Elinor Shields speaks about why Nigeria is a prime market for the BBC

The Com World Series team caught up with Elinor ahead of the NigeriaCom conference and exhibition, taking place at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, 17-18 September to find out a bit more about her experiences and focus at the event

Elinor Shields is the Development Editor for the BBC

Com World Series: How is your company positioned in Nigeria and what are its future objectives?

 Elinor Shields: The BBC is the most trusted and established international public service broadcaster in Africa, providing live radio, television and digital services. Some 96 million people in Africa choose the BBC for news every week, and we are strongly positioned to move forward, as a leading digital news provider. Our objective now and in the future is to continue to provide independent and impartial journalism that people can find and enjoy on their preferred choice of platforms and devices.

Com World Series: What do you think are the top 3 major trends that are affecting your business in the region in 2013?

 Elinor Shields: The mobile opportunity in Nigeria is significant for the BBC, given the country’s mobile appetite and its position in Africa, and with BBC Hausa a key mobile-first digital market. So the first major trend for us is that more Nigerians than ever can consume audio and video-rich content online, thanks to the growth of digital data and availability of enhanced devices.

However, increased competition in television and radio makes it harder for audiences to navigate the vast number of available services.
So in complex, fragmented markets, audiences increasingly seek out the brands they trust. Broadcasters in West Africa are keener than ever to broadcast BBC programmes on their channels and stations.

Com World Series: What are the remaining challenges in terms of connectivity and quality of services in the region and which technologies are most likely to resolve these issues?

 Elinor Shields: The incomplete roll-out of reliable mobile data connectivity is still a big challenge. Network congestion can result in a poor user experience for video, audio and other forms of enriched content, because of the cost and length of download times. At the BBC, we aim to optimise our mobile offering to fit real-world conditions, based on what our audiences tell us. We are doing this through responsive design that is adapted for features phones up, and we are creating content and embracing working practices which work for the devices.

Com World Series: How are smartphones/tablets and cloud services impacting mobile/internet service providers in Nigeria?

  Elinor Shields: 

Audience research tells us that feature phones are still the dominant mobile entry point in Nigeria, with a variety of simpler handsets accounting for four-fifths of current consumption. So we need to ensure that both subscribers with feature phones and the increasing pool of smartphone users can benefit from our proposed enhancements. Our responsive design strategy is built to serve these complex realities.

Com World Series: In your opinion, which companies are spearheading innovation in the region and what can be learnt from them?

  Elinor Shields: 

It is a truism of entrepreneurship that the best ideas often burst out from groups combining a diverse range of skills and expertise. NigeraCom is a great opportunity to see that in action, with content and service providers coming face to face with network operators and manufacturers.

Com World Series: Who are you most looking forward to meeting/hearing from and what do you hope to achieve from taking part in NigeriaCom?

  Elinor Shields: As I mentioned above, it’s a terrific opportunity to connect with every dimension of mobile life in Africa, which is why I’m so excited to be making my first trip to Nigeria. I’m looking forward to meeting representatives from every area, with my African colleagues.

Clickatell's take on the Nigerian and West African telecoms market...

Samson Isa, Is the Director of West Africa at Clickatell.

The Com World Series team caught up with Samson ahead of the NigeriaCom conference and exhibition, taking place at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, 17-18 September to find out a bit more about his experiences and focus at the event.

Com World Series: How is your company positioned in Nigeria and what are its future objectives?

Samson Isa: Clickatell has established 3 Data Centres in 3 major regional offices in Africa namely; South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya to help it leverage the various opportunities in Nigeria and Africa; those Data Centres offers Messaging, USSD and VAS (Virtual Airtime Top Up-VTU, bill payments, Remittances etc. etc..). In addition to the actual-actual configuration of the prepaid infrastructure in the Data Centres, the Data Centres act as failover sites for another so we are able to achieve 100% uptime in terms of providing services to our customers in Africa and most especially in Nigeria. Also, our Pan African footprint will enable us to provide services to many Financial institutions (most especially Banks) in Nigeria that have Pan African footprint OR Pan African ambition.

Com World Series: What do you think are the top 3 major trends that are affecting your business in the region in 2013?

