This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Daria Batrakova, Director Business Line Telecom Solutions at FNT Software

Network inventory is a pivotal tool in driving operational efficiency for telecom operators. With the ability to manage and optimize a variety of network assets, such solutions present operators with a platform to better navigate the complexities of current and future … [visit site to read more]

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Is the long-running saga of the five broken undersea cables linking Vietnam with the world now over? Regional reports suggest it may be, at least for now.

Repair efforts have apparently now finished on all five broken undersea cables linking Vietnam with the world, according to a representative of an ISP in Vietnam this week who was not identified.

The Intra-Asia (IA), SMW3, and Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) cable systems were restored in late May and September. SAAG (Asia, America Gateway), a 20,000-kilometre submarine communications cable system connecting Southeast Asia with the United States across the Pacific Ocean via Guam and Hawaii, was fixed in early November. Finally The AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Euro 1) cable, which broke down on September 27, was fully restored in late November. 

But, says news resource VietNamnNet, over the next few years the country will have at least four and as many as six new undersea cables. The Vietnam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) suggests the new cables will be available by 2030.

We reported earlier this year on the imminent arrival of two of these: SJC 2 and ADC. State-run Viettel hopes to use the ADC cable by the end of the year. Another state-owned telecommunications company, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, plans make use of the SJC 2 cable.

Last month saw FPT Telecom, a subsidiary of Financing Promoting Technology, the largest information technology service company in Vietnam, approve an investment initiative for the ALC undersea cable project.

Cable issues have been in the news for some while in Vietnam. As regular readers may be aware, four (out of five) undersea cable routes used by Vietnamese carriers were experiencing issues as long ago as January this year.

Three vendor announcements and a data center collaboration: … [visit site to read more]

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Operator Tigo Tanzania has partnered with DCB Bank to expand financial inclusion for the unbanked through a service partnership that will enable customers to access the bank’s services through mobile pyament service Tigo Pesaʼs network of mobile money agents.

DCB says it plans to leverage Tigo Pesa mobile money agents to mobilise deposits and offer customers enhanced options for fund withdrawals.

The service was, it seems, initiated in response to the challenges, including high costs and demanding management requirements, encountered by smaller and mid-tier banks when embracing the agency banking model.

DCB says it has been managing a robust agent network for more than a decade, creating livelihoods for more than 200,000 agents. Thus, this service aims to help banks improve their market presence seamlessly, without the worries of recruitment, documentation, training, POS device provisioning, and day to-day management.

It will, of course, also benefit DCB Bank and offer new opportunities for Tigo Pesa.

Tanzania’s Citizen news service quotes DCB Bankʼs Legal Manager and Company Secretary, Ms Regina Mduma, as saying that this partnership will create convenience for customers, allow the bank to provide them with a wider range of services, and make it easier for them to access their money.

To seamlessly deposit or withdraw funds from bank accounts through selected Tigo Pesa Wakalas (or agents), all customers need is a Tigo SIM.

Is this a viable future for mobile finance? It’s probably just one of many futures as the service evolves. See our new feature on the topic for more on where mobile money has been and where it’s going.

The data center space is constantly evolving, presenting frequent opportunities to leverage the cutting-edge technology that it provides the infrastructure for. Beyond any doubt, the biggest buzzwords of the last twelve months and the foreseeable future are AI and Machine Learning.  With us today is Raymond Burrell from EkkoSense, a company that aims to leverage its cloud-based data platform to turn the potential of ML and AI into operational optimization for data center operators. … [visit site to read more]