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Airtel Uganda Granted 20 Year National Operator License at a “Discriminatory” Price.

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The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has granted Airtel Uganda, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, a new National Operator License at the price of USD. 74.6 million. The license is effective from the 1st July 2020 for a period of 20 years following a “period of negotiation” with the relevant stakeholders.

Airtel Uganda will also be paying a total of USD. 11.4 million as VAT and be authorized to continue providing basic telecommunication services, infrastructure services and value added telecommunication services in the country.

According to a statement by Airtel Africa, “Airtel Uganda will retain all its current spectrum subject to the law and terms of assignment” and under the agreement, it commits to achieve “a coverage of 90% of geographical boundary of Uganda within five years of the effective date of the license”.

However, it should be remembered that MTN Uganda paid USD. 100 million for the same license for a period of 12 years, while Airtel paid less for a longer period of time (20 years), something that has raised questions about the preferential treatment given to Airtel as against its competitor.

It might appear Airtel struck a harder negotiation compared to its competition MTN as it is being claimed that the COVID card was used. Airtel is said to have insisted that the onslaught of the pandemic has hit it hard and consequently affected its revenues.

It is feared that paying a lesser fee for the license, gives Airtel a competitive advantage over its competition, something that companies and individuals believe should not be permissible in a free market society.

Top 5 Critical Reasons Your Business Should Get ISO Certification

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Obtaining an ISO quality certification can result in huge dividends for your business. It helps improve your efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction. However, the benefits of an ISO certification go far beyond business operations. It helps enhance your sales, marketing, planning, and employee satisfaction.

The ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) is an independent nongovernmental entity that develops guidelines to ensure business processes quality. It is crucial to collaborate with ISO Consulting Services to help you set clear objectives and standardise your processes to ensure you are on the right track.

Discover opportunities and identify risks

The optimal way to mitigate quality issues is to stop them from occurring in the first place. According to ISO, you should identify risks in your business and control them with a strategy. When you know how to deal with risks, there will be fewer surprises down the road. It helps you improve your plans resulting in better decision-making and improved relationships with everyone crucial to your business, such as your suppliers, customers, and employees.

The ISO also encourages you to discover opportunities for business growth. Consider how you can optimise advantages in an organised manner.

Stop problems from reoccurring

In many cases, businesses repeat mistakes because they don’t have a system to record and troubleshoot problems when they occur. One of the ISO requirements for companies is to document issues, trace the cause, and develop efficient solutions. Following this protocol results in less waste, better quality, and fewer costs.

Enhance your marketing and sales strategy

Many companies emphasise their ISO certification in their advertising paraphernalia, websites, and company banners on their building. An ISO accreditation helps support your marketing efforts and increase your sales. Many large companies also require their suppliers to be ISO accredited. Certification is crucial if you want to penetrate foreign markets.

Motivate employees

Employees’ confidence and morale improve when they are investing their efforts in producing high-quality products and services. The ISO recommends defining tasks, enhancing training among employees, and communicating your policies on quality to everyone in the company.

If you fail to do things in an organised way, it will result in confusion and doubt among employees. When you follow ISO protocols in your management systems, you provide everyone in your company the tools and resources to do their jobs well. When everything is organised, people are happier, which improves efficiency. They are inspired to do better at their job.

Control your business

One of the ISO requirements is to monitor, measure, and analyse your management systems’ effectiveness. Generate performance metrics to measure your results. It helps reveal areas where you need to improve. It is crucial to utilise these powerful tools to gain insight into your business’s workings for better decision-making.

As a business owner, it is crucial to see the full picture. You may decide to knuckle down on the details to know where you need to focus your improvement efforts. Aside from creating a healthier and more efficient company, the ISO also makes your business attractive to buyers when it is time for you to sell.

It will help if you collaborate with ISO Consulting Services to eliminate the guesswork in your ISO application. Track every area in your business you need to troubleshoot and improve with the help of expert recommendations.

