TechPression

Tag: African countries

  • Elon Musk’s Starlink faces regulatory challenges with specific African countries 

    Elon Musk’s Starlink faces regulatory challenges with specific African countries 

    Elon Musk’s Starlink, which promised a new era of high-speed internet connectivity in Africa when it debuted in Nigeria in January 2023, is now facing significant regulatory challenges in several African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Senegal, and Nigeria. The reasons behind these bans and restrictions shed light on the complex landscape of internet access in the region.

    In South Africa, on August 14, 2023, the government took a significant step by banning the import and distribution of Starlink kits. The decision was rooted in legal requirements outlined by the Electronics Communications Act (ECA), which mandates that historically disadvantaged groups (HDGs), including black people, youth, women, and people with disabilities, must hold 30% of a company’s shares to obtain approval for telecoms licenses and operate a broadband service locally. Starlink could not meet these requirements, leading to the ban.

    Read also: Musk halts Ukrainian-Russia attacks, prevents Starlink usage

    Zimbabwe’s Licensing Demands

    Early in September, Zimbabwe’s Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) issued warnings to Starlink users and dealers, stating that they must possess the necessary licenses before operating in the country. Zimbabwe presented two options to Starlink: apply directly for a license or partner with local operators to offer services. Authorities in Zimbabwe expressed concerns about unauthorized distribution of Starlink products, requiring local resellers to obtain a virtual network operator (VNO) license to operate Starlink services legally. Operating without a valid license is deemed illegal and subject to legal penalties.

    Senegal’s Crackdown on Unauthorized Sales

    In Senegal, the government has intensified efforts to crack down on those selling Starlink kits without proper authorization. This move followed the government’s third shutdown of Starlink’s internet services within a year. On August 7, the government arrested five individuals for selling Starlink terminals without the required licenses. The government has outlined stringent penalties, including up to five years in prison or a $100,000 fine, for those engaged in unauthorized marketing and provision of internet access.

    Nigeria’s Cost Concerns

    In Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is in discussions with Starlink to address concerns about the high costs associated with the satellite company’s services. Users have raised complaints about the affordability of Starlink’s services. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Umar Danbatta, emphasized the need to make Starlink services more affordable to bridge the country’s connectivity gap, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Despite numerous internet satellite providers in Nigeria, Starlink stands out in terms of speed and service quality. The NCC is exploring ways to make Starlink terminals more accessible to Nigerians.

    The regulatory challenges facing Starlink in Africa highlight the delicate balance between expanding high-speed internet access and adhering to local regulatory frameworks. As the company navigates these hurdles, it remains to be seen how it will adapt to meet the diverse needs and regulations of the African continent.

  • ChatGPT Android App gains early users in Nigeria, other African countries 

    OpenAI has been keeping its word and spreading the Android version of the ChatGPT app further and further.

    Again, the West African nation of Nigeria has beaten the rest of the world to the punch when it comes to access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence software.

    The software will be available for pre-order on the Google Play Store in Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, the UK, and South Korea.

    Users in Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, the UK, and South Korea can now download the ChatGPT app for Android!

    Post by OpenAI (@OpenAI) dated July 27, 2023

    Nigeria was the first African country to receive access to the Chatbot after it was released for iOS in May. 

    Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once met with key players in Nigeria’s tech scene during an event held at Lagos’s Muson Centre. 

    The goal of the event was to make artificial intelligence technology more widely available across Africa, therefore speakers at the event highlighted new technologies and strategies to engage with the African tech community.

    The Values and Mistakes of ChatGPT

    Since its release, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has attracted a lot of interest thanks to its outstanding applications. The Android version was just released last week, and the company said it will be available in 16 countries around the world.

    The Value of ChatGPT

    Effectiveness: It can handle more data than a person could and respond to it quickly.

    ChatGPT is accessible at any hour of the day or night, every day of the year. Those in urgent need of help or information would appreciate this.

    ChatGPT’s flexibility comes from its ability to cover a wide range of subjects. It has a wide range of applications, from FAQs to customer service.

    Accuracy: The information provided by ChatGPT is generally correct. It’s capable of providing replies that are grounded in a wealth of facts.

     

    Mistakes in ChatGPT

    ChatGPT may be biassed according to the training data it was given. ChatGPT might be biased if the data it was trained on was itself biased.

    ChatGPT’s information delivery may lack context at times. The complexity of human discourse and interaction may be beyond its comprehension, resulting in inappropriate reactions.

    ChatGPT might not have access to all the data required to offer a complete answer. This could be because of restrictions imposed by the training data or by the nature of the question being asked.

