Wrap-Up: Our pick of main stories, Friday October 2nd, 2015

From L to R: Safaricom Director, Consumer Business Unit Sylvia Mulinge and Samsung Electronic East Africa Vice President and COO Robert Ngeru
Airtel’s Kshs 2.1 billion licence renewal fee splits CA board…. Student-built solar motorbikes hit Kenya roads…. Emerging Market Partners, GTBank in debit and credit cards processing deal…and more.

Samsung and Safaricom introduce the Galaxy Note 5

Samsung Electronics has unveiled Galaxy Note5 in Kenya. The company has also partnered with telecommunications provider Safaricom for the distribution of the devices. The device which has a 5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED screen represents both partners commitment to the big screen smartphone market, which Samsung introduced in 2011 with the original Galaxy Note.

Airtel Kenya’s Kshs 2.1 billion licence renewal fee splits CA board

Telecommunications firm Airtel’s quest to get its frequency licence renewed without paying the required Sh2.1 billion fee has split the Communication Authority Kenya (CA) board, adding a new dimension to the seven months battle to get Kenya’s second-largest operator on a firm footing in the market.

Student-built solar motorbikes hit the road in Kenya

Motorcycle taxi operators waiting for passengers in this village in western Kenya’s Kisumu County lounge on their various machines – but Alfred Omondi’s plug-in electric scooter stands out from the crowd.

Emerging Market Partners, GTBank in debit and credit cards processing deal

Emerging Markets Payments (EMP), the leading electronic payments processing company in Africa and the Middle East, and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) has announced a processing partnership for debit and credit cards that will help scale-up the uptake of GTBank’s first platinum MasterCard Credit Card in Kenya. GTBank launched the first Platinum MasterCard Credit Card in Kenya in June this year to cater for the increased demand from the growing Kenyan middle class and their resultant appetite for enhanced card products.

Lenovo seeks share of East Africa’s smartphone market with launch of new models

Lenovo is banking on the rise in usage of the 4G technology and growing internet usage by the millennials to drive its smartphone business in the East African region. Known for its personal computers business, Lenovo is banking on the success of its smartphone business in Europe and Asia to propel the East African operation. The latest Communication Authority of Kenya fourth quarter sector report for the year 2014/15, there are an estimated 29.6 million internet users. Mobile data subscriptions contribute to 99 per cent of the total subscriptions.

Strathmore University, IBM extend partnership to lecture halls with new deal

Strathmore University has expanded its innovation partnership with IBM to include IBM z Systems training as part of its computer science undergraduate program. Under the agreement, the initial training of faculty will run during the first week of October and the undergraduate course will officially commence in January 2016. IBM and Strathmore University’s @iLabAfrica, the region’s leading centre of excellence in ICT research have signed an agreement to expand their partnership into skills training for the IBM z Systems (Mainframe) technology. Following the agreement, Strathmore becomes first university in Africa with the capacity for training on IBM z Systems (Mainframe) technology.

Safaricom’s ‘Shangwe Mtaani’ promo to reward customers from 7 regions

Safaricom has launched ‘Shangwe Mtaani’, a regional consumer promotion that aims to appreciate and reward more than 116,000 customers in seven regions across the country. ‘Shangwe Mtaani’ is a 60-day promotion that will culminate with celebrations to mark Safaricom’s 15th Anniversary. It will see customers win devices, airtime and cash prizes totaling to Kshs 100 million.

MultiChoice marks 20 years of operations in Kenya

MultiChoice is celebrating 20 years since its entry into Kenya with stakeholders hailing the company for its role in pioneering the growth of the country’s economy through the entertainment, broadcasting, sports, education and most importantly the ICT sector. According to a survey conducted by Deloitte in Kenya, the impact of MultiChoice on the Kenyan economy consists of both the impact from its own operations, and the wider spillover effects resulting from it.

Airtel, I&M partner to increase financial inclusion

Airtel, and I&M Bank have formed a partnership to increase access to mobile financial service and financial inclusion. This is in support of the government’s efforts to deepen financial inclusion in the country and promote a cashless economy. The initiative will link Airtel Money users who are also I&M Bank account holders’ mobile money wallets to their bank accounts. This means that they can “pull” money from their bank accounts into their Airtel Money wallets or “push” money from their Airtel Money wallets to the I&M Bank accounts automatically.