One of US mobile operators, Sprint, said Wednesday that it was delaying the launch of the HTC EVO 4G LTE smartphone after the devices were blocked by US customs.

The US authorities appear to be enforcing the win by Apple on trade compliance by Android devices. Apple claimed that Android devices infringed on its one-tap screen commands.

Sprint confirmed this in a statement and stated that “HTC is working to resolve this issue.” HTC is reported to be in the process of tweaking its future phones to comply by the new requirement. Sprint further said , “We can’t provide specific timing for product availability at this time.”

Sprint confirmed that it received a statement from HTC saying two phones being imported into the US were “delayed due to a standard US Customs review.”

Through the US International Trade Commission, Apple was handed a “limited exclusion order” directing that HTC stop bringing offending smartphones into the United States effective on April 19.

Apple has accused HTC and other Android smartphone makers of infringing on its patents. A separate but similar case is pending against Samsung.

Orange Kenya has today launched a month long 3G data promotion targeting the youth in target universities and colleges.

The campaign dubbed 3G Campus Offer, will see students from target universities enjoy one month’s free unlimited internet with the purchase of an Orange Internet Everywhere 3G Modem. Orange mobile customers currently enjoy unlimited internet for as low as KSh 39 daily, KSh 249 weekly and KSh 990 monthly while the Orange Internet Everywhere 3G modem customers access unlimited internet for KSh 990 and KSh 2,990 on a weekly and monthly basis respectively

The 3G Campus Offer also seeks to increase the adoption and use of Orange data services through the firm’s high speed 3G modems, as institutions of higher learning re-open for another semester this month.

Orange will be touring various universities and colleges over the next 30 days as it seeks to create awareness of the data offering through sporting events and other social activities on these campuses.

Students who will not be able to access these data devices at their campuses will be able to test and purchase them from select Orange shops. A student can purchase a maximum of two modems once they produce valid student identification.

The 3G modems are plug and play and are compatible with various operating systems to ensure simplicity of use as well as allowing the students to benefit from fast download and upload speeds

The offer that is also expected to enhance the students’ learning and research capabilities through the use of ICT tools and e-learning will run up until June 15, 2012, and will be applicable to dongles pre-loaded with the monthly unlimited internet bundle for KSh. 1,999.

Regulators in Nigeria have fined four mobile phone carriers a total of $7.3 million over poor service in a nation that depends on cellular phones for communications, a spokesman said.

The Nigeria Communications Commission’s penalties hit Bharti Airtel Ltd. of India, Abu Dhabi-based Etisalat, local firm Globacom Ltd. and South Africa-based MTN Group Ltd., some of the dominant carriers in Africa’s most populous nation. Etisalat and MTN must pay $2.25 million apiece, while Airtel faces a penalty of $1.68 million and Globacom faces a $1.125 million fine, said Reuben Muoka, a commission spokesman, on Sunday.

The fines come for poor service, dropped calls and bad line quality in March and April, Muoka said. The commission issued a statement Saturday saying that they decided to allow January and February to be a grace period for the companies to improve their services.

In October, the communications commission warned carriers it would begin fining them for poor service.

“The current penalties signal a new regime of quality of service management in the Nigerian telecommunications industry,” the commission said.

The companies have until May 21 to pay the regulators or they will face further penalties.

MTN, long the dominant provider in Nigeria, has 41.1 million subscribers in the nation after 10 years of doing business there. MTN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Etisalat said in a statement it is committed to delivering quality service to more than 12 million subscribers in Nigeria, and expects to spend more than half a billion dollars on upgrading its network this year.

The CEO of Etisalat’s Nigeria division, Steven Evans, blamed “the failure to hit some of the quality measures” in part on industrywide difficulties including a lack of reliable power, accidental damage to transmission lines and occasional sabotage.

“These factors are unique to the operating environment in Nigeria and pose a tough challenge for operators to deliver quality of service levels equal to that of other countries,” Evans said. “What we would like to see is the declaration of the telecommunications industry as critical national infrastructure which would afford the industry and its facilities greater protection.”

Emeka Oparah, a spokesman for Airtel in Nigeria, declined to comment. Officials with Globacom could not be reached Sunday.

Nigeria, long troubled by pothole-littered roads and little electricity, has relied on mobile phones since the government granted the public access to them about a decade ago. Landlines are almost nonexistent, as the state-run telephone company has collapsed and repeated efforts to sell it to a private company have failed. However, carrier service is often so poor that those who can afford it carry multiple phones with different providers to be able to make calls.

The ultimatum by the commission comes as Nigeria, home to 160 million people, continues its explosive growth, making it a lucrative market for mobile phone service providers. The arrival of Airtel sparked a price war in the market, with local phone calls now down to pennies a minute.

AP

So today we have just heard from the media that the celebrated Kenyan investigative journalist Mohammed Ali of the Jicho Pevu fame has been charged theft of a mobile phone worth Sh100,000. The KTN journalist is said to have been charged at Nairobi’s Milimani Law Courts for handling a stolen Nokia 8800 “worth Ksh 100,000″.

It is not clear if this phone is the same one lost by Najib Balala as reported in The Star newspaper. Mohammed denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Esther Maina and was freed on a Sh50,000 cash bail, according to media reports.

The charge sheet is reported to read that Mohamed stole the phone between June 14, 2011 and 6 July 2011 from Al Mana Electronics along Nairobi’s Luthuli Avenue.

Being the most respected and feared investigative journalist in Kenya, the charges looks like some kind of fix. Where Mohammed works is known so I wonder why Police took a whole year to prefer charges on him.

I am still getting more info on this but Nokia 8800 is a 2007/2008 released phone. It might cost the amount indicated yes but I still need to get to know how Mohammed Ali stole the phone. It just does not make sense. I am not saying that he is some kind of angel. Only that it is funny how the circumstances are.

They just don’t add up. His case will be heard on June 18.

ZiNG has partnered with AVUSA to deliver ten new content Zones. The Zones deliver live news feeds from ten of the most popular AVUSA online news and information sources, including the massively popular Sowetan Live. Readers are able to share news stories with one another in real-time to start conversations, and discuss common points of interest, one of the key features of the rapidly growing Instant Messenger.

The Zones that have been integrated into the ZiNG experience are specifically suited to diverse interests of local audiences, covering a wide range of topics, from local news and entertainment to sport and lifestyle. Users are able to easily subscribe to the new Zones, and are informed of new stories arriving as they happen. Users can view news headlines and instantly fetch the story to read it. Subscriptions are free.