    Due to its limits in understanding human language, ChatGPT may misunderstand your inquiries or statements. This may result in incorrect assessments or miscommunications.

    Offering information and “help” is a breeze with this handy tool.

    The chatbot app is now available for download on Android devices in Nigeria. Users in other African nations, such as Kenya and South Africa, will likely get the app soon.

  • MTN’s $320 million fiber-optic cable network links 10 African countries

    MTN’s $320 million fiber-optic cable network links 10 African countries

    Bayobab, which is a part of MTN Group, has said that it will work with Africa50 to build a network of ground fiber optic cables that would stretch across Africa. 

    The goal of Project East2West, which will cost $320 million, is to link the eastern and western shores of Africa through 10 different countries.

    The goal for Project East2West is to be carried out by 2025 in line with MTN’s Ambition 2025 plans. This funding will help Bayobab reach its goal of owning 135,000 kilometres of fiber in the next three years.

    The project is meant to help landlocked African countries get better access to the internet, which will help close the connectivity gap in Africa.

    It was also supposed to make a big difference in data traffic in Africa, increase the use of local content across the region, and help the economy grow in the area.

    The project is also anticipated to improve the region’s ability to support high-quality broadband access by increasing the region’s capacity to support a latency reduction of up to 65% along the east-to-west route.

    Businesses and organizations will benefit from the relationship because it will make a big difference in how much data traffic Internet service providers, mobile network operators, and hyperscalers in these countries handle.

    It will also fix the problems that slow down internet data coming into and leaving Africa. 

    Read also: Zambia’s MTN skills academy addresses digital skills gap

    About this relationship, Africa50 CEO Alain Ebobissé explains

     “Project East2West is a life-changing project that will help Africa enhance its internet bandwidth by developing 4G and 5G networks. This project will help Africa connect most of its expanding population to the Internet. Bayobab and MTN, huge pan-African corporations, must be involved in such a crucial cross-border endeavor.”

    This new plan to work together comes on the same day that MTN GlobalConnect, a Pan-African digital wholesale services company, changed its name to “Bayobab,” which shows the company’s strategy change.

    Bayobab’s two separate businesses, Bayobab Fibre and Bayobab Communication Platforms, are meant to link Africa. This shift shows that Bayobab is still committed to providing open, next-generation digital solutions to all of Africa.

     MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita said about this renaming,

    “Part of our Ambition 2025 strategic goals is to build the biggest and most useful platforms. The name change from MTN GlobalConnect to Bayobab represents the changes that are being made to position the business as a world-class, Africa-focused open-access digital infrastructure platform that serves not just MTN but also third parties as customers. Over time, we will also bring in key partners who will help support and speed up the growth of this business with their skills and money.”

    The rebrand marks the initial stage of the business transformation process following the announcement of MTN Group’s Ambition 2025 strategy. Bloomberg says that Bayobab hopes to build 135,000 kilometers of the at least 500,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables Africa needs by 2025.

    MTN is competing for Africa’s fiber leader 

    MTN Group wants to keep being the best provider of faster broadband facilities in Africa. Their main goals are to cut down on latency and extend the reach of fibre optic cable network equipment, both underwater and on land. MTN Group wants to improve connections across the continent by building scalable capacity and ensuring resilience.

    In December 2022, MTN South Africa, MTN GlobalConnect, the 2Africa group, and other industry players came together to work towards this goal. Together, they told people in Yzerfontein and Duynefontein, South Africa, that the 2Africa cable, which is over 45,000 kilometers long, had arrived.

    While inland cables are required to connect landlocked nations, undersea lines bring fast broadband to coastal cities. Wireless carriers in Africa are increasingly investing in infrastructure as they look to monetize the services provided on their networks.

    MTN Nigeria, PAU Begin 2nd Media Innovation Programme

    The African telecom sector is hitting the spotlight

    Africa’s telecommunications industry is getting a lot of new money, which is causing fast growth and change all over the continent. A story on Quartz Africa says that the industry is getting a lot of money, which is helping to improve infrastructure, connectivity, and digital services.

    As interest in Africa’s telecom market grows around the world, investors are starting to see how huge its potential is and how many untapped options it has. Companies like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are investing more and more in infrastructure projects and partnerships to expand their reach and bring new solutions to the African market.

     In 2019, Facebook reportedly planned to build a $1 billion undersea cable infrastructure around Africa. In March and April 2022, Equaino, a submarine internet cable that Google helped pay for, arrived in Nigeria and Togo.