Conclusion

The ISO establishes standards and guidelines for every business to follow. In the end, following ISO recommendations improves your system and enhances your products and services. Obtaining accreditation such as these builds pride in your company and help with your marketing strategies.

Microsoft Teams Features that Could Benefit Businesses

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Businesses are beginning to recognise the importance of digitalisation in the workplace, especially for communication and collaboration. The Microsoft Teams app, in particular, has been finding its way into the modern workplace. 

People use the chat functionality every day, finding it more convenient and effective than using emails. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what Microsoft Teams solutions can offer. Below are some of the most useful MS Teams features that you could use for your business.

MS Teams Video Calling

MS Teams’ chat capability is extremely useful. You can use it to quickly ask your officemate a question, for which an email would be inconvenient. You can also create group chats, share files, save those files, and make use of its many other features. Still, there is so much more you can do with MS Teams. One of them is video conferencing. 

There are instances where video calls are more effective than chat. You might have clients who prefer to see the face and hear the voice of the person they are talking to. Or you might need to demonstrate a new product to potential clients. MS Teams’ video calling allows you to do this too. You could just press the “Join” button to jump into a meeting or press “Meet Now” to initiate a video call.     

MS App Integration

Most offices use Microsoft 365, which gives you access to all of MS Office’s business tools. Integration into these tools is another benefit of Microsoft Teams solutions. You can access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and all the other tools in the middle of a chat or video conference, allowing you to collaborate better and be more productive. 

Teams Microsoft Planner App

You can add the Planner app to the MS Teams platform and increase your productivity. With this app added to your Teams platform, you could easily sync existing appointments with other team members. This will save you a lot of time, effort, and grief in setting up meetings. 

Once the meeting is set up, you can discuss the details leading up to it in a separate chat thread. You can talk about the agenda, decide what files to prepare, and upload them beforehand to ensure that the meeting goes as smoothly as possible. 

MS Teams Helper Bots

Helper bots are some of the more useful features of the full-range Microsoft Teams solutions. Bots can act just like any other team member and offer help where they can. They allow you to streamline your work process by taking care of the more mundane tasks. The T-bot, for instance, can provide the answers to frequently asked questions. The Polly Bot can take polls and help with voting among members. Hipmunk can travel planning a lot easier. 

Real-Time Collaboration

MS Teams facilitates collaboration through chats, voice calls, and video conferencing, and this is just for starters. MS Teams allows people from different locations to access files and work on them together. They can edit documents together while they are exchanging ideas. What is more, these files are auto-saved, so you can be sure that no information is lost. 

No Added Cost for Microsoft 365 Users

Most companies use Microsoft 365 in their offices, which means that many could access the basic MS Teams features at no additional costs. More features are available for a price, but this is much lower than purchasing them from scratch.    

Sub Saharan Africa Predicted 5G penetration at 5%, 84% Mobile Subscriptions by 2026 – Ericson Report.

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“This year will go down in history as the one which saw widespread global disruption … (it) will probably also be known as the year when society as a whole took a giant leap forward in our digitalization journey” writes Fredrik Jejdling, a publisher, the Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks at Ericson in an introductory statement to Ericson Mobility Report by Ericson, a November issue paper highlighting the outlook of global mobile subscriptions.

Findings from the report anticipated over the period until 2026 provided that there will be 8. billion global mobile subscriptions by the end of the year 2026 at 91% and out of the number, 3.5 billion will be attributed to 5G subscriptions accounting to 40% of the total mobile subscriptions, or 220 million by the end of 2020 alone attributed to China uptake.

5G uptake is expected to be higher than it has been with the current rollouts of 4G.

Regionally however, (Africa in particular), by the end of 2020, mobile subscriptions will stand at 41% (GSM/Edge-only (2G)), LTE (4G) will stand at a meagre 15%, and 0% penetration levels of 5G. There will be a 0% penetration of 5G by the end of the year for North Africa and the Middle East. 3G penetration will stand at 44% for Sub Saharan Africa and about 30% for the Middle East and North Africa.

