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.

News 

Dutch telecom giant KPN has signed a deal to acquire Kabeltex, a company a fibre network operator and internet service provider on the island of Texel 

In a press release, KPN noted that Kabeltex’s network currently passes 18,000 homes, with more fibre being deployed in the regions of Den Helder, Hollands Kroon, and Schagen. 

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, and the deal is still subject to regulatory review. 

In 2021, KPN and APG closed the transaction on a joint venture named Glaspoort, through which they will invest over €1 billion in fibre rollout over five years, connecting around 750,000 homes and 225,000 businesses with fibre. 

Earlier this month at the company’s capital markets day, KPN announced a new strategic direction of “Connect, Activate & Grow”, with the company set to invest nearly €5 billion over the next three years on connectivity, AI, and sustainability initiatives. 

In more detail, the investment will involve investing around €1.2 billion in the company’s networks annually until 2026, lowering to below €1 billion in 2027 once their goal of 80% fibre expansion by 2026 is achieved. 

“We have delivered on the main ambitions of our Accelerate to Grow strategy launched end-2020. Our top line has returned to sustainable growth across all segments and the fibre roll out has progressed according to plan, further accelerated by our JV Glaspoort,” said KPN CEO Joost Farwerck. 

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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]

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Singapore-based operator Singtel has announced that it will develop the first National Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) in Singapore for businesses, in a partnership with ID Quantique 

The network will be launched in mid-2024 and will use technologies such as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a secure method of communication that uses quantum physics to make and distribute secure keys that prevent the decryption of data.  

Singtel was given the go-ahead to develop the network from Singapore’s telecoms regulator, Infocomm Media Development Authority, in line with the nation’s aim to be quantum-safe in ten years-time. 

The plan to build the NQSN+ was first announced by the government in June as part of its Digital Connectivity Blueprint, a plan to ensure that Singapore’s digital infrastructure remains world-class and ready for future development. 

As part of the project, QKD and Quantum-Safe Key Management solutions from IDQ will be incorporated into Singtel’s network, with selected exchanges assigned as trusted nodes to establish a reliable, secure, and resilient nationwide QKD network.  

These new solutions will allow businesses across Singapore to enjoy secure communications as decryption technology grows more sophisticated alongside the advent of quantum computing. 

“With Singtel’s nationwide quantum-safe network for enterprises, Singapore’s first, we are securing our data networks from advanced quantum threats for our customers and giving them easy access to solutions to safeguard their critical data in the quantum age,” said Ng Tian Chong, Singtel’s CEO in a press release. 

“We are extremely excited to partner with Singtel to launch Singapore’s first commercial Quantum-Safe Networks service,” added Mr Grégoire Ribordy, CEO and founder, ID Quantique. 

“With our suite of quantum-safe solutions underpinned by state-of-the-art QKD and quantum key management platform and Singtel’s high quality fibre infrastructure, we are committed to support Singtel in developing local expertise in Quantum communications and enable Quantum-Safe Networks for a safe and strong digital economy in Singapore”.  

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It’s time for action: COP28 and keeping 1.5°C alive
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News 

Microsoft has announced that it will invest £2.5 billion over the next three years to expand its data centre infrastructure 

The UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt has emphasised that Microsoft’s investment is critical for continued growth and innovation within the UK technology sector, propelling the UK to become a global technology superpower.  

Microsoft is seeking to expand its data centre infrastructure across the UK, with plans new sites in London and Cardiff, and potentially the North of England in the future. In total, the investment should allow the company to will double its number of data centres in the UK.  

This data centres will be supported by over 20,000 additional Graphic Processing Units by 2026, a processing technology that is crucial for machine learning and the further development of AI. 

“Today’s announcement is a turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK,” said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a statement yesterday. 

“Microsoft is committed as a company to ensuring that the UK as a country has world-leading AI infrastructure,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith. 

In addition to infrastructure expansion, Microsoft says the investment will also allow the company to train over one million people in AI by working in partnership with various learning and non-profit partners.  

This cash injection is Microsoft’s largest ever investment in the UK since it began operating in the country 40 years ago. It also follows the £500 million investment in AI announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last week, which aims to fund further innovation centres and help make the UK an AI powerhouse.  

The UK’s AI sector currently contributes £3.7 billion to the UK economy and employs 50,000 people countrywide. 

AI has dominated the UK news this week, as just yesterday the UK government published draft guidance, developed with The Alan Turing Institute and the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme, to help businesses make the most of emerging AI technology and to ensure its safe usage in workplaces. 

Want to keep up with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world? Sign up to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter  

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News

T-Mobile has installed over 1,200 new cell sites to provide 5G service across Texas since 2021, and the company said they’ve upgraded thousands more.

Axiata Group secured a deal to sell off its majority share in its Nepalese operation Ncell, effectively ending the group’s business in Nepal after seven years due to a tax dispute. 

In a statement, Axiata said it entered an unconditional sale and purchase agreement with Spectrlite UK, for its holding company Reynolds which holds around 80% stake in Ncell and a mobile licence running until 2029.

Axiata chairman Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan said: « The increasing challenges in the operating environment represents a fundamental shift. It has led the Axiata board to conclude, after a thorough process, that our foray in Nepal cannot continue due to the unfavourable conditions for Axiata. »

The operator entered Nepal in 2016 after acquiring Reynolds for US$1.3 billion and securing the 80% stake in Ncell it is now selling. 

The reason for Axiata’s exit stems from a highly disputed capital gains tax bill from the Nepalese government. 

Axiata noted it paid NPR47 billion (US$421.9 million) in capital gains tax to the Large Taxpayers Office of Nepal (LTPO) in April 2020 for the acquisition of Reynolds, and stated it received confirmation from the tax office that there will be no further taxes.

But the LTPO demanded NPR57.9 billion (US$433.6 million) extra for the transaction after further assessment in January 2021. 

The money has not been collected by the LTPO as Axiata took the matter to the Supreme Court of Nepal which issued an interim order. The company noted: “Capital gains tax was imposed on Ncell and Axiata after Nepal’s efforts to collect tax from the seller failed.”

Axiata filed the matter to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, which found in June this year that Nepal should cease its demand for further taxation for the 2016 acquisition.

Despite this, the Nepalese government has yet to withdraw its demand for the extra payment.

Axiata argued if it paid the extra tax, it would take the overall capital gains tax bill to USD855.5 million, or 62.7% of the transaction of Reynolds (US$1.3 billion) to enter the market.

Axiata blasted conditions in Nepal, highlighting double taxation, expiry of its licence in 2029, potential expropriation of Axiata’s stake by the government and unfavourable foreign investment protection. 

The company claimed to be the largest tax payer in Nepal, contributing NPR283.0 billion in taxes and fees as of its fiscal 2021/2022 since inception. It has over 17 million subscribers across its network. 

Vivek Sood, Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Axiata added the sale enables a “clean exit” from Nepal. 

The company revealed intentions to leave Nepal in its financial results this week.

A bit of data center M&A, a new secure device option, an FTTH upgrade, and a new data center campus: … [visit site to read more]