“We are extremely proud to be partnered with AVUSA. Our users are already engaging heavily in the ZiNG Zones, and adding top quality content from partners like AVUSA will ensure value is increased for our user base” said Jason Perthel, CEO of Blazingchilli. “Sowetan Live has one of the largest, most engaged audiences in South africa, and we believe this partnership will add tremendous value to our users”, he concluded.

The full list of AVUSA Live Zones is as follows:

• Times Live
• Sowetan Live
• Sowetan Live News
• Sowetan Live Business
• Sowetan Live World
• Sowetan Live Sport
• Sowetan Live Entertainment
• Sowetan Live Good Life
• Sport Live
• Sunday World

You have a reliable internet connection and you use Chrome or Firefox. Since you are outside the USA, you cannot watch your favourite shows and series just because of your location. Now worry no more. There is an extension for you for any of the two browsers. ProxTube is just what I have been waiting for. Now I can watch any of the shows I want after having this plugin installed on my computer.

The plugin will unblock all US-only videos for anyone to watch

ProxTube automatically routes your YouTube traffic through a proxy server in the US, so YouTube thinks you’re visiting the site from a US location.

Last year, we detailed such a method which Google later blocked. Check the new plugin/extension and thank me later.

The pioneer class at the new Samsung Engineering Academy has officially kicked off its academic programs with a class of 200 students aimed at addressing the critical technical and engineering skills shortage in Kenya.

The new Samsung Engineering Academy established at a cost of more than US$ 1million is the second such training facility in Africa and has welcomed its full scholarship pioneer student intake as part of a wider goal to develop 10,000 electronic engineering apprentices across Africa by the year 2015.

Samsung Electronics East Africa Marketing Business Leader Ms. Betty Radier, said, the pioneer class will be delivered as a modular training program covering digital electronics repair and service skills.

Accompanied by the firm’s Service Leader Koki Muia, Ms. Radier disclosed that the students drawn from Multi-Media University of Kenya, P.C. Kinyanjui Technical School and Kenya Polytechnic will commencing Monday 14^th May, begin their yearlong end-to-end training on digital electronics engineering.

All the students attending the Samsung Engineering Academy she said will receive free training and hands on exposure to modern electronics engineering practices, as part of the firms bid to deepen technical skills and facilitate job creation options.

The training programs at the Samsung Academy, Radier, further explained will help bridge the existing skills set gap for qualified service technicians to repair new generation electronic equipment such as LED/LCD TV’s, Laptops, Refrigerators, Mobile Handsets and Tablets.

“At Samsung, we view the role of social investment as critical to our business growth strategy for Kenya and indeed rest of Africa. We understand that being successful in Kenya requires entrepreneunal attitude and commitment to help create the market and infrastructure and we are willing to walk the talk,” Radier explained.

And added: “this initiative is anchored firmly on our Built for Africa Strategy which commits us to raise technical skills in tandem with our continued marketing of products manufactured to meet the unique African conditions.”

As part of its wider design, the Samsung Engineering Academy is also aligned to the government’s Vision 2030 blueprint to encourage entrepreneurship and self-employment initiatives.

Within the course duration, students attending the Samsung Engineering Academy will receive hands-on, practical skills training at no cost, enabling them to access income generating opportunities in the formal or informal sector upon graduation.

Samsung Electronic East Africa has also committed to assist the students in kick-starting their careers by giving them the opportunity to intern at its Customer Service Centres and thereafter work as independent service technicians or employees in their retail channel partner outlets across the region.

According to Samsung Electronics East Africa Service Lead Ms. Koki Muia, the firm has also opened a Customer Service Plaza in the same building as the Engineering Academy. Besides providing a one-stop shop for service, repair and inquiries on all Samsung products the service centre will also provide students at the Engineering Academy with first-hand experience on how customer and product repairs are managed.

“We believe we can best achieve our goal of positively impacting the communities in which we operate by connecting our social investment initiatives to our history and core business,” Muia reiterated.

And added: “at Samsung we are actively working to develop a skilled workforce of technicians and exclusive service experts to differentiate Samsung as a quality, service-oriented company. We also need to sustain our level of innovation, which can only be achieved if we invest in education to facilitate skills development in Africa”.

Beyond Kenya, Samsung plans to launch the third Academy in Nigeria this year.

Airtel Kenya has donated 200 phones to the Kenya Police Post in Coast province. The phones will be bundled with golden numbers. A golden number is a special number with digits that are easy to recall from memory in times of need and emergencies. The partnership will cover all police stations, police posts and patrol bases in the Coast Province.

Explaining why Airtel took up this initiative, Airtel Kenya managing director Mr. Shivan Bhargava said, that his Company believed that business was not an end in itself but rather a means to helping the society achieve more, and that Airtel has a special role in helping Kenyans accomplish more in their daily lives.

He added that,

“Airtel’s association with the police in the Coast Province is a way of creating positive impact in our communities and ensuring that security is enhanced through a fast, reliable and affordable means of communication in line with the Company’s vision of delivering quality mobile connectivity to all Kenyans.’

Speaking while receiving the phones Coast PPO Mr. Aggrey Adoli said,

“We are grateful to Airtel for not only providing an efficient means of communication but also by touching the entire community in this area and helping with the tools that will make them feel more secure through the enhanced efficiency of the police in the maintenance of law and order in the region. The phones will go a long way in ensuring that security is enhanced through timely and efficient communication between the police officers and the police stations and also between the police and the community at large.”

Bharti Airtel has undertaken various initiatives in the social welfare space while strengthening existing projects to ensure inclusive growth and positive impact in society. In the last one year, the company has extended its initiative by providing quality education to underprivileged children in the 17 African countries it operates in. Bharti Airtel is adopting at least one primary school in each of these 16 countries.

Airtel in Kenya is also assisting schools in Kenya including Kimuchu Primary school in Thika Municipality, Kipeto Primary School in Kajiado in line with the ‘Our School’ Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. The company recently donated twenty five computers to Nyamira Girl’s High School in Nyanza province.

Now a 28 years old graduate, Felix has developed a website called Pub Director. The website ironically provides direction to events, bars, restaurants and entertainment spots within Nairobi, according to an article on The Standard.

“Most of the times when you are at a night out, people call you to ask if they can join you. They again call to ask for direction to where you are. It is challenging and tasking to give directions. I thought I should develop a website to ease their search for pubs,” Felix explains.

The website integrates entertainment spots and locations with Google maps, which ease the search. Armed with enough content, Ksh 250,000 and a team of trusted buddies, Felix got down to work and created Pub Director.