However, by 2026, the study period, Sub – Saharan Africa will have the least global number with 5% penetration of 5G compared to the North America that will be at 80%, and about 15% for North Africa and Middle East. Sub Saharan Africa will have 30% 4G penetration and about 40% 3G and less than 30% 2G.

The report adds that mobile subscriptions on the African continent are predicted to continue to grow over the forecast period as mobile penetration will be at 84 percent by that period, a figure less than the global average, with mobile broadband subscriptions predicted to increase up to reaching 76 percent of total mobile subscriptions by the target year.

5G and LTE subscriptions are predicted to continue growing over the next 6 years, but HSPA (3G) will still be dominant technology with a share of over 40 percent in 2026 in Sub – Saharan Africa.

The factors for the increase in mobile broadband are predicted to be “a young, growing, population with increasing digital skills and more affordable smartphones” as 5G will stand at 5%.

It is Very Hard to Have a Channel Removed – Google Official Comments On UCC YouTube Letter.

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Dorothy Ooko, the Head of Communication and Public Affairs for Africa at Google

While the Ugandan communications regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is yet to receive an official response from google, following its request to block certain YouTube channels, in the country, it feels as if the response will not be positive.

Guru8 has seen a comment from Dorothy Ooko, the head of Communication and Public Affairs for Africa at Google stating that it will be very hard for the Uganda government to expect a channel to be removed with compulsion of a court order.

“It is very hard to just have a channel removed due to a government request” her comment reads.

She goes on to write that in as much as Google follows country’s local law, “it would have to be a valid court order” to move the company to act on the request to remove or block a channel.

“The letters just show what the UCC submitted to the Embassy, they are not court orders” she adds.

The letter is addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc, in California, USA and from the comment from Ooko, it was only presented at the Embassy. It was also authored last week, on the 9th December, 2020. We are yet to see an official reaction from Google.

Ugandan Regulator Writes to Google to Block Certain YouTube Channels

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Page 1 of the UCC letter

Guru8 is in receipt of a letter dated 9th December 2020, wherein Uganda’s Communications Regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission alias UCC is writing to Google asking that the technology giant blocks access to 8 Ugandan YouTube Channels that are accused of spreading propaganda during the currently ongoing country’s digital campaigns.

The channels in question include Ghetto TV, TMO Online, Lumbuye Fred, Trending Channel Ug, Uganda Yaffe, Uganda News Updates, Busesa Media Updates and Uganda Empya that are mainly run by and for the opposition, something that they have in common.

UCC claims to get its grounds from a pile of complaints to it by the government and the police who claim that digital channels like Google’s YouTube are being used to “publish, disseminate and or broadcast content that is contrary” to Ugandan law, provisions that the Commission laboured to spell for Google.

These YouTube Channels are accused of misrepresenting information, views, facts, and events in a manner that likely to mislead the public, videos contain extremist and anarchic messages that could incite violence, they compromise national security and cause economic sabotage, report events in a sensational, unbalanced, unprofessional and partisan manner, broadcasts contain gruesome (graphic) pictures, and glorify lawlessness while undermining public interest and confidence in law and its enforcement.

UCC goes on to cite several laws for their mandate to justify their letter, expecting that Google would respond to the same. However, from past experience, compliance is unlikely.

It should be noted that last time the Ugandan government wrote to Big Tech was in the case against an anonymous Facebook blogger (TVO) seeking that the media giant declare his/her or their identity, a request that was denied owing to the nature of request that was seen to clamp on guaranteed freedoms of expression and free speech, a declaration that would also go against one’s protected right to privacy, to remain anonymous if need be.

