Congo slams Bharti/Zain deal

The Congo Republic claims the $9 billion Bharti Airtel deal to buy Kuwaiti telco Zain's African assets was a contravention of Zain's licence, reports Reuters.

The Congo Republic telecoms minister Thierry Moungalla says the parties have 30 days to remedy the situation or face sanctions that including fines or ultimately the withdrawal of the local licence.

Congo is at least the second country to object to the deal after Gabon voiced similar complaints. Bharti is currently in the process of getting regulatory approval.

CEO of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has stressed the need for Ghana to improve its rural telecom connectivity for inclusive growth, states Modern Ghana.

Dr Spio-Garbrah says there are opportunities for telecom players in rural areas. “We think people in the villages do not have money but in other places through cooperatives rural people have been able to start and sustain telecom operations.”

Despite the Ghana department of communication's announcement of growth in the country's telecom industry, tele-density in the rural areas of the country is still low.

Kenyan telecom operators are outsourcing their customer service and network management operations, in order to remain competitive, says IT News Africa.

Following Telkom Kenya and Zain's decision to outsource its customer care line, Essar Telecom Kenya has made a similar outsourcing agreement with Aegis, an Indian-based business process outsourcing company that would enable the operator to cut costs in a market where margins are very low.

Zain Kenya has outsourced the operation of its customer care services and network management to Nokia Siemens, while Telkom Kenya has outsourced its customer care operations to Horizon and Kencall.