Samson Isa: - I think the Telecoms/Financial institutions regulators are working in silos and therefore they have not be able to articulate policies that will enhance the financial inclusion of the government of Federal Republic of Nigeria, so it is fair to say that we do have regulatory challenges.
- Literacy; I think the Financial institutions and MNO’s have not adequately educated customers on the major mobile money bearer the USSD in Nigeria, consequently, adoption has been very low.. I am also not oblivious of the high cost of ussd transaction pricing by MNO’s which I consider it a barrier to adoption.
- I think the increasing number of fibre companies in Nigeria and the subsequent completion of last miles will improve Network stability and subscriber confidence in the use of various telecoms technologies.

Com World Series: What are the remaining challenges in terms of connectivity and quality of services in the region and which technologies are most likely to resolve these issues?

Samson Isa: - I think MNO’s Network quality has been a major issue; there are lots of downtimes due to principally fibre cuts and unstable broadband and that affects the confidence of the average subscriber who is not very conversant with the technology.
- I think Virtual Airtime Top Up (VTU) will be a great airtime distribution technology that will revolutionise the telecoms distribution space because of its ease of usage, security and availability.
- Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) will play a major role in enhancing mobile money transfers/transactions because of its latency however stakeholders in the mobile money ecosystem must tackle the challenges of awareness and cost of using the bearer.

Com World Series: How are smartphones/tablets and cloud services impacting mobile/internet service providers in Nigeria?

Samson Isa: Smartphones/tablets have tremendously increased the internet penetration and usage in Nigeria. The proliferation of Future Phones with basic features of smartphones too has enhance internet penetration and improve data consumption. As a matter of fact, the data part of mobile network operators business will define the profitability and sustainability of some of the mobile businesses as voice revenue continue to drop.
I think Operators must consciously and deliberately continue to invest and come up with strategies that will make them very competitive in driving data; smartphones/tablets distribution is crucial in enhancing adoption and brand equity.

Com World Series: In your opinion, which companies are spearheading innovation in the region and what can be learnt from them?

Samson Isa: GT Bank stands out clearly in the financial institutions by using Apps to drive mobile money instead of the popular USSD. I think they should be commended for driving this technology. They are actually making a success of it.

Com World Series: Who are you most looking forward to meeting/hearing from and what do you hope to achieve from taking part in NigeriaCom?

Samson Isa: I think the convergence of technologies that has brought Financial institutions and Telecoms together should trigger a synergy between the respective regulators i.e. NCC and CBN; I would like to see a parley that will bring them together and other stakeholders to examine the mobile money sector and define the way forward. I would also like to hear the Mobile Operators on their future strategies; what major data strategies do they have and technologies that they will be driving in the coming years (2 – 3 years).
I would to love to hear some independent mobile money players-how they are surviving and pushing their businesses.

Find out more at NigeriaCom. Samson Isa will be speaking on Day 2 at 9:40 in the Panel on “Keeping up with Changing Habits in how Content is Consumed”.

Register here

Inmarsat, Orange, Total and Ubuntu all making waves in the MEA market in recent days...

>> Satellite operator Inmarsat has announced the successful launch of Alphasat, its largest bird to date, from a base at Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana.

The company claims Alphasat is “one of the most technically advanced telecommunications satellites ever constructed for civilian applications,” weighing in with a $350m investment from Inmarsat.

The project is the largest Public-Private-Partnership space project in Europe, between the European Space Agency and Inmarsat to create new services and jobs but was also an initiative to develop a new spacecraft platform (Alphabus) capable of carrying a large state of the art communications payload.

Satellites are relied on by the world’s shipping, oil exploration, defence, aviation and media industries and are becoming increasingly popular in both mature and developing markets as a means of backhauling small cell connections in remote or rural areas.

Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said: “Alphasat will strengthen our existing I-4 series satellite constellation, providing coverage over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The launch demonstrates Inmarsat’s long-term commitment to L-band services.”

The team will place the satellite into its final geostationary orbit position on Friday night, with the satellite set to be in operation on July 31.

>> Orange and oil and gas group Total have forged a partnership in Africa and the Middle East, providing access to Orange Money services at all Total service stations in the regions, spanning a total of 13 countries to date.

Orange said customers will benefit from the density of the Total distribution network, with its service stations open for extended hours seven days a week. Customers will be able to open anOrange Money account on site and perform withdrawals and deposits. The system enables users to transfer money from mobile to mobile, pay bills and withdraw and deposit money through a network of certified distributors.

