African telcos eye SME market

According to IT research firm IDC, small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are offering new growth opportunities for telecoms operators in Africa, reports Business Daily Africa.

IDC says telecoms operators such as Telkom Kenya and Zain are now beginning to focus more on this market segment as it promises to be the next growth platform to the operators in Middle East and Africa.

“The market will see more innovation in terms of both operations and product offerings due to high mobile penetration and an increased competitive environment,” says Satish Meena, senior telecoms research analyst, IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey.

Global integrated mobile and digital communications business Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) has opened a new technology centre in Cape Town, according to Pressit.

The centre has been specifically set up to develop new and innovative products for the mobile interactive industry and to support the roll-out of MIG's technology on a global scale.

Development and expertise will cover standards-based and emerging technologies such as Erlang, Ruby on Rails, Web 2.0, and mobile interactive solutions.

Computer Aid International is rolling out mobile solar-powered shipping containers serving as cyber caf'es for rural communities in Africa, states eWeek.

According to Computer Aid International, the first cyber caf'e has been deployed in Macha in Zambia to provide the community with Internet access through Africa's largest rural WiFi network.

Each cyber caf'e houses a fully functional computer set-up, comprising of a thin client network of 11 monitors running off a standard Pentium 4 PC.