Airtel and Warid subscribers are now enjoying a uniform rate to call and send text messages to each other following the fusion of the telecommunications companies calling operations, a company official has said.

Prior to that, calling each other's networks cost Shs240, while sending a text message could go for Shs130. This also included the Shs112 interconnection fee per minute.

Warid customers will now call and SMS using Airtel to Airtel rates. The rates, however, depend on the package a customer subscribes to for examples Micro Kiki at Shs300 entitles one to 4 minutes of free calling. Mini Kika at Shs500 gives one 7 minutes of free calling, with Kika at Shs1,000, one gets 25 minutes and Kino Kika at Shs2,000 one gets 90 minutes of free calls.

Airtel Managing Director VG Mr Somasekhar yesterday said the development is a step in the merger exercise, adding that the firm is putting together an integration plan that will ensure that customers access a wide coverage and quality services.

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) gave Airtel a green light to proceed with the acquisition process last week and also assured former Warid Telecom customers of continuity in services.

Warid customers subscribing to the "pakalast product" will be able to use the free minutes to call the Airtel network and the same will happen to Airtel customers subscribing to the "Kiika" product which entitle them to 25 minutes of free calls at Shs,1000.

Just like their Airtel counterparts, subscribers with the "070" numbers will also be able to enjoy international roaming services at local rates.

Mr Somasekhar said the merger, which is expected to be completed in about six months. The deal, which has boosted Airtel's subscriber base to 7.2 million, which is close to market leader MTN's7.7 million, is expected to increase competition leading to competitive pricing, more innovations and improved quality of service, according to Eng. Godfrey Mutabazi, UCC executive director.

He, however, added that the entire process will be handled professionally and in accordance with the law.

For the time being, the two brands will be used in parallel until the merger is completed but the two numbers "075" and "070" will continue to be used even after the merger.
From Monitor Publications

The ICT Association of Uganda (ICTAU), a sector lobby group will be officially launched tomorrow Thursday May 16, 2013 at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel during a breakfast meeting.

The ICT sector including some sub-sectors like Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) have been identified as key contributors to dealing with the huge unemployment in the country.

Albert Mucunguzi, the acting general secretary of the association said in a statement that the ICTAU is an initiative formed by private individuals from Uganda with the main objective of building the professionalization of the ICT sector in Uganda.

Mucunguzi said the association is to provide stewardship to individuals and organisations engaged in ICT in the private sector, as well as offering advisory services to the government on policy based-issues.

“The ICTAU seeks to become the foremost and largest forum for ICT practitioners, managers, entrepreneurs, researchers and policy makers to share knowledge and experience on development informatics in Uganda by working with various stakeholders to be able to improve standards in the country,” said Mucunguzi.

Uganda’s ICT sector is a fast growing unit with a vibrant private sector that has made major inroads even with a sometimes unfavourable operating environment including state policy.

Also, the lack of a strong lobby group has denied this potentially multi-job creating sector the voice to push for a more business friendly environment.

The ICTAU founder members formed an interim committee to spearhead the setup of the association and conduct membership recruitment activities.

“We have been working with some industry stakeholders, and as you will learn in the coming days, we are now at a very exciting period of the Association,” said Mucunguzi.
From New Vision

Sony, the multinational conglomerate with interests in electronics, gaming, entertainment and financial services sectors is looking to massively increase its market share and more than double its earnings in Africa.

The company intends to open a “Sony experience” show room in Kampala later this year as it looks to expand that to 143 Sony branded stores in Africa by March next year from 88 at present.

“We have a clear plan for Uganda. We are setting up a Sony experience center in Uganda later this year,” said Hiroyasu Sugiyama, Managing Director, Sony Middle East and Africa FZE.

He made the comments at a media briefing at the Pavilion, Clock Tower Victoria & Albert Waterfront in Capetown, South Africa.

The announcement comes on the heels of the company’s first full year profit of $435m (sh1.2trillion) in five years in the year 2012.

The company shed 6% of its workforce or 10,000 jobs to achieve the feat according to the Financial Times.
Sugiyama noted that Africa is now relatively more politically stable, stronger economically with significant growth in the disposable incomes of most residents.

The company has projected to make revenues of $1. 4b (sh3.6trillion) from business interests in Africa by the year 2015 through regional specific operations, and electronic gadget sales.

Sony is the dominant player in Africa’s audio products markets at 40%. The company intends to build on this statistic through custom made electronic devices and higher investment in community projects.

A total 164 delegates attended a Sony conference in Capetown, South Africa recently where a wide range of electronic devices where showcased including the water proof Xperia smart phone.

“When we talk about African customers, we should not misunderstand that African consumers choose products only for price.

Research by Accenture shows us that 60% of these consumers are brand loyal and 40% are willing to pay a right premium for quality products that delight them,” Sugiyama said.
From w

MTN Group said on Friday it had launched its long-term evolution (LTE) network in Uganda, making it the first mobile operator in that country to do so.
Popularly known as 4G, LTE provides mobile ultra-broadband internet access at the fastest internet speeds, giving customers the most seamless experience in data services.

MTN and Vodacom launched LTE networks in South Africa late last year.

The launch of LTE represents a "major stride" in mobile connectivity capabilities in Uganda, said Ernst Fonternel, MTN Uganda’s chief marketing officer.

The service offers almost triple the speed of any existing mobile connection available commercially in Uganda and in the region, he said.

For the customer this means you can download large files in no time, stream music videos and high definition movies without buffering and upload pictures without delay. These services will significantly transform the way you interact with the world, said Mr Fonternel.

"Our challenge isn’t keeping ahead of the other operators. It’s keeping ahead of the tidal wave of data demand both in our country and in the region," he said.

MTN Uganda plans to invest an additional $70m this year for further infrastructure development.

In terms of network infrastructure, MTN Uganda has deployed 2,800km of fibre backbones. "Another 400km of fibre is currently under deployment between Mutundwe in Kampala and Kyenjojo district in Western Uganda and should be completed within the coming months," said Rami Farah, MTN Uganda’s chief technical officer.