AfricaCom takes place 12 -14 November 2013: CTICC Cape Town, South Africa

This first stage of the partnership is already operational in Senegal and Cameroon, and will go live in over 1,300 service stations in the 11 other countries (Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Uganda) where both groups are present in the second half of 2013. A second stage will follow, which should enable Orange Money customers to pay for purchases made in Total service stations using their mobile account.

>> Open source developer and Linux house Ubuntu has turned to crowdfunding to get its latest mobile project off the ground. Parent company Canonical is hoping to raise $32m by August 21 to kick start manufacture of a high end smartphone that doubles as a desktop PC.

The Ubuntu Edge will dual boot both Ubuntu’s forthcoming mobile OS as well as Android and while packaged as a smart phone, turns into a desktop PC when connected to a monitor. Telecoms.com is sure this has been tried before, perhaps by Palm?) in the days before tablets became popular.

But the Edge does have some power under the hood. Able to support the full fledged Ubuntu desktop interface, it sports a multi-core CPU, 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, putting it up there with some netbooks.

Android support was selected because of the significant developer community but there’s also a large Ubuntu Linux developer base to exploit as well. “On day one, you’ll be able to launch the Ubuntu desktop from within Android using our existing Ubuntu for Android app. That integration is fully functional today,” the company said.

Still, it’s a big ask for the Indiegogo crowdfunding site, which to date has seen $1.6m raised for its most popular project – a Star Trek style medical scanner. At the time of writing, the Edge had raised more than $3.2m but still needs to increase that tenfold within 30 days.

“All of the funding we receive goes directly towards producing the device for expected delivery in May 2014,” Canonical said.

Ubuntu parent Canonical is already trying to make waves in the mobile space with a mobile specific version of its OS, having established the Carrier Advisory Group last month. The group is led by David Wood, a former Psion engineer and one of the founder members of the original Symbian collaboration.

A number of large operators, including MTN, China Unicom, LG UPlus, SK Telecom and Korea Telecom from Asia Pacific and Deutsche Telekom, EE, Telecom Italia and Portugal Telecom from Europe have already signed. 

The above articles were first published in telecoms.com

News, Analysis and Opinion for the global telecoms industry

Telecoms.com is the leading provider of news and analysis, combined with in-depth features, interviews, reports and much more. The site keeps more than 80,000 unique monthly users worldwide up to date and in touch with the latest technological advancements and market trends, addressing the key business and technology issues facing the industry.

Telecoms.com provides innovative marketing solutions through different channels such as webinars, TV interviews, newsletters, print products, events and custom-made opportunities. Whether you are looking to reach Operators or Vendors our targeted marketing options and vast industry databases will ensure that your message reaches the right people.

What’s the best way to sell to Telecoms Operators?

A recent study has undertaken analysis of the operator procurement process and concluded that events are a valuable source of supplier-selection:

The content below is re-posted from the CC Group blog

Vendors are facing some of the toughest trading conditions ever. It has never been so difficult to ‘sell’ to operators. It’s not just uncontrollable macro-economic factors that are frustrating vendor sales and marketing efforts. The manner in which operators buy has changed. However, many vendors are not changing how they market and sell in response to new operator buying habits.

ConneCt from CCgroup

To address the challenge, we undertook a comprehensive analysis of operator procurement processes. Our ConneCt study reveals the communications platforms that drive vendor inclusion in operator procurement, the influencing factors when shortlisting, and the critical factors in vendor selection. Here are some of the key top-level findings:

What are the most influential platforms that drive RFX inclusion?

• Unsurprisingly, having an existing relationship with the operator running the RFX – the enormous significance of peer relationships stresses the importance of industry networking to build and develop fruitful connections

• Professional analysts are critical in building influence – both internal business analysts and external industry analysts

• Industry events are still valued by operator executives when it comes to technology decision making – mostly in terms of building those networks mentioned in the first point

• Media coverage and presence is listed as an important part of the armoury, especially given its influence over other communications platforms such as internal analysts and tradeshows.

What factors influence operators’ shortlisting of potential suppliers?

• Yet again, having a previous relationship and familiarity with the supplier was rated the highest influencing factor.

• The reputation and market profile of a vendor was the second most influential factor on RFX selection and shortlisting.

