By Carlos Mureithi

East Africa correspondent

April 1, 2021

Mobile network operator Safaricom has launched a 5G network in Kenya. This makes it the second country in Africa to roll out the technology to customers, according to GSMA, an organization representing mobile network operators worldwide. The company is trialling the technology in four towns, and expects to expand it to nine over the next year.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa described the launch last week as “a major milestone for the country.”  The telco is implementing the project using technology from the Finnish company Nokia and the Chinese company Huawei.

GSMA defines the rollout of a commercial 5G network as one in which a customer can purchase a 5G subscription.  MTN and Vodacom launched 5G in South Africa last year. Telecommunications companies in several other African countries are conducting trials for 5G, but they are not yet widely available for public use and thus not included in GSMA’s count.

While the new development makes Kenyans early adopters of 5G in Africa, questions remain over investor and market readiness for mass use of the technology across the continent. As a result, widespread adoption of 5G in the region, while a promising prospect, may be far-off.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/wt9wxup9

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From satellites launching into orbit to preparing for life on Mars, the sky is no longer the limit for the African space industry. Meet four individuals whose extraordinary work on Earth is propelling this rapidly growing sector, while inspiring future generations of space explorers.

Watch the video at:

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/03/05/inside-africa-space-race-explore-mars-spc.cnn

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DECEMBER 16, 2020

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As diplomats gathered at the African Union’s headquarters earlier this year to prepare for its annual leaders’ summit, employees of the international organization made a disturbing discovery.

Someone was stealing footage from their own security cameras.

Acting on a tip from Japanese cyber researchers, the African Union’s (AU) technology staffers discovered that a group of suspected Chinese hackers had rigged a cluster of servers in the basement of an administrative annex to quietly siphon surveillance videos from across the AU’s sprawling campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.

The security breach was carried out by a Chinese hacking group nicknamed “Bronze President,” according to a five-page internal memo reviewed by Reuters. It said the affected cameras covered “AU offices, parking areas, corridors, and meeting rooms.”

“We cannot estimate the quantity and value of the data which have been stolen,” the memo continued, adding that while AU technicians had managed to interrupt the flow of data, the hackers could easily regain the upper hand.

“We are still weak to prevent another attack,” the memo said.

The alert, drafted in late January and circulated to senior officials, provides a glimpse of how world powers are jockeying for influence and visibility at the continent’s paramount pan-African organization. Some American and European officials have voiced concern as Beijing has stepped in to meet the AU’s needs – part of an Africa-wide shift that has seen China become the continent’s top creditor. Chinese workers built the AU’s showpiece new conference center in 2012 and Chinese technicians still help maintain the organization’s digital infrastructure.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-african-union-cyber-exclusiv/exclusive-suspected-chinese-hackers-stole-camera-footage-from-african-union-memo-idUSKBN28Q1DB

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Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile unveil launch plans for space-based mobile network initially reaching 1.6 billion people

Thursday, 17 December 2020

•AST & Science LLC (“AST SpaceMobile”) secures necessary funding for first phase commercial launch of space-based mobile network.

•Project aims to transform mobile network coverage for the 49 largest countries in the equatorial regions – including Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania – from 2023.

•SpaceMobile will be the first space-based mobile network to connect directly to 4G and 5G smartphones without any need for specialized hardware.

TEXAS, LONDON, JOHANNESBURG – December 17, 2020 – AST SpaceMobile, in partnership with Vodafone Group, today unveiled plans to launch the first phase of its space-based commercial mobile communications service in 2023. The company has secured the necessary funding to take the venture to this next stage, which will cover the 49 largest countries in the equatorial regions.

Vodafone wants to ensure that our customers are always connected and everyone benefits from a digital society. This is why we are a lead, strategic partner of AST SpaceMobile, which is uniquely positioned to provide universal mobile coverage to rural areas in Africa, and in the future, Europe, further extending our leading network. The space-based mobile network will also enable us to provide instant communications in the event of a natural or humanitarian disaster. 

AST SpaceMobile will be the first service of its kind to connect standard mobile phones at 4G and 5G speeds using AST SpaceMobile’s patented space-based network. Today, more than five billion mobile subscribers constantly move in and out of wireless coverage, and AST SpaceMobile’s solution will fill these coverage gaps to enable people to stay connected whilst on the move. This is a significant breakthrough in helping to bring affordable mobile connectivity to more than half of the world’s population that do not have internet on their phone. Traditional satellite systems require expensive specialized satellite phones or ground antenna systems, which is different to AST SpaceMobile’s patented technology, where all that is needed is the phone in your pocket.

