JuaSimu – the world’s first solar-powered smartphone

Inexpensive smartphones are enabling mobile subscribers to access the internet at unprecedented levels across the African continent. However, it’s a challenge to keep mobile devices powered up, especially when access to electricity is often expensive, and unreliable. It is estimated that as many as 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, with the electrification rate as low as 14.2% in rural areas. Solar energy can be an economically and environmentally competitive option that can contribute significantly to this scenario.

Today, Dotsavvy is delighted to launch its breakthrough innovation – JuaSimu – the world’s first solar-powered smartphone, made in Kenya. Dotsavvy’s research and development team has been working in stealth for almost 3 years developing a smartphone that is uniquely suited for Africa where access to reliable and affordable electricity can be challenging. JuaSimu is unique in that it has been designed from the bottom up to be a smartphone that relies solely on solar power.

The JuaSimu screen is an integrated solar panel that charges the battery whenever its exposed to the sun. The JuaSimu does not come with any charging cables or adaptors since it works directly from solar energy which is abundant for most of the year in Africa. Dotsavvy closely with Tesla Motors to develop a unique battery for the JuaSimu that can last longer and requires shorter charging cycles to achieve a full day of operating capacity. This battery technology is so cutting edge that Dotsavvy has patented the same.

Valentine Mghoi, User Experience Lead at Dotsavvy says, “JuaSimu is a massive breakthrough in terms of what a modern smartphone should be for African consumers taking into consideration our unique market conditions. JuaSimu is a mid-range Android smartphone and yet it packs amazing features in a cost-effective and high performance package. The seamless and refined user experience from the hardware to the software makes it look and work like most great smartphones, except JuaSimu is a one of a kind in that it only works using solar energy”.

Kenneth Ikiara, General Manager at Dotsavvy, says, “For almost 15 years the focus at Dotsavvy has been in digital solutions that enhance business performance. JuaSimu is our first foray in a consumer hardware offering which was a completely new experience for us compared to what we normally do. We had to work with global partners like Google and Tesla Motors to bring it to life. We are delighted to have made JuaSimu a reality after three years of hard work by our team”.

JuaSimu will be available from today the 1st April 2017 at all major supermarkets and mobile phone dealerships at an introductory launch price of Kes. 10,000.00 only. In addition, the first 1,000 buyers of JuaSimu smartphones will get a chance to win an all-expenses paid holiday to South Africa if they buy one by the end of August 2017. JuaSimu will also be available beyond Kenya from the 1st July 2017 in markets like Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

Source: Dotsavvy 

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Telecom firms ‘reprimanded’

THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) intends to take measures against telecom firms that reviewed promotion data tariffs without its express permission.

The law, section 5(2) and 12(2) of the 2011 Electronic and Postal Communications (Tariffs Regulations), directs telecoms to file their new tariffs plans prior to being used.

However, Vodacom, Tigo and Airtel, unilaterally changed their daily, weekly and monthly voice, SMS and internet bundles reducing substantially data package amounts and prices.

TCRA Communications Manager Innocent Mungy said in Dar es Salaam that although the tariffs adjusted were of promotional nature the providers were supposed to notify the regulator before putting them into effect.

“TCRA is not regulating promotion tariffs but the law directs them to notify us prior of use,” Mr Mungy pointed out, noting that the telecom firms have for long enticed customers to use internet data thus going into a promotion binge.

“The trend shows that providers have reduced heavily on internet and want subscribers to start buying normal internet bundles,” he said.

According to the TCRA statement, the authority shall impose penalties as shall be (deemed) necessary, directing service providers “to adhere to the law when reviewing their tariffs.” The authority also directed telecom firms to ensure that any changes are “gradual and not abrupt to avoid shocks in the markets”.

The regulator’s intervention into the matter has come following the subscribers’ outcry after the three providers heavily slashed bundle amounts despite the service being optional among users.

Promotional prices show that telecom service providers have increased the number of minutes for voice and SMS amount but reduced internet bundles considerably.

The most affected area was on internet bundles where the lowest daily tariffs went down to between 8.0 and 10 megabytes from between 15 and 250mbs.

Weekly megabytes plummeted to between 60 and 70mb from between 100 and 2000 while monthly to between 250 and 300mb from between 300 and 4000mb while monthly down to between 300 and 4000mb to between 250 and 300mb.

However, TCRA directs service providers to give their customers choice of separate bundle plans.

For the voice, SMS and internet services, a consumer should be given the liberty of how much to spend for a given price and period of time.

Source: DailyNews

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Ghana to abolish taxes on imported smartphones by 2015

The Ghanaian government has announced it would abolish taxes on all imported smartphones by next. This development was announced by the government through the 2015 budget.