• Anecdotal conversation suggests that the manner in which this reputation and profile is ‘realised’ is through channels such as media prominence, positioning in analyst reports, award wins and presence on the speaker circuit.

What factors influence which vendor is finally selected?

• Price rears its head at decision time – but overall, operators are more concerned about value. They want to understand costs saved, revenues generated, business models advanced or protected, or opportunities created as a result of a particular vendor’s solution.

• Vendors must prove their capability to deliver. Operators are unwilling to take ‘chances’ on untried and untested vendors and technologies. They require “proof” and evidence of claims made.

• Vendors must demonstrate practical vision through a roadmap for future solutions and post-sales support is a critical hygiene factor. Substance – demonstrating value, delivery and understanding are more important at this stage in an RFX process.

How can vendors better engage with telecoms operators?

To succeed, sales and marketing teams must expect and demand more of each other. Accessing and influencing the operator procurement process is intensely challenging for vendors today – but it can be done extremely effectively. It demands a symbiotic relationship between sales and marketing functions and the integration of various communications to deliver the campaigns that will make the difference.

A copy of the full research findings and key recommendations on how to successfully navigate this process are contained within the ConneCt white paper,available here.

Kenya, Malawi and Afghanistan in the Global Mobile headlines round-up this week..

Kenya launches US$2.8 bil. national broadband strategy

The Kenyan government has launched a KES250 billion (US$2.8 billion) National Broadband Strategy (NBS) aimed at transforming the country into a knowledge-based economy by providing reliable, high capacity broadband services to all citizens in the country by 2030. The strategy will involve the development of a countrywide broadband infrastructure, support of national capacity building and awareness as well as content development and innovations. The government will exploit various finance sources including the broadband infrastructure bond and the broadband venture capital. The government also plans to increase its budgetary allocation in the ICT sector from 0.5% to 5% in future. Kenya becomes the second country in Africa after South Africa to launch a detailed national broadband strategy. According to the latest statistics from the regulator, Kenya had 16.2 million Internet users as at end-4Q12, representing a penetration of 41.1%.

Malawi introduces a 16.5% tax on Internet services

The government of Malawi has introduced 16.5% VAT on Internet services which has seen the cost passed on to the consumers by the service providers. The country’s leading mobile operator Airtel Malawi has increased its mobile data tariffs by an average of 16.72% while its rival Telekom Network Malawi (TNM) has increased its tariffs by between 16.5% and 25%. According to Informa Telecoms & Media research, Malawi had 352,000 mobile broadband subscribers as at end-4Q12.

MCIT Afghanistan strikes deal with mobile operators for network expansion

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communications and IT (MCIT) has entered into an agreement with some of the country’s mobile operators to expand the network to underserved areas, funded by the Telecommunication Development Fund. The deal will see the deployment of 240 new base stations in 34 provinces, covering an estimated half a million people.

Du 2Q13 revenues up by 12% Y-o-Y

UAE operator Du’s 2Q13 revenues rose by 12.05% year-on-year, from AED2.37 billion (US$645 million) to AED2.66 billion (US$724 million). Net profit pre-royalty rose by 19.5% over the same period to AED778 million (US$211.8 million) for 2Q13. Revenue growth was driven by a 13.33% increase in mobile sales to AED2.07 billion, with data revenues rising by 44.81% year-on-year. The company added 14,400 new mobile customers as its mobile subs base increased to 6.65 million. The company’s strategic goals are to look out for market leading products and services, and to maintain cost efficiency measures.

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Taken from Global Mobile Daily:  

http://www.informatandm.com/newsletters/

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Global Mobile Daily
Global news from the mobile telecoms industry
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Headlines for July26, 2013

Global Mobile Daily: ISSN 1099-730X
Copyright 2012 Informa UK Ltd.

Helios Towers Africa buys into Vodacom Tanzania’s tower network

Africa’s leading tower company Helios Towers Africa (HTA) through its Tanzanian subsidiary Helios Towers Tanzania (HTT) has signed an agreement with Vodacom Tanzania to acquire 100% of its existing tower network in the country.

Under the agreement, Vodacom Tanzania will benefit from cash and a 24.5% stake in exchange for 1,149 towers. The operator will also benefit from a significant increase in point of service and will lease back the passive infrastructure as per a long term agreement.