The first tranche of AST SpaceMobile’s launch plans will involve the use of 20 satellites to offer seamless, low-latency mobile connectivity that can be accessed by approximately 1.6 billion people across a vast geographical region. The initial service will target an area North and South of the equator, including rural and remote areas of a number of markets where Vodafone will integrate the technology into the services provided by its Vodacom, Safaricom and Vodafone brands. Subject to regulatory approval in each market, these will include DRC; Ghana; Mozambique; Kenya; and Tanzania. AST SpaceMobile will also apply for regulatory approval to launch the service in India.

Read more at: https://www.vodacom.com/news-article.php?articleID=7592

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Other companies which are also providing their technologies include the likes of Nokia, Ericsson and ZTE, as South African telcos are taking a multi-vendor approach in their 5G deployments. https://www.itweb.co.za/content/Gb3Bw7W8RGmM2k6V

Noted from an article by the The South China Morning Post: US defence bill includes 5G rules to pressure Huawei, ZTE (Jacob Fromer, 5th Deceember 2020). https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3112685/defence-bill-includes-5g-rules-intended-put-pressure-huawei-zte

Congress plans to require the Defence Department to reconsider sending military equipment or troops to a country if it uses Chinese 5G technology.

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe: “I have personally told US allies that using such Chinese-owned technology will severely limit America’s ability to share vital intelligence with them,” he wrote in an essay published in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

The bill says that the Pentagon will have to consider “the risks to personnel, equipment, and operations” of the department posed by “at-risk” 5G vendors when making decisions about overseas deployments. It specifically names Huawei and ZTE.

It says it will apply to any “major weapon system” or additional “permanently assigned” troop deployments comprising at least the size of a battalion, which the Defence Department says can be up to about 1,000 soldiers.

It does not apply to short-term combat missions, the bill says.

Soo Kim, a former US intelligence analyst now at the Rand Corporation, said the rule could lead to difficult decisions for some US allies, like South Korea, that may find themselves “caught between” a security relationship with Washington and a trade partnership with Beijing.

“Even if the US is not planning to transfer military equipment to South Korea in the immediate time frame, should Seoul decide to include Huawei in its 5G networks, there’s risks of Chinese surveillance or ability to tap into sensitive communications,” she said.

“For Seoul, it’s come down to weighing security vs economics, which in this day and age have survival implications.” https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3112685/defence-bill-includes-5g-rules-intended-put-pressure-huawei-zte

US/South African Trade

The U.S. and the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), which includes South Africa, signed a Trade, Investment, and Development Cooperative Agreement (TIDCA) in 2008.

U.S. goods imports from South Africa totaled $7.8 billion in 2019, down 7.9% ($666 million) from 2018, but up 32.7% from 2009. 

The top import categories (2-digit HS) in 2019 were: precious metal and stone (platinum) ($3.5 billion), iron and steel ($576 million), ores, slag, and ash (ashes and residues) ($524 million), vehicles ($435 million), and machinery ($414 million).

U.S. total imports of agricultural products from South Africa totaled $389 million in 2019. Leading categories include: tree nuts ($127 million), other fresh fruit ($60 million), wine and beer ($46 million), processed fruit & vegetables ($34 million), and essential oils ($16 million).

U.S. imports of services from South Africa were an estimated $2.0 billion in 2019, 4.4% ($84 million) more than 2018, and 32.5% greater than 2009 levels.  Leading services imports from South Africa to the U.S. were in the travel, professional and management services, and transport sectors. https://tinyurl.com/y5sv3h6u

UK Telecommunications (Security) Bill 

The Telecommunications (Security) Bill aims to give the government unprecedented new powers to boost the security standards of the UK’s telecoms networks and remove the threat of high risk vendors.

Examples of the cyber attacks or breaches the Telecoms (Security) Bill will help to guard the UK against include:

1) Espionage attacks on networks which happen because of the poor security of the companies that provide equipment support to telecoms providers. In 2018, the Chinese ‘APT 10’ group attack on global networks, also known as ‘Cloudhopper’, targeted a range of companies, including in aerospace and defence, telecommunications, professional services, utility sectors and many more. It was one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date targeting trade secrets and economies around the world.

2) Networks being remotely disabled because of insecure connections to other networks, which has caused mobile outages in other countries. This happened in 2016 when unusual network traffic was received by Norwegian telecoms provider Telenor, causing an outage which impacted up to three million customers for 18 hours.

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden:

We are investing billions to roll out 5G and gigabit broadband across the country, but the benefits can only be realised if we have full confidence in the security and resilience of our networks.