Gal Sport Betting Launches ‘Zawadi Kubwa’ to Give Back to Customers

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Gal Sport Betting (GSB) has launched a premium offer for all it’s customers as we gear up for the festive season. Dubbed ‘Zawadi Kubwa’, the betting offer that comes with many goodies to win such as two Toyota wish cars, motor bikes, smartphones among others.

How to participate & Criteria for winning:

  1. 1. As a first timer (Register) or a regular use (Log In) via www.gsb.ug
  2. Place bets on pre-match sports events; as offer only applies on those, and not bets placed on live or virtual events.
  3. Stakes are to be made according to the ranges in table for your entries.
  4. All winners shall be randomly chosen.You can only win once every week, however are still free to participate for more prizes the following week. 
  5. Check out the full Terms & Conditions on their website – https://lp.gsb.ug/zawadi-kubwa/

The Bet starts in five days and the higher the stake, the higher the goodies to be won. Put your stake today and stand a chance to win big. 

How To Choose Your Third-Party Penetration Testing Vendor

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All businesses, whether big or small, must always ensure that all the pertinent data are highly protected. It is the reason why most companies hire a third-party service provider to conduct penetration testing to determine if there are any security weaknesses. It is also conducted to check out the security policy of the organisation. 

While some companies contemplate assigning a team from their company to deal with the security test of the network, most would choose to hire a third-party penetration testing service provider. They prefer an outsider’s point of view to provide a non-bias evaluation of the company’s security system. 

If you are considering hiring a penetration testing service provider, here are several tips to help you find the right vendor for your needs:  

Tip #1: Analyse The Vendor’s Technology Achievements

One of the first things that your company must do to check if the penetration testing vendor is credible in doing the tests is the technology and tools that they use when conducting the process. You also need to determine if the vendor has a good reputation and is well respected in the security research industry. 

You also need to find out if the vendor was able to publish original technology research that tackles vulnerability or penetration testing topics. 

Tip #2: Concentrate On The Vendor’S Actual Knowledge, Not The Certificates

If you choose to put all your concentration on the vendor’s certification and achievement, you may eventually ignore some of the best penetration testers in your area. As a budding industry, penetration testing has yet to a general agreement on a significant framework certification. 

So while major industries inspire their employees to get certifications, it does not mean that you also require your penetration testing vendor to have it because they normally give more value to the individual skills of their staff instead of their industry certifications. 

Tip #3: Look Into The Company’s Dependability And Trustworthiness 

Since you will allow the third-party vendor to access your entire system, including all the sensitive files, customer information, insider facts, and other confidential details, you must always make sure that you can trust the service provider. You can do some online research about their reliability by looking at the list of their previous clients. 

Online reviews are also helpful when verifying the trustworthiness of the vendor. You may also talk to other people in your industry to ask for recommendations regarding the penetration testing that they hired in the past. It would also help if you did a thorough interview with the possible vendor to gauge if you can depend on them. 

Tip #4: Check Their Flexibility And Ability To Keep Up With Your Time

There are times when your company needs to conduct penetration testing during the off hours. If this happens, you need a vendor that is capable of adjusting their time to meet yours. 

You must also ask the vendor how long should you notify them for a test. This information will come in handy if you constantly need immediate penetration testing services.

Looking for a penetration testing provider can be complicated if you have no idea what you want from them. By following this list, you can get the most reliable third-party penetration testingvendor to ensure the stability of your company’s security and pinpoint the weaknesses, so you can start fixing the problems at once. 

MTN Becomes First Telco to Introduce Installment Payments to Acquire a Phone

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MTN Kabode Phone

MTN has become the first telecommunication company in Uganda to allow its users to purchase and acquire a device through payments in installments, a modus that has only been available in the more developed countries.

The payment and acquisition system known as “Pay mpola mpola” allows the users to acquire a smartphone and pay for the same over a specific period of time and according to the Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, Sen Somdev, the idea behind the easy payment system is “to give Ugandans access to the internet through easing affordability of smartphone, at payment terms which are manageable”.