HTA was incorporated in 2009 and operates in Ghana, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo with an overall network of 4,700 towers. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

Middle East & Africa

Orange Kenya partners with Asus to promote data usage

Kenya’s fourth largest mobile operator Orange Kenya has partnered with Asus, the global notebook vendor to launch three notebook models into the Kenyan market. The devices will be available in selected Orange stores countrywide either as standalone units or bundled with 3G or CDMA data modems for a retail price of between KES42,999(US$489.8) and KES56,999. Through the agreement, Orange Kenya hopes to boost data consumption in its network.

Mobilis extends network coverage to rural Algeria

Mobilis has further expanded its network coverage in line with the celebration of the country's 51 year independence and the holy month of Ramadan. The operator is now the sole provider in the remote villages of Tamadjart, Arekine and Tiferine in the Illizi district (wilaya) and Ghourd Nouss and Zaouiat Sidi Moussa in Bordj Omar Driss.  In addition, two new base stations have been put in place in the two towns near the In Amenas oil facility, Amenas and Ohanet. The operator is to set up retail outlets in all the newly connected areas.

Nedjma launches smartphone offer

Algerian operator, Nedjma, has launched a new Ramadan offer, whereby those who subscribe to its “One” package will receive a free smartphone. A One 4000 package offers unlimited on net calls between 6am and 6pm for DZD4 (US$0.05) per minute for off-net calls and SMS for 2DZD per SMS for DZD4,000 with a two month upfront payment to receive the smartphone. A six month upfront payment is required for the One 1500 package which offers 500 minutes of free calls, unlimited free SMS to a favourite number and unlimited Mobile Facebook usage for DZD1,000. 

Taken from Global Mobile Daily:  http://www.informatandm.com/newsletters/

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Global Mobile Daily
Global news from the mobile telecoms industry
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Headlines for July 22, 2013

Global Mobile Daily: ISSN 1099-730X
Copyright 2012 Informa UK Ltd.

LTE in Africa : We are getting ready to rock n roll !!

Reblogged from Telco Global Connect

The Africa LTE Congress in Cape Town was a well organised and well executed Event. The 2-day assembled over 300 attendees from across the continent to hear insightful presentations, network and discover the future of LTE in Africa . The general ambience was cautiously optimistic even exciting since there is so much riding on LTE to bridge the growing Digital Divide in Africa.

It seems South Africa is clearly taking the LTE lead in Africa with a reported 94% of Africa’s 300,000 activated LTE SIM cards earlier this year. However, the rest of the continent is quickly catching up with Econet wireless confirming they are testing their LTE network in Zimbabwe, Surfline Communications announcing an LTE rollout in Ghana next year and MTC Namibia reporting 33% of data currently used on the network is already from LTE. And more projects in the works including Govt backed Open Access Model in Rwanda and Kenya.

It was widely discussed that there are still several hurdles to overcome before LTE in Africa can become truly mass market, mainly spectrum availability, affordable LTE devices and backhaul infrastructure requirements. Despite these challenges, a clear consensus was that LTE is on the minds of all operators in Africa with the CEO of Smile Communications ( who are rolling out LTE across 5 nations ) inspired the audience by stating that LTE is the only technology fast enough to truly open the doors to the digital revolution in Africa.

Key Highlights of LTE Africa included:

Telkom Mobile live LTE network demonstration, wowed the audience when it reached downlink speeds of over 210Mbps. A Telkom Mobile executive explained that they used an LTE modem connecting to their LTE TDD network in a 4×4 MIMO configuration supporting dual carrier downlink to achieve these speeds.

Huawei claimed to have 44 LTE networks across Africa, many of which are inactive but can be switched on immediately once the operators are ready. In a roundtable discussion with reporters leading global figures from the giant Chinese communications solutions provider painted a positive picture as to just how close major commercial rollouts are on the continent. The Vice president for Huawei, emphasised LTE TDD is the right solution for Africa because it is available across 200 different devices and it is rapidly being adopted on a global scale, which translates to 44 different networks to date confirming TDD viability.

The Samsung Rep informed VoLTE in South Korea, was first optimised and commercialised last year in August. He said VoLTE call setup time is significantly shorter as opposed to VoIP. It also allows for “one touch” switch over from a voice call to a video call. He enthused how Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) is a viable solution for African communications given there are 800 million mobile subscribers on the continent.