Telecoms watchdog Ofcom will be given stronger powers to monitor and assess operators’ security, alongside enforcing compliance with the new law. This will include carrying out technical testing, interviewing staff, and entering operators’ premises to view equipment and documents. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-telecoms-security-law-to-protect-uk-from-cyber-threats

Across Africa, however, Huawei faces controversy of a different nature. https://qz.com/africa/1822312/huaweis-surveillance-tech-in-africa-worries-activists/

The Chinese telecoms equipment giant, which reportedly built up to 70% of the continent’s 4G infrastructure, stands accused of selling technologies to potentially repressive governments as part of its “Safe City” initiative and in so doing helping to undermine human rights in these countries.

When asked if company implemented any safeguards to ensure the technology would not violate human rights, Adam Lane, the senior director of Public Affairs for Huawei’s Southern Africa division, said: “Huawei develops technology not public policy. That is the role of policy makers and legislators.”

“Huawei does not manage, use or have access to any of our systems—we only sell them to the customer and train them how to use it. It is up to individual countries to set their own policies, regulations and laws to govern how such systems are used, and for their legal systems to ensure implementation,” Lane added. https://qz.com/africa/1822312/huaweis-surveillance-tech-in-africa-worries-activists/

South Africa’s Largest Mobile Telcos Brush Aside U.S. Concerns About Huawei 5G Equipment

South African Telcos’ Views on Huawei 5G Equipment

VODACOM: “To date, there has been no public documented evidence of any security issues with Huawei network equipment. We will continue to follow government guidelines and argue that decisions on vendors should be fact and risk-based” — Vodacom South Africa spokesperson.

MTN: “Huawei is a network provider for MTN’s 5G network rollout but it is worth noting that MTN SA makes use of a number of network equipment providers and our voice and data mobile core is predominantly provided by Ericsson” — Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN South Africa’s executive for corporate affairs.

RAIN: “Rain has no reason to believe that Huawei equipment specifically carries increased security risks compared to other vendors” — Khaya Dlanga, Rain Chief Marketing Officer

https://chinaafricaproject.com/2020/10/21/south-africas-largest-mobile-telcos-brush-aside-u-s-concer

Ties between SA and Huawei remain strong

The US campaign to ban Chinese telecoms vendor Huawei is still not making much of an impact in South Africa where economic ties with China remain strong and government support for Huawei continues.

This was clear during an online event for the Huawei 2020 Seeds for the Future training program where both the Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese embassy in South Africa, Li Nan, and South Africa’s minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, spoke of mutual commitments to one another.

Li highlighted Huawei and China’s long history in Africa, saying that Huawei remains an important contributor to the development of the African telecommunications industry. http://www.connectingafrica.com/author.asp?section_id=761&doc_id=763413

South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa “We want 5G and we know were we can get 5G,” he said in a show of support for Huawei. https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2019-07-05-we-cant-be-held-back-by-us-jealousy-says-ramaphosa-on-huawei-sanctions/

China tightens export rules for sensitive tech, boosts power to retaliate against foreign sanctions

The law, first drafted in 2017 and approved in late October, bears resemblance to US Export Administration Regulations, including a list of controlled items like sensitive technology, military goods, dual-use items that have both civil and military uses, and a licence requirement for anyone who intends to export or re-export these goods.The regulation is widely viewed as a response to United States’ restrictions on Chinese technology firms like Huawei Technologies Co., which has seen access to American technology severed amid a growing tech war between the world’s two largest powers.

“The new law could pave the way for state-sanctioned export bans on rare earth metals, in what [analysts] described as a ‘no chips, no rare earths’ tactic, with reference to the US export control abuses against Chinese technology company Huawei Technologies Co.,” said a now-deleted article published by state-run tabloid the Global Times in late October, quoting several Chinese experts. https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3111972/china-tightens-export-rules-sensitive-tech-boosts-power-retaliate-against

SA network operators are reliant on Huawei 5G products that are deemed ‘critically vulnerable’ By Heidi Swart, 7 December 2020 https://tinyurl.com/y5dve4qr

Heidi Swart is an investigative journalist who reports on surveillance and data privacy issues. This story was commissioned by the Media Policy and Democracy Project, an initiative of the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Journalism, Film and TV and Unisa’s Department of Communication Science.

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November 2020 issue:

JEFFREY HILL

Africa’s space community leaders want the rest of the world to stop referring to the continent as a homogenous, “developing” market. They do not want to be seen as a singular entity waiting for global commercial satellite service providers to swoop in and bring economic prosperity to a homogenous group of impoverished citizens. Africa is composed of 55 vastly different countries, each charting its own unique course to a space-enabled economy, built on a wide set of needs and priorities that change over time. The continent is, however, unified in its effort to cultivate an innovative and independently thriving space economy thanks to the emergence of a continental space agency that will share resources and foster collaboration between nations.