Great concept but Felix need to create an app for the website.

Samsung has launched the 2012 Smart App Challenge  challenge, a global app competition. The competition aims to boost the mobile ecosystem for Galaxy Tab and Note. Through the competition, developers look to win a total of $4.08 million plus lots of benefit in marketing through the Samsung network.

A total of 80 applications will be selected as ‘Samsung Apps Super Apps’ and ‘Best S Pen Apps’ winners

The contest is divided into two categories :–

• Samsung Apps Super App
• Best S Pen Apps

The challenge is open to all mobile application developers across the world. Developers who wish to participate should sign up directly on the App Challenge website (http://www.smartappchallenge.com) and register their apps on Samsung Apps.

In order to encourage participation, Samsung Electronics will carry out an early registration event for developers and a variety of additional events for application users in connection with activities featured on its Facebook fan page for Samsung Apps (www.facebook.com/samsungapps).

According to a recent research conducted by InMobi, Kenyan mobile advertising impressions grew by 12% in the first quarter of 2012. The report shows that more than 2.6 Billion impressions were recorded on the InMobi network in the period.

The InMobi trends are modest compared to the 29% realised by Buzz city in the same period. Buzz city served more than 819,968,166 banner ads in the same period.

Nokia remains a dominant force in Kenya with 58% of impressions on the InMobi network coming from this brand of handsets. The closest competitors are Samsung (20%) and Alcatel (11%). After Symbian, Android is the fastest growing Operating System, but despite this, it still only accounts for 2.8% of all mobile devices on the InMobi network.

See the infographic below

Intel  is deploying a new sales model with East African telecommunication companies to reach more buyers in developing markets through high speed broadband and affordable PCs – as part of the efforts to bridge the widening gaps in high speed internet access and broadband connectivity and boost the region’s information hub credentials.

Intel has yesterday entered into a partnership with Orange Uganda to have a range of affordable PCs and high broadband speeds that will be sold at conveniently located Orange retail outlets. The partnership presents Intel with huge growth opportunities in computing while for Orange it will enable the company reach out to new users and increase subscriptions. The benefits to Uganda include helping increase GDP, Digital literacy and ICT integration into education.

Intel wants to replicate the new strategy that is based on the prepaid model that has fuelled growth in worldwide sales of mobile phones. The model makes broadband and PCs more desirable and affordable and increases the reach to first-time buyers who will pay for only as much service as they can afford at the time of purchase.

Intel Vice-President for World Ahead Program – John Davies says mobility, affordable yet high speed broadband access is a key consideration for consumers hence they now expect new and affordable devices that would ensure they stay connected.

“Providing technology access and IT skills is a cornerstone for future innovation, economic growth and individual progress in the competitive marketplace. Nations must equip their citizens with these critical skills in order to realize their potential in today’s knowledge economy’’, says Davies.

Speaking about the partnership, Philippe Luxcey, CEO Orange Uganda said: “Within 3 years Orange has been able to transform the internet landscape in Uganda by availing world-class internet experience to its customers. The partnership with Intel is yet another building block to Orange’s mission to empower Ugandans to embrace the digital revolution”

Intel views Uganda and other developing economies as the key markets where huge growth opportunities in computing will come from in the next few years. This stems from the fast growing usage of technology in these markets as well as a largely untapped market in both businesses and individuals. Quality broadband connections are fast becoming the business and economic enablers that make possible business and customer service opportunities previously too difficult to coordinate.

Essar Kenya through its yuMobile brand has today launched a pre-paid credit facility which gives its subscribers access to emergency airtime when they need it.

The new service dubbed Credo4yu gives users up to Kes. 20 of emergency airtime credit if they run out of airtime at any given time and need to make an urgent call.

The service is available to those subscribers who have less than Kes. 2 of airtime left, and have been on the network for at least three months.

Speaking at the launch of the service, Country Manager Madhur Taneja said:

“Credo4yu has come about due to consumer demand. Our subscribers have always had the need to keep in touch all the time and this will enable them to get airtime in case of emergencies, which as part of life, tend to arise”.

To access the service, subscribers dial *125# or send a blank SMS to 125 – for Ksh 20 credit or *125*10# or send a blank SMS to 126 – For Ksh 10 credit. Any airtime acquired on credit via credo4yu, will need to be repaid with the next top up before being able to access more airtime on credit. The credo4yu advance airtime can be used for all yuMobile services, including calls to other networks & SMS, subscription to packs, data, as well yu to yu calls and SMS.

Requirements and conditions for Credo4yu airtime advance credit facility

• The subscriber must have been on yuMobile network for at least 3months
• You must be a prepaid customer on the yuMobile network

To use Credo4yu advance airtime service,

• Subscribers dial *125# or send a blank SMS to 125 – For Ksh 20 credit
• Subscribers dial *125*10# or send a blank SMS to 126 – For Ksh 10 credit 2.

HP today announced a range of powerful retail solutions to meet growing customer demand for technologies with high-performance, style and substance in the retail and hospitality industries.

HP retail solutions unveiled today included:

The highly customizable, powerful HP RP7 all-in-one retail system which combines sleek and elegant design with performance you can trust for a variety of retail and hospitality settings, from specialty stores such as fashion and electronics, to department stores, hotels and restaurants.

The HP L6015tm and L6017tm Retail Touch Monitors with multitouch projected capacitive screens are perfect for retail and hospitality environments which require intuitive and familiar user interfaces. Meanwhile, the HP L6010 non-touch Retail Monitor is ideal for space-constrained environments and easily integrated with retail systems for use as a stylish customer or associate facing display.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHtnxXG7gGI

Customizable features for diverse retail environments

The touch-enabled HP RP7 is a sleek powerhorse, giving retailers, from department stores, to fine-dining restaurants and hotels, a stylish all-in-one form factor in a compact footprint. Ideal for retail and hospitality environments which require a retail system to give them an edge over the competition, the HP RP7 has a stylish, elegant design and the flexibility to be used as an interactive signage or kiosk solution, yet has the substance to withstand demanding environmental conditions. Easily customized for any store setting the retail system is available with or without a stand, and can even be integrated into the Point of Sale desk for a sleek and polished look. The HP RP7 is also available with versatile industry standard VESA mounts and configurations which support wall or tabletop mounting so you can position the retail system wherever you need it.

The HP RP7 includes a 38.1 cm (15”) or 43.2cm (17”) touch-enabled display that is sealed to provide resistance against environmental contaminants, such as water and dust. Retailers can add an optional magnetic-stripe reader, webcam or fingerprint reader, and either a two-line or 25.4 cm (10”) diagonal customer display to enhance promotional activities.