Alcatel-Lucent and Surfline Communications have announced a partnership that could provide Western Africa with its first commercial 4G LTE network – operational in Ghana – by the first quarter of 2014. Their model is primarily to focus on the high end market targeting high potential residential areas and small to medium sized enterprises. The Ghana Regulator made a conscious decision not to award any LTE licenses to the current crop of mobile operators in a bid to promote competition in the industry as well as recognise the poor quality of voice services they currently offer the public.

Successful LTE networks are implemented using inductive thinking ( as opposed to deductive thinking ). The end result is envisaged ( nationwide coverage ) and then worked backwards on how to get there. Worldwide LTE operators can learn from the competitive success of the US , Korean and Japanese operators’ aggressive national build-out plans and evolving pricing strategies focused on multi-device usage and the role that devices play in the take-up of LTE.

Yours truly expounded on the vital importance of Policy Control and Charging in LTE Networks. Policy function is crucial to a number of mobile data billing models that operators expect to become much more widespread in the near term including the control of bandwidth according to application, service tier or customer profile.So what’s all the buzz about policy management? Policy has been around for years as a tool to enable traffic prioritization, particularly among cable operators looking to better manage broadband usage.

The current iteration of policy ( Policy 2.0) is dynamic and real-time is multi-dimensional, meaning the operator can incorporate multiple inputs into a policy decisions—for example, combining time of day with content type and device type to determine whether a teenager has access to a certain service under a parental control offering. Telcos can support virtually any service model strategy for data, based on advanced customer models combined with dynamic contextual network-level information.

In value-based pricing enabled by new Policy Control platforms linked to the OCS the feedback loop into creating new services and price points can be a lot faster; different value-based opportunities can be created and launched in weeks and not months. Value-based or Dynamic plans allow subscribers and providers to take advantage of new, innovative forms of mobile data consumption and pricing. These types of plans allow service providers to offer a mix of data packages to match user context , needs , propensity to pay and accurately charge for the data used on their networks.

While bandwidth management has been the primary policy control use case of the past few years, policy control is fast becoming table stakes for enabling rich, dynamic services and models that keep consumers and business users engaged.Policy control’s reach will extend beyond the network to business support systems (BSS), to enable complex service definition and real-time charging controls in innovative data services and plans.

The availability of real-time data in the post-paid billing system is essential to the future of mobile data billing. The integration of that real time data with the operator’s policy function is fundamental to the creation of the kind of diverse network controls that will enable more sophisticated data billing solutions. Bills should be presented to users on the device to increase customers’ control over their own usage and to create lucrative opportunities to sell them extensions and upgrades on an ‘as-needed basis’.

Sadiq Malik ( Telco Strategist )

Find out more about Zidi, the mHealth application winner of the Top App award at East Africa Com 2013

For the first year East Africa Com held an App Gig, dedicated to local app developers wanting to learn more and exchange ideas on developing, promoting and monetising apps in the region. The session included the Top App  competition: a chance for local developers to showcase their apps to the audience. Here the winner - Zidi - shares more information on the concept of its mHealth app.

ZiDi is the first mobile enterprise health management solution for Africa. ZiDi is offered as a cloud-based software service by MicroClinic Technologies, a Nairobi-based company.  ZiDi runs on web-enabled devices, preferably android tablets, in online and offline modes to ensure health workers have 24/7 access to patient data even in the most remote rural health settings.  ZiDi has been successfully beta tested in Kenya and its database currently grows by 1,000 patient records monthly.
 

Nurses equipped with ZiDi perform one task, i.e., document each patient encounter—demographic profile, history, symptoms, tests, diagnosis and treatment—and ZiDi does the rest.  ZiDi’s streamlined point-and-click closed loop data entry and storage structure guarantees a reliable system that will foster accountability for quality of care, commodities, finances and human capital in health centers & dispensaries in low-income countries.

