Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the opening of its first office in Lagos, Nigeria, which comes five years after the opening of its first office in Johannesburg in 2017. This office should allow the company to better respond to the growing demand of its customers and partners in the West African country. These various investments come as cloud adoption accelerates in Africa, driven by the digital transformation needs of businesses and governments.
General News
Uganda and Zimbabwe to Launch Their First Satellites
Zimbabwe's Zimsat-1 and Uganda's PearlAfricaSat-1 nano-satellites are set to be launched into orbit on November 6 from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Commercial Space Launch Facility in Virginia. The two pieces of equipment will fly aboard the Northrop Grumman NG-18 Cygnus to the International Space Station (ISS) and then orbit the Earth.
Gambia Seeks Nigeria’s Expertise in Telecommunications Development
Gambia wants to benefit from Nigeria’s experience to accelerate the development of its telecom sector. Ousman Bah, minister of communications and digital economy, sought the support and collaboration of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) during a working visit to the regulator's headquarters. The Nigerian telecom sector has experienced rapid growth amid an accelerated digital transformation.
Nordic Expertise to Boost African Mobile Markets
Subtonomy, a leading network experience platform provider in the Nordics, has announced that it will be attending AfricaCom in South Africa to bring its world-class digital customer support offering to the continent.
Smart Africa Alliance and ARTAC Sign MoU to Develop Communication in Africa
The Smart Africa Alliance and the Assembly of Central African Telecommunications Regulators (ARTAC) signed a memorandum of understanding to develop communication in Africa. The agreement was initiated by Lacina Koné, executive director of Smart Africa, and Louis-Marc Sakala, president of ARTAC. The signing took place in Kigali, Rwanda.
ODP to Build Much-Needed Data Center in Zanzibar
An agreement was signed between the revolutionary government of Zanzibar and the IT services provider Oman Data Park (ODP) for the construction of a data center. Once built, this infrastructure is expected to house data and information for the public and private sectors in Zanzibar.
NTT Unveils New Data Center in South Africa
NTT Ltd., a leading IT infrastructure and services company, announced the opening of its latest data center in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Johannesburg 1 Data Center is part of NTT’s expansion into the African continent and has a capacity of 12MW, covering 6,000m² of IT space once it is fully built out. The technical infrastructure is supported by N+1 uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS), N+1 generator backup and highly redundant cooling systems. This will provide clients with dedicated sustainable infrastructure, operational control and the design flexibility required to support their high-performance needs.
Tanzania to Increase Internet Access to 80%
During the Digital Council Conext Digital Infrastructure Summit, held in South Africa, Kundo Mathew, deputy minister of information, communication and information technologies, said that the Tanzanian government is aiming to connect 80% of the population to the internet and to increase broadband internet usage from 45% to 80% by 2025.
Starlink Licensed in Malawi
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) agreed to its first-ever high-speed, low-latency broadband satellite internet service license to Starlink, the satellite-based Internet network. Starlink has been awarded the following licenses: network facilities, network services and application service licenses, which will become effective once the information is published in the Government Gazette.
Zimbabwe To Develop Its Fiber Optic Network
Clemence Chiduwa, Zimbabwe's deputy finance minister, revealed after a meeting with Tshepidi Moremong, Africa50's director of operations, that the Zimbabwean government is looking to expand its national fiber optic network as part of a major infrastructure investment project.