The new 38.1cm (15”) and 43.2cm (17”)  HP L6015tm and L6017tm Retail Touch Monitors feature touch screen which offer flexible navigation and interactivity using multi-touch projected capacitive touch technology and offers maximum usability and durability, as well as a sleek modernized appearance. The 25.4cm (10”) non-touch HP L6010 Retail Monitor is designed to wow and is perfect for advertising and promotional opportunities. Ideal for use as an associate-facing display where space is at a premium, the monitor can also easily be integrated with a retail system as a customer-facing display.

Availability

The HP RP7, HP L6015tm, L6017tm and L6010 Retail Monitors are expected to be available this summer.

By Alex Gakuru

Date: 09 May, 2012

Suppose one realises that the implementation of a certain section of Kenya’s brand new Constitution hurts their private interests, for over a decade they had grown accustomed to. Successfully lobbies the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution to suspend such a section on claims of extreme adversities. The Commission, shingo upande (grudgingly) agrees to it though for a defined short period of time, if just to eliminate all doubts on their legal mandate. The the time window expires but the said individual contrives new excuses to rubbish the entire document and begins calls for a complete rewrite -never mind how long it took to get the new Constitution.

In 2006, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) announced a policy resolve to shift from ‘perception’ to data-based telecommunications regulation. Explained the need to make rulings grounded on factual data. On their website is post dated 13 April, 2006 titled, ‘Commissions telecommunications network cost study .’

IN SIX MONTHS tasked Analysys McCarthy Tétrault to specifically seek input from stakeholders on views on expected future development of the Kenyan telecommunications market provision of data for the market model, cost model and development of price controls . But the firm could not deliver the results in six months. An interconnection dispute between Safaricom and Telkom Kenya poured ice to their work.

They however concluded their work on 12 January, 2007 with a presentation to telecommunications stakeholders that included a 52-page summary of three study reports a) Cost model guidelines, b) Interconnection technical guidelines, and c) Pricing guidelines –in total 135 pages of rich regulatory content. And wherein recommended to CCK the gradual phase-out of Termination Rates(or “MTR”).

The Commission implemented the first phase of MTR reduction to the delight of consumers. Online article, ‘Kenya Telecoms Regulator Slashes Mobile-Phone Interconnection Fee by 50%’ by Bloomberg reported.

“The rate mobile companies charge each other for connecting calls across networks was reduced to 2.21 shillings (3 cents) a minute from 4.42 shillings effective immediately, Communications Commission of Kenya Director-General Charles Njoroge told reporters in Nairobi, the capital, today.

The amount will be reduced annually until it reaches 0.99 shillings in 2013, which equals the cost incurred by operators to transmit cross-network traffic, he said, citing the findings of a market study commissioned by the regulator this year.

“The benefit must be passed onto the consumer in terms of lower prices,” Njoroge said.

“This phenomenon is a common practice in telecommunications markets where operators with large subscriber bases price their off-network services onerously in order to discourage their subscribers from calling other networks,” Njoroge said.

Then Zain Kenya reduced its call charges by half to 3 shillings per minute, the lowest in the country, Managing Director Rene Meza said in an e-mailed statement.

Kill MTR, By All Means Necessary?

Phase II of MTR reduction was to be effected last year but lobbying led by Safaricom resulted in a temporary one year suspension. Now that the suspension has ended, bizzare new calls for abolishment of indisputably working consumer protection move by CCK are rife. Safaricom’s delaying tactics never end – just as it delayed the initial study for over four months, caused Phase II reduction suspension for one year now wants the study trashed altogether.

The firm regulatory environment has resulted in Safaricom losing its choking grip on consumers. Therefore read its latest moves as desperate attempts to reclaim its bygone supremacy.

Constructing New Monopolies?

Kenyans celebrated last week’s labour day reading on The Financial Standard ‘APA working on proposals that could lock out small agencies’ by Kenneth Kwama, which stated Kenya’s advertising industry is amongst the most vibrant in the continent. The industry has posted significant growth in recent years and last year raked in Sh65 billion in revenues up from Sh49 billion in 2010. It has grown five fold in just five years, having generated Sh13 billion in revenues in 2006.

“The quest by advertisers’ umbrella body — Association of Practitioners in Advertising (APA) — to control sourcing of clients and regulate tenders in the industry could give big firms the power to squeeze smaller agencies and create a monopolistic regime. If the proposals being fronted by the APA sail through competition and regulatory authorities, advertising agencies pitching for clients in the country will look for clients through the professional body. Of the agencies that send in their bids for a job, only four will be shortlisted..”

In short, APA is seeks to monopolize advertising and determining WHAT consumers will by and HOW MUCH they will pay.

Suspended Constitution and the Law?

Consumer rights as espoused on Article 46 Consumers have the right to goods and services of reasonable quality; to the information necessary for them to gain full benefit from goods and services; to the protection of their health, safety, and economic interests… and Parliament shall enact legislation to provide for consumer protection and for fair, honest and decent advertising.

Part III (Restrictive trade practices) Section 21 on Competition Act, 2010, Restrictive Agreements, Practices and Decisions prohibits, “Agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings, decisions by undertakings or concerted practices by undertakings which have as their object or effect the prevention, distortion or lessening of competition in trade in any goods or services in Kenya, or a part of Kenya, are prohibited..”

If APA officials were wiser, perhaps they should rush to their nearest police station to report themselves for conniving to violate the Constitution on their elaborately stated strategy to achieve the same. Then maybe, just maybe, the OCS may be kind enough to book them into a cleaner cell as they help the police with investigations.

Global Outlook – telecommunications, media and advertising

While a great number of Kenyans remain in the “excitement” phase of modern Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), rapid acquisitions mergers and consolidations in the communications industries are resulted in private monopolies whose shareholders only care as much as their Public Relations advisers insist they should, for media image purposes. And acquisitions of media houses, a few advertising agencies and some film making here and there.

Fund potential politicians seeking elective offices to strengthen their “market” foothold securing their future business interests. As the next General Election nears, can we exclude the likelihood of aspiring County Governors, MPs or Presidential aspirants being funded by corrupt telecommunications firms?

Should it be true, the Constitution of Kenya would be seriously threatened. We, The People, shall be squeezed into a tight corner. The Mexicans, television viewers admire for their many SOAPS, know all too well how it feels to be stuck between a rock and a very hard place.

