letter of credit for about US$47.5 million to service provider Colombia Móvil (aka Tigo) to support the expansion and upgrade of telecommunications infrastructure in small municipalities in Colombia.
The project, says IDB, will provide mobile broadband to 915 rural areas that are currently without coverage, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of digital connectivity and helping to close the rural-urban access gap.
The project will help improve mobile services, specifically by aiding the transition from basic 3G to 4G LTE broadband in 340 municipalities. This will allow retail and corporate customers to benefit from high-speed data connectivity, in turn facilitating access to digital services, such as e-health, online education, telework and financial services.
IDB Invest says it is also providing advisory services to support the digitalisation of small, rural and agricultural businesses in Caquetá, in the Amazon region. This, says IDB Invest, will improve their productivity, their conservation efforts and the sustainable use of ecosystems.
Two local community groups that work in sustainable agricultural processes led by young farmers are already receiving training on how to use digital tools to improve their service offering.
This is not the first time IDB Invest has put money into upgrading Colombian telecommunications. As we reported at the time, in January last year, IDB Invest offered financial support to Tigo for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure in 177 localities that did not have access to mobile broadband.
IDB Invest says it is committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. It adds that it has a portfolio of US$16.33 billion in assets under management and 394 clients in 25 countries.
