Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Friday January 23, 2015

This week, we close the tech arena at a more positive notch, from signing of MoU’s and the Government entering into more partnerships with private organisations and even neighbouring countries to Embakasi police station getting connected. This and much more in today’s news wrap up.

ICTA, Oracle sign an MoU to help transition Kenya into the digital age

The Information Communication Technology Authority (ICTA), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oracle to raise the level of technical understanding and IT skills required to underpin the deployment of eGovernment services in Kenya.

Based on the Kenya’s National ICT Master Plan, a strategy to make the country an ICT hub that is globally competitive in the digital economy, the MOU deepens the cooperation between Oracle and the ICTA to broaden the IT skills in the region and support the transition of Kenya and its citizens into the digital age.

Airtel Kenya connects Embakasi Police station with free internet

Airtel has connected Embakasi Police Station in Nairobi Kenya, to the internet for free. Airtel Kenya explained that this is expected to provide seamless and effective internet connection to the station, with an aim of helping the police in improving the public security and ease communication between the police officers in the station, the local community and other security agents.

The police station received an internet device which will allow the station to access unlimited internet for free. The connection will allow the officers at the station to connect to relevant online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allowing them to interact with the public, receive and send information related to security. This will also give them access to security related information and news provided through the Internet which will aid their duties of serving members of the public. The device which has a fixed SIM card in it will also doubles as a mobile device, enabling the officers from the station to make and receive calls. The hotline number 0732804012 will ease communication between the police and the community at large in dealing with crime related matters.

Kenya, South Sudan in plan to lay fibre optics to Juba

South Sudan’s ICT minister Rebecca Joshua Okwaci and her Kenyan counterpart Dr. Fred Matiang’i have signed the memorandum of understanding today that will actualise the laying off a fibre optic cable from Eldoret to Juba that will see the two countries connected.

According to Business Daily, the project, to be funded by World Bank, is set to run concurrently with the construction of the Northern Corridor road network.

Fibre optic cable offers reliable and huge data capacity convenient for video conferencing and telemedicine.

PayTV revenues in sub-Saharan Africa to reach $6.22 billion by 2020

Pay TV revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa will reach $6.22 billion in 2020, up from $3.54 billion in 2014 and $1.92 billion in 2010.

This is according to a new report from Digital TV Research. Excluding South Africa, pay TV revenues will climb from $0.83 billion in 2010 to $1.73 billion in 2014 and onto $4.12 billion in 2020.

The fourth edition of the Digital TV Sub-Saharan Africa report forecasts that South Africa and Nigeria will contribute more than half of the region’s pay TV revenues by 2020 for the 34 countries covered. Second-placed Nigeria will more than double its revenues from $449 million in 2014 to $1,148 million in 2020.

Finally! Did you know you can now access WhatsApp on your Desktop?

WhatsApp is now available for the Web, in a form that pairs the mobile version of the app to a user’s desktop computer.

People can go here in the Google Chrome browser to go to the WhatsApp Web client. A QR code will appear, which the user will scan with the WhatsApp mobile app on their phone to get started. The user’s phone needs to stay connected to the Internet for the client to work.