Published on their 9-25 April, 2007 edition, The Financial Post was an article titled, ‘Billion Dollar Baby’ published blurbed ‘Carlos Slim Helu’s fortune is up almost $20 billion in a year, built amid poverty and resentment in Mexico. Now he’s gaining on Warren Buffett.’

According to the Wikipedia, Carlos Slim Helú is today’s wealthiest person in the world and has been since 2010. Owns extensive holdings in a considerable number of Mexican companies through his conglomerate, Grupo Carso, SA de CV, have amassed interests in the fields of communications, technology, retailing, and finance. Present chairman and chief executive of telecommunications companies Telmex and América Móvil. América Móvil, which in 2010 was Latin America’s largest mobile-phone carrier, accounted for around US$49 billion of Slim’s wealth by the end of 2010. His corporate holdings as of March 2012 have been estimated at US$69 billion.

Why MTR Implementation Must Proceed

If it does not then the message sent out is clear, “We are never serious about implementing anything.”

Have vast proof of spending vast amounts of taxpayers money spent on public interest pretext initiatives, yet the motives and desired outcomes completely opposite. If we can allow APA to violate the Constitution, the Competition Act, 2010, Information and Communication Act, 2010 and Regulations and get away with it, what other proof does one need?

A chilling-effect warning foreign to investors rushing to invest and do business in Kenya. Eroding Reversing current Kenya’s current favourite investment destination in Africa. Casting doubts on the future of the economy and its governance.

Benefits of Successful MTR Reduction

It will demonstrate that Kenya has systems and processes, it follows. The Constitution is not violated, policies twisted, telecommunications laws bent and regulations rubbed off “on-the-fly” just suit an person, natural or corporate’s interests. A nations where set Rules and Procedures are adhered to and independent regulation respected.

It will transform us to a Just society thinking from the ‘Original Position’ – devoid of poverty billionaires. Where no-one gets everything they want, for there mere existence of others means must compromise.

The Original Position is a central feature in John Rawls’ social contract account of justice as fairness set forth in A Theory of Justice designed to be a fair and impartial point of view to be adopted in our reasoning over fundamental principles of justice. A distinguishing feature is the veil of ignorance – to ensure impartiality of judgement. The position of a free and equal persons who jointly agree upon and commit themselves to principles of social and political justice.

Kenya simply cannot afford to reverse the freedoms, economic, social and political gains achieved by allowing ad hoc Constitution, policy, law and regulations implementation.

The parents of Alex Chege Mugachia and Malonza Chege Mugachia, two brothers out of the three Kenyan Big Brother Africa representatives, have started a social media campaign to see their two sons win the $300,000. Dr Joe Mugachia and his wife, Dr Mwikali Mugachia, have taken up to running the Facebook and Twitter pages dedicated to the campaigns to see the two “almost twin’ brothers win the prize.

Speaking to Techmtaa, Dr Joe Mugachia reiterated that he believes that his sons are mature enough to know the good and the bad values they can pick from such a show.

“Alex and Malonza initiated the campaigns before they left. We  as parents are going to support them in their endeavours. We don’t support the boozing, sex and some bad values which have been witnessed from the house before, but we will always believe that we imparted the right values into our children”

When we prodded Dr Mugachia further about what he looks to achieve through the online campaign, his curt answer was that he wants “nothing but victory for our two sons.”

The other housemate representing Kenya in the Big Brother Africa show is Jackson Makini aka Prezzo and self-appointed “King of Bling”.

You can support the Mugachia brothers through these links:

Twitter account http://www.twitter.com/bbamalonzaalex

Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bbalonzialex 

You can support all the Kenyan house mates through this Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/bbastargame.ke/

South Africa’s Mango Airlines has become the first regional airline to offer Wi-Fi services to its passengers in the air. Just as we reported last month, the airline will allow its passengers to buy a “one-way pass” for R50 (for a flight), or a “one-day pass” (for a specific day of travel) for R90, or a “top-up pass” (for a specific amount of time) at R1 a minute.

Commenting on the development, Mango Airlines spokesman Hein Kaiser said that the Wi-Fi will allow people to connect to the internet while flying.

Other South Africa airlines have opposed the idea terming it “a costly addition to passengers.” South Africa’s iOL news is reporting  Kulula’s group marketing manager, Heidi Brauer, as having said:

“The cost to the customer will be too high… and we have a mixed fleet, which means a different retrofitted solution for the various aircraft, also a costly way to go, in a time when fuel costs are high and airlines are tightening their belts.”

However, Marié Bray, manager of communications at the SA Civil Aviation Authority, said that the body had approved the use of Wi-Fi on aircraft which is pay-as-you-use system. The CAA official also confirmed that passengers and aircraft safety would be continuously monitored.

The outage which commenced yesterday evening has been traced to a technical fault in the routing systems. The company has advised customers that its engineers are working with its technology partners to restore services.

The enterprise data service outage affects primarily Safaricom’s business customers nationwide who rely on fixed data services either on fibre optic or WiMax for their connectivity requirements.

Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore while regretting the outage assured affected customers that, “all our efforts are currently focused on ensuring that the services are back up and running in the shortest time possible.”

Safaricom clarified that the enterprise data outage does not affect its mobile data users on 3G mobile handsets and modems in any way.

Some UK bouncers are reported to be demanding that club revellers hand over their smartphones so they can check Facebook accounts, BBC reports.

One victim, Charlotte Neal, 20, claimed that she was asked for her phone by bouncers when she showed her driving license. The bouncers just confirmed that her Facebook ID and photo matched her driving licence details then let her through.

“When it happened the first time I didn’t really think anything of it. Then I thought, ‘Hang on, is this really how you’re supposed to check how old I am?’ But I was out and I wanted to get in the club so I just agreed,” Charlotte said.

Other BBC Newsbeat program listeners also wrote on Facebook and said it had happened to them. Some listeners like Nick Pickles of Big Brother Watch, said he was against the idea of checking Facebook accounts.

“Not only is it ridiculous from a security point of view, it’s an affront to the basic rights of people to be able to live their lives in private,” Nick said.

“If the problem is that people haven’t got good enough quality IDs, then let’s make sure they do have good enough quality IDs. ”This shouldn’t be an excuse for nightclubs to snoop and pry into people’s private lives,” he added

Some bouncers contacted Newsbeat  to defend the idea of checking Facebook profiles arguing that the consequences of letting someone in who’s underage are serious, with the potential for a large fine.