It is however strictly only available to MTN customers (with eligibility guided by how long a user has been on the network and has used MTN services) and allows customers to acquire the device after making the first low initial payment and the rest of the balance paid later in multiple monthly installments. At the first installment, the user is able to take the device with them.

Payments are to be made within 6 (six) months at most at the end of every 30 days but the user can choose to pay the same in lesser installments. However, all installments have to be made via mobile money with an implication that only the customer who has acquired the phone is the one that pays, making it impossible for someone to pay for you, unless if the money from the third party is deposited into the phone of the purchaser.

Currently, the offer to acquire a phone in installments in available for the recently unveiled 4G MTN Kabode, on a pilot to kickstart the plan. The company in its statement boasts that the Kabode is a high speed internet smartphone that allows users to install several apps on it including WhatsApp and Tidal.

Pay mpola mpola according to the statement has so far started in select parts of the country (parts not specifically mentioned in the statement), and would be rolled out to the rest of the country at a later date.

Customers who acquire the phone in installments also get to receive free internet data whenever they make an installment payment.

Why You Should Get a Subscription Payment Platform for Your Business

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Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

There are millions of businesses worldwide that are still having a hard time managing recurring payments from their clients. Having full control of the money going in and out of any business is a challenge, mostly when payment dates are not fixed. Keeping track of your business’ financial status can be difficult if you lack the resources and people to monitor it regularly.

Businesses having a hard time managing their financial transactions can simply solve this problem by turning to a platform that tracks subscription payments. With such software, you are bound to have hassle-free processes and enjoy many other benefits that will greatly help your business. Don’t think twice to get a subscription payment provider if you want your business to grow steadily. 

Save Valuable Money and Time

Since you now have a program that lets you streamline your clients’ recurring billing process, you can definitely save a lot of time and focus on your business’s other aspects. Regular subscription payments are necessary since they can track subscriptions, schedules, and payment information. While they’re tracking these payments, they send out invoices, emails, notifications, and even inform you about failed payments without you needing to check them. Getting a subscription payment platform can help businesses shave off time and cut down manual work done by other people, allowing them to save costs in the process. 

Achieve Excellent Customer Relationships

A subscription payment platform lets businesses determine how their customers behave. Knowing how your customer behaves gives you a chance to interact with them better and figure out how you can improve customer satisfaction. There’s also a higher chance of increasing the customer retention rate since you know the customers’ needs. You can control when they want their payments made and adjust other customer preferences to suit their needs. 

Avoiding Late Payments

Late payments are the bane for every business. When you provide excellent service, you should also get compensated for the service you have provided, but sometimes that compensation may come in late. What’s great about a subscription payment platform is it helps cut down missed and late payments. When customers fail to fulfil their payments, the platform will send out a notification or invoice reminding them of their late payment. They also don’t have to contact you about which payment dates they have missed as the service providers will send them all of the crucial details. When you can figure out which of your customers aren’t paying on time, you can focus more on them by offering adequate solutions to benefit both you and the customer. 

Acquiring Real-Time Reports

When a client pays, the system will automatically file them so that you won’t have to dig through all of the payments. Subscription payment platforms usually have reporting tools and metrics that let businesses organize the clients’ payments quickly and easily. This is one benefit you should take advantage of, especially when your business is constantly growing and more customers are coming to you. It will also help you manage your income and know which customers you need to prioritize. 

Enhanced Security

Some customers still doubt whether to set up recurring payments because they think that businesses are getting money from them secretly. The only way for businesses to gain their trust is by showing secure payments and also ensuring the business is PCI compliant. Getting a subscription payment platform will grant these benefits, ensuring customers won’t have any doubts about their money getting stolen. 

Are you still looking for a reliable subscription payment provider? You can always put your faith in reliable companies like Ezypay. Contact these providers for easy and smooth management of your business finances.

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