Key components in ZiDi include:

a)       Electronic medical records (or electronic health record):  health workers can document patient encounters in real-time. ZiDi archives the longitudinal electronic record of an individual patient’s health information that can be easily retrieved for future decision-making and treatment;

b)      TeleHealth (including telemedicine): Cases in ZiDi can be reviewed retrospectively and in real time.  Experts can then advise the health workers on difficult cases from a virtual location;

c)       mHealth (or health through the use of mobile devices): Health workers equipped with ZiDi can send specific text messages or forward generic messages to patients using the tablets. ;

d)      eLearning (including distance education or learning): ZiDi enables gaps in health delivery to be identified.  Custom training videos can therefore be provided to the health workers.  The ZiDi enabled tablets can also be used for patient education and information sharing;

e)       Reporting (including utilization rates, inventory, and finances): ZiDi autogenerates reports on service utilization.  The inventory management module analyzes the turnover of drugs, vaccines and supplies and generates an order sheet with forecasts for the next 90 days.  ZiDi also reports on income from services provided and by payment sources, including from vouchers.

f)        Standardization and interoperability: Data collected in ZiDi can be exported as an Excel file for efficient and accurate offline analytics.  The inventory management module uses the WHO classification of essential drugs and supplies. ZiDi ensures that the integrated management of health systems from the national down to the facility level is seamless.

ZiDi provides rights-based access to national, county, district and facility level data through an administrative portal. Health officials, program officers and researchers are guaranteed secure, real-time access to actionable data on disease trends, inventory, fees, and human resource productivity.  Donor organizations can monitor and evaluate health programs from the convenience of their offices.
 

ZiDi is a disruptive innovation with significant benefits for pharmaceutical and telecom partners. By automating quantification, forecasting and access to essential drugs, pharmaceutical partners will for the first time have access to current information on the market demand for drugs and medical devices in Africa.  Offering continuing medical education to the thousands of health workers in Africa, of which there are close to 75,000 in Kenya alone, will drive data use and benefit the telecom partners.  Implementation of ZiDi in Kenya for example, where there are close to 7,500 public and private clinics, could generate upwards of 150,000 health records daily and consume 1,2 million hours of data per month.  Mobile carriers, tablet manufacturers, satellite and data management network providers alike, can thus benefit from these growth opportunities.

Dr. Moka Lantum, managing partner, MicroClinic Technologies foresees e-health content surpassing social medial and adult content in the not too distant future as solutions like ZiDi penetrate Africa. “It’s an unprecedented opportunity for mobile carriers as revenues from voice decline,” he said.
 

East Africa Com will return to Nairobi on 20-21 May 2014, with another App Gig session supporting local app developers.

Speaker Interview with Bayo Puddicombe

Bayo Puddicombe is the Co-Founder of Pledge 51. 

The Com World Series team caught up with Bayo ahead of the NigeriaCom conference and exhibition, taking place at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, 17-18 September to find out a bit more about his experiences and focus at the event.

Com World Series: How is your company positioned in Nigeria and what are its future objectives?

Bayo Puddicombe: We are one of the pioneer mobile game/app development companies operating in the Nigerian space. We recently launched our mobile gaming community, Chopup, which integrates all of our portfolio games and allows users to trade achievements and points between content items. 

Our primary objective is to unleash the potential of African content in the mobile gaming space.

Com World Series: What do you think are the top 3 major trends that are affecting your business in the region in 2013?

 Bayo Puddicombe: In no particular order, I would say that these are the top three trends affecting the region;

- Faster data networks

- Smart phone penetration

- Mobile payment systems 

 Although, we are already seeing the emergence of fast data networks, there’s still quite a way to go in getting the most out of our data infrastructure. It would really go a long way in improving user experience for data hungry games and applications.

 Research shows that in most African countries, 2G networks will have to be supported for quite a while due to a mobile device distribution tilted more towards feature devices and dumb phones. We do know that smart phones can take full advantage of the possibilities offered by higher capacity data pipes, so as their penetration increases there will be increased consumer demand for high bandwidth and data capabilities.

 Mobile payments is also a key link in the value chain and we expect that in a before long, some of the mobile money providers will finally unlock the magic formula for enabling m-commerce in Nigeria. This could easily spurn the emergence of several innovations in the local technology space.

Com World Series: What are the remaining challenges in terms of connectivity and quality of services in the region and which technologies are most likely to resolve these issues?

Bayo Puddicombe: Connectivity and quality of service has always been a major challenge in Nigeria. The emergence of wireless data plans from mobile operators made significant impact in bridging some service to the region. However, it’s obvious that this is not sufficient to address the data needs of an emerging market of this size.