Rene Meza is the CEO of Vodacom Tanzania and he is not relenting in his quest to see Africans enjoy cheaper mobile phone charges. He fought a bitter price battle with Safaricom in Kenya while he was the CEO at the now Airtel Kenya. He then joined Vodaphone owned Vodacom Tanzania meaning that guys at Safaricom are now his colleagues.

So from today today Vodacom Tanzania has launched a new offer dubbed Wajanja which is specifically designed to meet the communication needs of the mass and youthful market.

Under the new campaign, Vodacom prepaid customers will enjoy all Vodacom to Vodacom calls at just ¼ shilling per second from 10pm to 7am every day. The new offer will also see Vodacom prepaid customers enjoying an SMS tariff of only Tshs. 25 for SMS sent to any network in Tanzania, as well as free browsing on Facebook and Twitter websites.

The new offer applies automatically to all Vodacom prepaid customers. “There is no need for customers to subscribe or register to the offer. All they need is to be on the Vodacom network”, Rene Meza said.

“Currently with about 20 million active customers, representing a mobile penetration of around 44%, the Tanzanian market represents a tremendous opportunity for growth going forward, and an opportunity Vodacom wants to be part of as we continue leading the mobile market by proving affordable mobile services”, Meza concluded

Kenya Airways has today launched a mobile service which solely depend on USSD. The service developed by local IT firm Cellulant, will see the airline deliver information on their customer’s mobile phones.

The service dubbed ‘KQ Mobile’ can be accessed through the short code *737# and will allow the airline’s customers to access information on their flight status, timetable, cargo services, ticketing and query their Msafiri Miles status.

The KQ Mobile platform can also be accessed while roaming across all 56 Kenya Airways destinations. The service comprises bulk SMS and USSD platforms.

Bulk SMS enables the sending of SMSs to the airline’s staff and customers through local and international mobile operator networks. USSD (which stands for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) platform enables a subscriber’s phone handset to perform certain business/information transactions by dialing a certain code.

According to Cellulant’s Chief Business Officer Paul Ndichu, the new partnership with KQ will afford the national carrier a range of interactive mobile based platforms to engage its passengers and customers among other stakeholders including staff.

Cellulant is a mobile technology firms which create and deliver innovative solutions that connect millions of customers to diverse services on the mobile phone while enabling corporations better understand and serve their customers.

The company has created various mobile solutions already servicing banking, insurance, agriculture and utilities industries. The company recently piloted an e-wallet to power distribution of fertilizer through the agricultural value chain in Nigeria.

Great that KQ is now embracing innovation. Questions are where are its Android, iOS and Chrome apps for its millions of clients?

David Ngara (Chief Technology Officer), Nick Odero (Chief Executive Officer), Edwin Khamasi (National Sales Manager) at the Metro Network press conference held at the Karembezi, SeaCliff Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Friday 4th May 2012

Six Telecoms Data has launched its new Metro Network in Tanzania. The comprehensive data network covers Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Dodoma, Morogoro, Iringa, Mbeya, and Mtwara.

The Telecoms Data Metro Network was designed with corporates in mind. The company has indicated that it built the network to Tier-1 carrier grade redundancy specifications, meaning that the company built the Metro Network for companies that cannot afford to lose connectivity ever!

Connections to customer premises are provided via digital Fiber Optic Cable and have a redundant licensed microwave link to ensure uptime, this includes global internet access via all three submarine cables (Seacom, Teams, and EASSY) for always on connectivity in case of catastrophic cable cuts or interruptions ensuring Metro clients are “always up”.

Through the Metro Network, the company looks to provide clients with the specific level of connectivity they need; beyond Fiber Optic connectivity, Metro offers licensed microwave as well as WiMaxx (WiFi) coverage as well. This means that whatever a company’s specific data needs and budget might be, Metro has the solution all delivered over a world class secure and dedicated private data network.

Commenting on the development, Nick Odero, CEO of 6 Telecoms Data said:

“As companies grow and expand in Tanzania it is important that they have a dedicated network that will allow for them to connect all of their branches in a redundant and secure manner that is robust and cost effective. Metro is aligned to act as a business development partner for our clients as reliable and secure networks are a vital component to growth within East Africa.”

Six Telecoms Data is already a major player in the East Africa’s telecoms sector, providing various solutions to companies like MTN Business, KDN, Safaricom, Barclays Bank, Pan African Energy, Tigo, Kenya Airways, Stanbic Bank, KPMG, British Gas, and Deloitte, all of whom rely upon the Six Telecoms Data network to deliver high quality uninterrupted connectivity.

Metro is available as of yesterday and connecting your business is easy and seamless!

The second tranche of Tandaa grants were dispersed yesterday. And the winners, as you expected, are not surprising. They are either people who have known Paul Kukubo and Bitange Ndemo for sometime or just seems to have secret deals with him. It does not mean that some of the beneficiaries are not well deserving Kenyans. Many are and I must confess that the 2012/2013 Tandaa grant awards have seen more truly Kenyan companies win including Virtual City and Eat Out. Again the fund disbursement has been changed from single instalment cash-out to 12 month instalments cash-out.

But we still have the usual tech colonialists from western countries or Asia who come to exploit what Kenya has without giving much. Some are but majority have an intricate web of relationship with Kukubo in his personal business dealings or Ndemo as a government official.

I am not saying that talent should not be rewarded but my argument is way beyond that. Look, I have worked in 5 different countries which require work permits. I came to understand why governments need work-permits and the process of issuing investor or business permits to foreigners from experience.

The 2012/2013 Tandaa grants have seen a business owned by an Indian who did not know that Kenya existed some 4 years ago, win some Ksh 4 million without much sweat. Sriram Bharatam came to Kenya in 2010 to set up Iridium Interactive. The business deals in the space of digital marketing. Sriram came to Kenya on the invitation of Google to set up www.kbo.co.ke because then, there were not many Kenyan companies and individuals playing in the fiield. Even now not many does it.

So through Iridium, Sriram earned the Google millions and was even lately involved in the theft of data from Kenyan-based South African start-up, Mocality. The issue exploded and with the sacking of Google Country Manager in Kenya, I believe Google cut down their involvement with Iridium. So Iridium started looking for business elsewhere and they thought of the idea of Kuza Biashara.

Look, I have no personal problem with Iridium, Kuza Biashara nor Sriram but the issue is what the laws of Kenya dictates. When you want to come to Kenya as an investor, you must show a host of things and first, you must show that at least you are coming to invest not less than Ksh 8,000,000 (yeah 8 million) in the country. You will then have to pay a fee of Ksh 250,000 to the Kenyan immigration to gain a work permit as an investor.

