Telecommunications boom said to await Africa
8 May 2002
News
A great deal has been written about electronic commerce and its impact on the business world. While this new business methodology still has detractors, virtual transactions have become a reality and literally no industry or player has been left untouched by it. This is according to Nikki Kettles, managing director of the telecommunications division at NamITech.
"The e-commerce phenomenon has often been likened to a gold rush, and not without good reason - the gold rush was characterised by thousands of fortune seekers rushing to profit from newly-discovered gold deposits.
"However, just like in the gold rushes of yesterday, very few of the opportunists who rushed to the gold fields of the e-commerce business world have survived. Indeed, the press has had a field day with bleak news about dotcom disasters. While it sounds like the bottom had fallen out of this market," said Kettles, "the opposite is actually true: all indications point to the fact that ever-increasing amounts will be spent on e-commerce. One of the areas where e-commerce will bring large business benefits is in the telecommunications sector. It is here," she continued, "where the latest in mobile communications will open up business boundaries like never before, including in so-called darkest Africa."
Kettles said that while there are only currently 15 million GSM users in Africa, this number is expected to swell to well over 100 million in the next three years as countries such as Egypt, Morocco and the densely-populated Nigeria begin to roll out GSM networks.
"This is going to be a booming market and it is potentially going to free Africa from the shackles of being limited by its communication abilities.
Kettles says her company is one of the main providers of GSM solutions to the more than 30 networks in Africa and is aiming to increase its role as the pre-eminent supplier into Africa. Its new universal commerce platform called UnIT-e is a completely open platform that facilitates plug-and-play m-commerce (mobile commerce) solutions. The platform has been created to allow access to any device, be it a mobile phone, Internet-enabled PC, PDA or kiosks that allow for the quick implementation of mobile solutions.
"We are able to assist corporates in developing and implementing successful mobile solutions without having to spend time on re-developing or adapting existing technology to fit the solution. I believe that in the next five years revenues coming from this sector in Africa as a whole are going to make a significant impact on our overall earnings."
For further information contact NamITech, 011 458 0000, www.namitech.co.za
Further reading:
From the editor's desk: Inspiring the next generation
Technews Publishing
News
Welcome to the August issue of
Dataweek. Peter Howells is still on leave, so I am back for this issue. I hope you enjoy the content and find value in it.
August is Women’s Month in South Africa,
...
Read more...
Procurement is becoming a competitive advantage
RS South Africa
News
As mining, manufacturing and industrial businesses continue to navigate rising costs, supply chain disruption and increasing pressure to improve operational performance, procurement and inventory management have become strategic business priorities rather than simply administrative functions.
Read more...
Powell Electronics signs partnership agreement with IOT Electronics
IOT Electronics
News
Powell Electronics has entered into a partnership agreement with IOT Electronics to strengthen its presence across southern Africa.
Read more...
Omniflex delivers ICCP systems across London
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
News
Omniflex has supplied impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems for a range of prominent buildings across London, helping to protect reinforced concrete structures from corrosion and extending their service life.
Read more...
New appointments for Würth Electronics South Africa
Würth Electronics South Africa
News
New appointments for Würth Electronics South Africa
Read more...
MTN celebrates 80 Western Cape digital graduates
News
Eighty unemployed young people from across the Western Cape have successfully completed MTN South Africa’s Digital Skills for Digital Jobs (DS4DJ) programme, earning accredited qualifications in Data Analytics, Systems Development and Cybersecurity.
Read more...
GirlCode Hackathon 2026 kicks off across South Africa and Botswana
News
GirlCode, in partnership with Absa Group, Truecaller, MTN, SAP Fioneer, RS South Africa and other ecosystem partners, successfully hosted the first leg of the 2026 GirlCode Hackathon.
Read more...
Rooibos heads to space
News
A South African scientific initiative linking agriculture and space research has officially launched today with the Rooibos in Space programme at Parklands College’s Innovation Centre in Cape Town.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Local can be international
Technews Publishing
Editor's Choice News
Welcome to the July 2026 issue of
Dataweek. As you can see from this introduction,
Dataweek’s regular editor, Peter Howells, is on extended leave and I am filling the void in his editor’s column – hopefully without being too boring.
Read more...
Landis+Gyr EMEA introduces new company name: EYKON
News
EYKON is the new company name of Landis+Gyr EMEA, formerly part of the Landis+Gyr Group. The company supports electricity, gas, water and thermal utilities in managing increasingly complex networks, improving operational efficiency and enabling more sustainable use of resources.
Read more...
printer friendly version