Three Zambian mobile operators, MTN Zambia, Airtel Networks Zambia and Zamtel, have reportedly set up an industry lobby group called The Global System for Mobile Association of Zambia (GSMAZ).

its aim is to influence the efficient development and sustained growth of a strong and vibrant mobile telecommunications sector in Zambia. Digital inclusion, it points out, will promote infrastructure and economic growth, boost employment and productivity across the country, and enhance access to essential services like healthcare and education.

MTN Zambia chief executive officer and current GSMAZ chairperson Bart Hofker said at the launch that the formation of the GSMAZ will promote effective cooperation and partnership among operators and various stakeholders.

Meanwhile Airtel Zambia managing director Apoorva Mehrotra pointed out that a siloed, ‘competitive’ approach among operators is giving way to a more collaborative approach to advance industry concerns and to elevate the profile of mobile telecommunications in Zambia.

The GSMAZ says it will collaborate with regulator ZICTA, local government and other organizations to promote policies that encourage the growth of the digital economy.

But for how much longer will Zamtel be in a healthy enough state to be part of this group? Recent reports indicate that the country’s president, Hakainde Hichilema, has appointed a working group to determine the future of the state-run, financially troubled operator.

This working group will, according to ITWeb Africa, investigate the viability of the company and suggest appropriate action to save it. While there is little other detail, this is encouraging news for an operator that reportedly needs a recapitalisation of some US$265 million in order to survive, and has no funds with which to modernise or even maintain its current infrastructure.

For the moment then, it seems that a sale is not likely. Given its debts, however, a convincing rescue plan for Zamtel still seems a long way off.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Todd Kiehn, SVP Global Product Management, GTT

When the world hit pause during the pandemic, home offices, remote work, and the adoption of cloud-based business applications created new avenues of attack for cybercriminals. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, malware, ransomware, and other criminal and disruptive activity surged … [visit site to read more]

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.

One M&A, one expansion, one new tenant, and one vendor win: … [visit site to read more]

State-owned Indian operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is apparently planning to sell 10,000 of its 68,000 towers with an estimated value of 4,000 crore (about US$501 million).

The sale will help it to meet targets laid out as part of what is called its national monetisation pipeline (NMP). KPMG is expected to have a role as financial advisor ahead of the sale.

BSNL provides telecom services in every part of the country except Mumbai and Delhi where another state-run company, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), operates.

According to India’s Economic Times, BSNL is only selling towers that have co-location arrangements with third party telecom service providers such as Reliance Jio and Airtel. Nearly 70% of BSNL’s towers are fiberised and ready for deployment for 4G and 5G services, making them appealing to potential buyers.

Although it has not been specifically stated, tower infrastructure sharing or leaseback would be the likeliest way for BSNL to continue offering services without having to manage so much passive infrastructure. In any case, as part of NMP targets, BSNL has to sell 13,567 towers by financial year 2025 and MTNL has to sell 1,350 towers.

The context for this activity is an attempt to revive the fortunes of the loss-making BSNL. This includes a recent massive infusion of government money into BSNL and a planned merger of BSNL with special purpose vehicle Bharat Broadband Network to boost rural connectivity and increase broadband penetration.

However, most of the money given to BSNL appears to be directed at 4G service provision. The government has insisted that BSNL uses made in India 4G and 5G, which potentially puts it at a disadvantage compared to major private operators. As does the 4G timescale: a pan-India 4G rollout by BSNL is still at least 18 months away.

The long-awaited launch of services by Ethiopia’s new mobile operator Safaricom Ethiopia is due to take place this month. Meanwhile, state-owned incumbent operator Ethio Telecom is continuing to upgrade its offering. The latest improvement involves a new fraud management system to replace the operator’s legacy system.

In this case it’s Indian company Subex, which describes itself as a pioneer in driving AI-led digital trust, that has been selected by Ethio Telecom to deploy a fraud management solution built on Subex’s AI orchestration platform, HyperSense.

This new solution will replace Ethio Telecom’s existing legacy fraud management system, enabling the company, Subex says, to move from a traditional rules-based approach to an AI-first approach. This approach will, in turn, enable the operator to detect new and unknown threats in real time.

The Subex system, which leverages AI in every step of the fraud management process, will allow Ethio Telecom to bring in enhanced accuracy, coverage and time-to-detect. These capabilities will, in turn, enable the operator to adopt a proactive approach to combatting risks such as SIM box, spoofing, SMS frauds, roaming frauds, subscription frauds, device frauds, mobile money risk and credit risk management. Ethio Telecom has already deployed a business assurance system from Subex, so will now be able to consolidate its revenue assurance and fraud management approach to ensure the breaking down of silos and enhance operational efficiency.