So to have some “investor” come and fight for a measly Ksh 4 Million with young Kenyans struggling to get even Ksh 50,000 to fund business idea, is just theft. The argument by Dr Ndemo and Kukubo when confronted with the issues is that “the individuals will employ Kenyans.” If Kenyans were just looking for what to keep their population busy, we would very much encourage robbery, prostitution and drug running. The moment a foreigner makes money locally while he has not much in common with Kenya, he will repatriate his earnings and the profits. The payment to Kenyans will always not add up to much.

Kenyans have ability and capacity to run and create successful ventures. From one of the #140Friday events, you would realise that Kenyans feels that they are being taken for a ride. We don’t need leeches who claim to come to build for Kenyans some ICT expertise which they don’t have.

The LinkedIn Profile of Sriram Bharatam

The same guy behind Iridium and Kuza Biashara won an award at Connected Kenya in Mombasa. Connected Kenya is also an event with the same characteristics of fraudulent ideas. Sriram was with Paul Kukubo throughout the 3 days the Connected Kenya lasted until some delegates joked that the two might have been involved in some homosexual relationship.

Again some of the fools who benefit from the fraudulent actions of ICT Boards or are employed to sing praise to the core beneficiaries argued that Kamal is Indian. Yes Kamala Budhabarty is Indian but he is not fighting for government grants to build Craft Silicon. He has fought to build a company and look for investors including bank loans which he services. VCs at Fanisi Capital have supported the likes of Kamal Budhabati and not the ICT Board grants

Again, how would you want to connect Kenya when you don’t invite KENIC nor KIXP to such an event? Where are the key achievements of Kenya ICT Board and ministry of communications? It is all hype. As long as we still don’t have basic government services delivered in a digital manner, we will never brag of any achievement.

Whenever a visitor comes to Kenya, he will always meet the bureaucratic government functionaries and functions which will just drain them to the last drop of energy. The police, registrar of companies, income and corporate tax filing as well as our immigration services should digitalise their core functions for Kukubo and Ndemo to boast of any meaningful achievements at the ministry. The newly built government data centre in Ruaraka is empty and consuming lots of energy while the government host its key documents including the Hansard from the Kenyan parliament on Google Cloud services.

The constant arrogant retorts by Paul kukubo and Bitange Ndemo on deals at ICT Board which can only be described as fraudulent are sickening. Whenever we have raised points which support them, none of them have complained how much we are praising them. When we raise pertinent issues on integrity, they would rather see no evil nor hear any evil.

Again, from the 2010/2011 beneficiaries, what has been the achievements of Tandaa and how many of the businesses which benefited are up and running? What happened to the rest?

Kenya ICT Board CEO, Paul Kukubo, has called for a formal meeting for me to raise up the issues with his office on Wednesday. I will share more after the meeting.

Safaricom has unveiled a new campaign which comes after the much talked about 2010 Niko na Safaricom ad. The new video has different sceneries and the Niko na Safaricom soundtrack is also at a much slower tempo than then 2010′s. Some of the scenes I can pick from the advert are Olduvai Gorge, Hell’s Gate, Lake Naivasha, Mau Escarpment, Mt Longonot, Mt Kenya and Lake Turkana.

It is not clear what Safaricom has spent to create the current campaign but the 2010 campaign was reported to have cost Safaricom some clean $1 Million. Safaricom was even accused of copy pasting from the Spirit of Australia advert.

Check out the advert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzAMnrjtxIw

What do you think about the new campaign?

InMobi has announced the launch of its new mobile conversion tracking platform, Adtracker. The tracker will help in provviding real-time analytics allowing advertisers to measure multiple conversions on both mobile web and app campaigns, across all advertising networks and publishers.

The InMobi Ad Tracker is separate from the InMobi ad network, not reliant on UDIDs, and is completely free to integrate and use. With this combination, InMobi looks to provide an independent, scalable and cost-effective solution for managing mobile campaign performance in a rapidly growing market.

Chandrashekhar Vattikuti, VP of Products at InMobi, comments: “The industry has been aware for some time that UDID deprecation was on its way. With this in mind, it was critical for InMobi to create a solution with long-term benefits for both advertisers and publishers. InMobi Ad Tracker is a UDID free solution that is independent from the InMobi Ad Network and tracks conversions across all mobile ad networks and publishers. By integrating with the InMobi Ad Tracker, ad networks can get real time feedback on all conversions that they attribute, giving them accurate insights into their mobile campaign results and allowing them to optimise campaigns in real time. This will in turn drive more accountability for spend in mobile, benefiting the entire mobile ecosystem; from advertisers to publishers and app developers.”

InMobi Ad Tracker benefits include:

• Network agnostic and works across all mobile ad networks
• Tracks multiple conversion types across mobile web and app inventory
• Combines multiple tracking technologies to ensure no dependencies on UDID
• Single login to access conversion data across all mobile ad networks
• Real time dashboard view of all conversion events
• Ability to define bespoke goals, for example, downloads, registrations, payments etc.
• Conversion data can be passed back to the originating mobile ad networks to enable real-time optimisation
• Easy SDK integration for iOS and Android Apps and JavaScript integration for mobile web campaigns
• Completely free to integrate and use

For further information on InMobi Ad Tracker contact the team direct AdTracker@InMobi.com.

Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps; 4G (regional))
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, 133 g
• Display: 4.8″ 16M-color HD (720 x 1280 pixels) Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, Gorilla Glass
• CPU: Quad-core 32nm ARM Cortex A9 1.4 GHz processor, Exynos 4212 Quad chipset
• GPU: Mali-400MP
• RAM: 1GB
• OS: Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Memory: 16/32/64GB storage, microSD card slot
• Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and image

stabilization; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps, LED flash, 1.9MP front facing camera, video-calls

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0+HS, standard microUSB port,

GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, TV-out, USB-on-the-go, NFC

• Battery: 2100 mAh
• Misc: TouchWiz 4.0 UI, DivX/XviD codec support, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, Swype text input, RGB light

After the death of M-Kesho, Airtel Kenya got the drift and seems to have been looking for the appropriate partner. Now the company has launched what can be a successor to M-Kesho. Questions have been asked about what happened to M-Kesho.

Safaricom still  maintains that the service is operational while sources at Equity indicate that the service was discontinued after disagreements on which of the two firms should foot the bill.

The Bharti Airtel owned company in partnership with Faulu Kenya has today launched a service where Airtel Money customers access cash on their mobile phones via Airtel Money.