Industry experts outside of Africa are largely misinformed about the continent’s progress in space, says Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, GMES Coordinator and Space Science Expert at the African Union Commission. This is why he and the Commission attach a lot of importance to information sharing — not only on space matters, but on the continent’s integration, development and cooperation agenda as a whole.

“One common misconception among foreign space industry experts is to view the current Africa as a traditional dependent continent,” says Dr. Ouattara. “Things have long changed, and Africa now sits on international space formulation committees and has a guiding compass driven by its own priorities. Foreign experts often come to Africa and work on a project for a few years in a single country and leave thinking they know everything about the continent’s economic and environmental needs. They don’t.”

Read the complete article at http://interactive.satellitetoday.com/via/november-2020/africa-unites-its-diverse-and-rapidly-growing-space-industry/

Excerpt:

As part of her research, Dr. Rathnasabapathy has been creating a first-of-its-kind database of African start-ups that are utilizing space technologies in key vertical sectors including agriculture, healthcare, transportation, and financial technology (FinTech), which prominently features satellite connectivity. “FinTech’s early roots in mobile money has grown rapidly to now include a range of financial services, and disrupting the financial services market as Africa embraces digital technology to drive efficiency,” says Dr. Rathnasabapathy. “As 5G satellite network operators provide the delivery of IoT [Internet of Things]-services globally, this technology adoption has the potential to see African countries to leapfrog other nations.”

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Link to post and video:

https://p.dw.com/p/3i6Ff

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Read more at: https://spacewatch.global/2020/09/azercosmos-and-globecast-extend-successful-partnership-to-deliver-satellite-services-to-africa/#:~:text=Services%20to%20Africa-,Azercosmos%20and%20Globecast%20Extend%20Partnership%20to%20Deliver%20Satellite%20Services%20to,capacity%20and%20coverage%20across%20Africa.

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Even as Europeans and Asians join Trump’s ban, the Chinese company continues to prosper from the continent’s move toward 5G.

By Loni Prinsloo

A year ago in June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa got a letter that painted an alarming picture of his country’s economic prospects. The leaders of the country’s four largest telecommunications companies wrote that South Africa risked “unintended and harmful consequences” from President Trump’s plans to bar Chinese network equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. from doing business with U.S. companies. The leaders implored Ramaphosa to undertake an “urgent intervention” to avoid damaging fallout to South Africa and the rest of continent.

Ramaphosa soon threw his weight behind the request and defended Huawei, calling it a victim of the U.S. trade war with China. “We support a company that is going to take our country, and indeed the world, to better technologies, and that is 5G,” he said at an economics summit. “We cannot afford to have our economy to be held back because of this fight.”

Kenya, Ethiopia, and other countries across the region have followed Ramaphosa’s example, and Huawei hasn’t lost a single order in Africa, where the company has been operating for more than two decades and has become a central pillar of the continent’s growth ambitions.

Excerpt

As the 5G buildout begins, U.S. government officials warn that Huawei could use its growing share of the telecommunications equipment market to spy for China, though Huawei denies any spying or even talking with the Chinese government, let alone acting on its behalf. Executives insist it’s a private company, owned by employees, not the state. But in Africa, too, there have been allegations of improper behavior.

In Uganda, government officials worked with Huawei technicians to infiltrate the WhatsApp messages of a political opponent, according to the Wall Street Journal, a report the country’s government and Huawei deny. Similar allegations of intelligence gathering have surfaced in Zambia and Algeria. Huawei has denied that spying took place.

Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-19/china-s-huawei-prospers-in-africa-even-as-europe-asia-join-trump-s-ban?utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter

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The Ethiopian government has suspended the entry of foreign telecom infrastructure companies to the country, The EastAfrican reported. The decision may not affect foreign telecom service providers and operators that have submitted expressions of interest in buying a stake in Ethio Telecom, it added. The decision came after the government reviewed the list of companies intent on buying a 40 percent stake in the monopoly provider.

As well as service providers, the privatisation of Ethio Telecom has attracted a number of telecom infrastructure companies such as Helios Towers. Sources at Ethio Telecom told The EastAfrican that several foreign telecom infrastructure companies had approached Ethiopian authorities with intentions to build new telecom infrastructure and ultimately lease telecom towers and rent other facilities for incoming companies.

Read more at: https://www.telecompaper.com/news/ethiopian-government-suspends-entry-of-foreign-telecom-infrastructure-firms–1349865?utm_source=headlines_-_english&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11-08-2020&utm_content=textlink

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