What we really need is high-speed fibre-based connectivity straight to homes, offices, businesses, etc in all major cities across the country. Until then, we cannot have the right kind of infrastructure to support this market.  

Com World Series: How are smartphones/tablets and cloud services impacting mobile/internet service providers in Nigeria?

Bayo Puddicombe: Smart phone penetration is currently low possibly approaching 10% penetration maybe less. However, most of these devices readily connect to the internet via mobile operator data networks and are quite data hungry. As smart phone users gained access to higher capacity mobile data networks (3G), some have actually discarded their primary internet service providers as data speeds from the mobile networks are beginning to compare reasonably to what can be obtained from ISPs.

This trend will possibly continue as more people adopt smart phones as their primary mobile device.

Com World Series: In your opinion, which companies are spearheading innovation in the region and what can be learnt from them?

Bayo Puddicombe: Firstly, I would like to put things in context by saying that innovation is relative. What is considered mundane in developed markets could actually be quite innovative in another context. My definition of innovation is combining technology/tools from disparate fields and combining them in a way that solves significant problems. With that said, I think Sproxils is doing some fantastic things with SMS based technologies in providing drug verification services. 

Com World Series: Who are you most looking forward to meeting/hearing from and what do you hope to achieve from taking part in NigeriaCom?

Bayo Puddicombe: I think just being at NigeriaCom would give us a fantastic opportunity to meet with stakeholders across the mobile/digital landscape.

Find out more at NigeriaCom. Bayo Puddicombe will be joining a panel of speakers on Day 2 at the APPGIG at 14:30 on the session “Africa paving the way in app development: trends, challenges & monetisation”. 

Find out more at NigeriaCom. Steven Evans will be leading the session “Keynote Panel Hosted by Etisalat” on Day 1 at 10:00.

Register here

Silver Lining or Troubled Skies? Cloud in Africa

AfricaCom 2013 

12 - 14 November 2013
CTICC Cape Town South Africa

Cloud@AfricaCom
Co-located with AfricaCom - 13 November 2013

Pre-register & Quote your booking code: LIN/AFRICACOMEM1 HERE

ITM analysts peg Cloud as the fastest-growing new revenue opportunity for telcos worldwide, with over 300 operators already offering Cloud services ranging from SaaS to IaaS.

Moreover, investment in IT infrastructure is soaring across Africa and Cloud is the dominating the headlines and headspace of African CIOs. Telcos are uniquely positioned in the Cloud Ecosystem to offer and expand their service and many have already started making the most out of this new revenue opportunity.

As part of AfricaCom, the continent’s largest gathering of telecoms, media and IT professionals, Cloud @ Africa Com is a unique platform that showcases the “how-to” strategies for dealing with and profiting from the advent of Cloud.

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Download the preview brochure here 
http://africa.comworldseries.com/2013-preview-brochure

Register for your Free Exhibition pass here 
http://secure3.eventadv.com/Informa/Registration/VisitorReg.aspx?EventID=21

Pre-register for a conference pass here
http://africa.comworldseries.com/register/

Quote your Booking Code " LIN/AFRICACOMEM1 " 

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Cloud Pioneers Confirmed Include: 

	Theo Bensch, Managing Executive, Telkom Cybernest, Telkom South Africa
	Evans Nyagah, Head of Enterprise Sales & B2B, Safaricom
	Adedipo Olagbegi, Head IT Technical Infrastructure, Etisalat Nigeria
	Adrian Cornelius, General Manager, MTN Business
	Juergen Urbanski, Chief Technologist Big Data and Cloud, Deutsche Telekom Group

To see the full speaker list, click here 
http://africa.comworldseries.com/conference/speakers/

Now is your last chance to join the speaker line-up! Contact georgios@cloudworldseries.com today

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By attending the event, African telcos can:

- Discuss and develop the business case for launching a telco Cloud service offer
- Learn how to transform your infrastructure for deploying robust Cloud services
- Benchmark your Cloud service offering against that of leading Cloud vendors
- Uncover the secrets of a robust security and privacy framework across the region’s markets
- Explore the future role of the telco industry in the African Cloud ecosystem

We look forward to welcoming you to AfricaCom, 12-14 November, CTICC Cape Town, South Africa 

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COME AND SEE THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL AFRICA