With Subex’s fraud management solution on HyperSense, Ethio Telecom will be able to improve fraud coverage across its various business lines, leverage explainable AI capabilities to enhance customer experience, and make quick, data-driven decisions with advanced visualization and dashboarding capabilities. It will also be able to cater to new business requirements thanks to the system’s scalability and elasticity, and benefit from rolling upgrades – meaning it will eliminate long and expensive upgrade cycles. Finally, says Subex, it can reduce TCO with open-source components and a low hardware footprint.

“How much is this going to cost me?” 

If telecommunications sales representatives had a dollar every time they heard that question from a lead, they would have enough money to never work again. However, it can be tricky to have a set price for solutions in the telecom industry because there is no one size fits all solution for all businesses.

A solution we have heard allows telecom resellers to ‘dodge’ costs when launching their business is free PBX softwares. Resellers believe they can avoid fees and start generating leads as soon as possible. Unfortunately, a ‘free’ PBX software can only last so long and may eventually cost you more. 

A previous blog post covered how non-paid PBX softwares are not entirely free. We discuss how once you invest in a solution, it is not easy to uproot it to another. Read how this PBX Tree Analogy is so Good, You WOOD Not Believe It and learn what we mean. (Now, are you picking up on the tree pun? 😏)

Before we get ahead of ourselves, what is a free PBX software?

FreePBX is an example of a free PBX software, “the world’s most popular open source IP PBX, gives users the tools to build a phone system tailored to their needs.” The software is free to download and equipped with all the basic elements needed to build an IP phone system. However, for additional features and functionality, users must pay. 

How is this possible? The power of non-paid PBX softwares comes from a global community of developers. They ensure the software remains highly compatible and customizable with all leading features. They say it’s scalable to build your business on a budget. But as companies begin to grow, they quickly outgrow the solution. 

Common Problems

As companies flourish, they quickly realize that they are held back by the lack of expandability of these platforms. If you are not an experienced developer, it is hard to take the open-source platform and add your own solutions. So, you are stuck waiting for the community of developers to do it for you.

Another problem we have heard users face is the support aspect. Although the solution is free, users can access support in three ways. 

1. Post your question on a forum. The forum is typically very active; therefore, community members can receive responses quickly. Although, you will be troubleshooting the issue on your own.
2. Visit a free PBX software wiki, where you can access full documentation, including installation, administration manuals, and troubleshooting techniques.
3. Contact an external support provider and pay.

Last but not least is the purchase of upgraded licenses. A huge downside to non-paid PBX softwares, is that there are not many options for purchasing or upgrading licenses. For example, users can either choose to buy a 1-year or 25-year increment. There is a noticeable difference in price between the two! For many, that might not be an issue, but it could deter smaller or newer businesses.

These three common problems are extremely unfortunate because the beautiful part of selling telecommunication solutions is you do not need to be a developer! When you partner with an experienced provider, they do all the heavy lifting for you. Providers are equipped with teams of expert engineers ready to solve (and prevent) issues as they arise (before they occur). That way, you can focus on what you do best: selling. 

Why go the non-paid PBX software Route?

There are many reasons resellers choose to begin their telecommunications journey with a free PBX solution. 

1. Avoid Monthly Fees
2. Ownership of the Company 
3. Easily Available
4. It is Free 

Unfortunately, the word free stands for Freedom. The freedom of open source communication. There is no denying the four points mentioned above are attractive for a reseller entering the telecommunication industry. But did you know that many software manufacturers and cloud providers all offer freedom? Freedom to own your company, implement a perpetual pricing module, offer customizable solutions, and so much more? 

So, now what?

If you are asking for our advice, do it right first. Using a non-paid PBX software can only take you so far. When your customers start to demand more, you may find your back against the wall because you are not equipped to offer the latest features. To take your company to the next level and stay on par with the competition, you will need to re-root your customers to another platform with a new provider. 

The saying “You need to spend money to make money?” is prevalent in the telecommunications industry. The bargaining power of buyers is extremely high because there are so many vendors to choose from who offer similar features at different prices. 

Connect with our sales development team today, and get information on the best solution for your business. Partnering with Bicom Systems gives you access to exclusive content, materials, customizable solutions, and more! Ask us how you can build your brand’s way. 

Let’s Connect
📞 +1 (647) 313 1515
📧 sales@bicomsystems.com
💻 www.bicomsystems.com/contact-us    

A subsea cable splice, a new global partnership, and a key M&A regulatory hurdle cleared: … [visit site to read more]