The service dubbed ‘Faulu Airtel Kopa chapaa Service’ will provide short term credit and emergency advance to Airtel customers repayable in 10 to 30 days.

Mr. Shivan Bhargava, Managing Director, Airtel Kenya said

“Airtel is focused on delivering innovative world-class mobile solutions. This partnership will enable our customers to access cash advances quickly and conveniently. We are delighted to be able to offer our Airtel customers access to quick cash loans through their mobile phones, hopefully taking care of the short term needs that everyone goes through.”

Airtel customers will apply for a loan from their mobile phones by dialing *305# and following the menu to access their loans. Customers must be registered with Airtel money and active users.

Mr. John Mwara, Managing Director, Faulu Deposit Taking Microfinance said

“This innovation when backed by an effective credit reference bureau and mature, will complete mobile banking by ensuring offering of micro deposit mobilization which Faulu already offers through Airtel money at a cost of Kenya shillings Five only (Kes 5/-)and microcredit and hence a full banking solution.” 

Airtel money was launched two years ago. The platform offers e-commerce solutions including online payments, online banking, utility bill payments for electricity, DSTV, and water. Airtel Money currently has a dealer network of more than 6,000 agents which include banks, bank agents, supermarket chains and Posta outlets.

President Kibaki has today praised Kenyan On Twitter for using social media as a tool to promote development, peace and cohesion. Addressing a media convention at the KICC, President Kibaki said that was pleased to learn that Kenya is ranked second on the African continent in the use of Twitter.

Kibaki, however, challenged users of these new media platforms across Africa to exercise their freedoms responsibly and use these them to promote development, peace and cohesion.

“This rapid growth of technology use is promising to transform societies in ways perhaps unthinkable only a few years ago. It has enabled the emergence of new ways to communicate, to share information and knowledge, and for people to widen their sense of participation, identity and belonging.” 

The president also warned on the use of “vulgar talk on some radio programmes as well as obscene scenes on television during family viewing time.”

IMG

Business Process Outsourcing is critical in Kenya’s development as it has created opportunities for youth employability in the country, Baris Vural, a director at Techno Brain Group has said.

Baris thanked the Government for identifying the BPO sector of the IT industry as key towards realization of Vision 2030.

Mr. Vural urged Government to invest in training youth in BPO skills from which BPO companies would recruit staff.

He said Techno Brain group has trained and employed about 400 staff working at its BPO division. This move, he said, besides creating employment to the youth, has made services in various sectors in which some of the youth trained by Techno Brain are employed more efficient.

Mr. Vural said Information Technology should be harnessed by Government agencies to improve service delivery to the people.  He said, “Information Technology is faster, easier, more convenient and of better quality in service delivery.”

Techno Brain, he said, is in the process of opening a BPO delivery center in Kampala Uganda by end of May 2012 with capacity of 70 seats.

From the new facility, Techno Brain BPO / ITES will provide integrated IT outsourcing services and solutions including Customer Care, Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, Knowledge Services, Order Management and Web based Services to many of the local and International clients across Africa, USA and Asia.

Techno Brain’s Enterprise Business practice, Vural said provides comprehensive, efficient and robust IT business solutions to meet unique requirements of enterprises and help them sustain profitability in this competitive global business environment.

“Our Enterprise Business practice includes a portfolio of unique IT products and a complete suite of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions, to enable enterprises to effectively manage and address the issues of various functional areas such as human resources, project management, auditing, accounting, financial,” he added.

“With this step, Techno Brain will not only increase the seat capacity but will also have geographic redundancy for their existing and future BPO clients,” Said Vural. Adding that Techno Brain is the first BPO company in East Africa that has implemented ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System (ISO certified)

Among the projects that the Company is currently working on are Content Writing & Management, Customer Technical Support, Helpdesk and BPO/ITES Consultancies.

Others are Turnkey solutions –– Emergency Children Helplines (Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, and Ethiopia) Automated IVR solutions – for example – Maternal IVR HelpdeskWebsite/ Online Research.

Mr. Baris Vural spoke ahead of the East African Outsourcing summit to be held in Nairobi from June 5 to 6^th.

The world’s top mobile phone vendor, Samsung Electronics, through its East Africa subsidiary has entered into a joint partnership with Strathmore University  to rollout a digital learning solution.

Through the agreement and beginning this May, Strathmore University students enrolling to pursue their Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) program will receive their course content and related materials digitally through the Samsung Learning Management Solution [Samsung LMS].

Replication an idea which was first tried in Korea, Strathmore University’s Executive MBA students will be issued with a Galaxy 10.1 Tab with all the education content installed and or accessed from the Samsung Galaxy Tablets.

Samsung demonstrated its ‘Smart School Solution’ at Gyeseong Elementary School in Seocho-dong, Seoul, Korea. The solution is a mobile solution for education which supports a two-way multimedia class using such state-of-the-art system as ‘Classroom Management’ (CRM) and Mobile Learning Management System (m-LMS).

Samsung Electronics Business Leader Robert Ngeru disclosed that the Samsung E-learning solution has been custom designed to raise Strathmore’s academic delivery efficiencies.

“Following a successful pilot project, Strathmore University is partnering with Samsung to facilitate delivery of the MBA program’s course content in a digital format that will be accessible through our range of Samsung Galaxy Tablets, at a subsidised rate” Ngeru explained.

And added: “As part of our enterprise solutions development capacity, we are proud to be unveiling this one of a kind solution in Kenya’s premier Business School which we trust will help raise coursework delivery efficiencies.”

Speaking during the ceremony, the Strathmore Business School Dean Dr. Edward Mungai noted  that adopting E – learning is a positive move towards enhancing leaders’ capacity to deal with not only local challenges, but also focus on the global level.

“The current globalised environment, demands that the leaders are not only aware of their local challenges, but are also prepared to fight it out in an international arena, both in the East African region and beyond,” Dr. Mungai explained.

And added:  “The new Samsung Learning Management Solution will facilitate efficient learning both in and out of the lecture halls thus supporting our endeavours to transform leadership in Africa, through a world class learning environment.”

The solution, which will connect the e-board and Galaxy Tab 10.1 via a Wi-Fi connection, Ngeru said, allows for multiple functionalities such as study resources, sharing via a learning management application (app) pre-installed on the tablets.

Further, with the Classroom Management (CRM) functionality, Strathmore Lecturers will now be in a position to send what’s on the board to the students’ GALAXY Tabs and monitor their devices. The Mobile Learning Management System (m-LMS) provides multiple learning features such as resource sharing and assignment management.