The government said it realised that although Ghana has high mobile phone penetration, smartphones only represent 15%.

“Communication is shifting from voice to data and mobile data is projected to grow 6.3 times between 2013 and 2018. It is being proposed that in order to increase smartphone penetration, and in line with Government’s policy of bridging the digital divide within the country, import duties on smartphones will be removed. It is expected that the increase in smartphone penetration will increase revenue from Communication Service Tax, VAT and corporate taxes,” the government stated in the budget.

Sonia Jorge, Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4Ai) while commending the government of Ghana for the decision said removing import taxes is a key first step towards getting every Ghanaian online. The issue of mobile phone tax was among the topics discussed at A4AI’s first in-country engagement held in Ghana.

“Taxes make up more than a third of the cost of a smartphone in Ghana, and as a result only about 15% of the population currently have one. It’s worth noting that when Kenya scrapped VAT on handsets in 2009, devices in circulation quadrupled and overall mobile penetration rose from 50% to more than 70%. We hope to see similar results in Ghana,” Jorge said.

In an exclusive interview with HumanIPO, she said the aim of A4AI is to bring outdated policy and regulatory frameworks into the digital age by working directly with national governments and a wide range of key stakeholders.

Following the introduction of the tax, HumanIPO reported the Concerned Mobile Phone and Accessories Dealers group had closed their shops in protest against the tax which has previously been welcomed by native manufacturers such as Rlg Communications. Ghana’s Association of Independent Mobile Phone and Credit Dealers (ASIMODE) also warned the introduction of the 20% tax on imported devices would have a direct repercussion on the businesses of its members.

source:humanipo

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Mobile industry has transformed millions of lives across Africa – GSMA

Anne Bouverot, Director General of the GSMA has said the mobile industry has transformed the lives of millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa. Bouverot said this while commenting on ‘Mobile Economy 2014: Sub-Saharan Africa’, the new GSMA report released at the Mobile 360-Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa.

“The mobile industry has transformed the lives of millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa, providing not just connectivity but also an essential gateway to a wide range of healthcare, education and financial services,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General of the GSMA.

According to the DG, over the next years, Africa will record millions of new subscribers.

“As today’s report shows, millions of additional citizens in the region will become mobile subscribers over the next six years, with many being able to access the internet for the first time via low-cost smartphones and mobile broadband networks. Operators and other ecosystem players, as well as governments and regulators, all have a role to play in ensuring that affordable mobile services can be extended across the region,” said Bouverot.

According to GSMA, over the last five years, Africa has been the world’s fastest-growing mobile region in terms of both unique mobile subscribers and mobile connections, and is forecast to continue to lead global growth through 2020. It said unique mobile subscriber penetration as a percentage of the region’s population is forecast to rise to 49 per cent by this point.

Source:humanipo

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CRDB Bank upgrades SIM banking

IN a bid to provide efficient and secure services, CRDB Bank has further improved its SIM Banking to accommodate new features that give customers the conveniences to perform more transactions at any location in the world.

Mobile phones have clearly shown that they can be an effective channel to provide financial services including remittances, savings or even loans.

So, banks have an opportunity to utilise mobile phones to reach out to their customers. This was unveiled at the weekend by the CRDB Bank Managing Director, Dr Charles Kimei, at a news conference on improvement made on SIM Banking.

"CRDB Bank is always seeking to create easy and less cost accessibility to the banking services to its customers," he said, adding this is why the bank is incorporating its services with the fast changing mobile money technology which is the future of the banking sector.

Dr Kimei urged its customers to register with the SIM Banking established in 2008, which gives them best and different options of performing bank transactions at any location.

Currently, over 300,000 CRDB Bank customers are using SIM Banking in its database with over one million customers.

According to Finscope 2013 report, more than 30 million Tanzanians own or use mobile phone but only 12 million use the cellphones to perform money transactions.

Statistics reveal further that the bankable population is around 17 per cent of the 45 million total population. The data offers the banking sector with the huge opportunity to spread its services to the unbankable population in rural areas, thus complimenting the government initiative of financial inclusion.

The CRDB Manager Electronic Banking, Mr Mangire Kibanda, said the bank has simplified the SIM Banking registration where customers register for themselves without visiting the bank branches.

SIM Banking present customers with an easy, hassle-free and convenient way to pay your bills like electricity, water, and airtime. Some of the companies incorporated into the SIM Banking include Dawasco, Moruwasa and Startimes. Also, money transactions through M-PESA and TIGO-Pesa.

The CRDB Director of Risk and Compliance, Mr James Mabura, cautioned customers to avoid disclosing the bank account particulars to people or hackers, who present themselves as CRDB staff having an ill will to steal their money.

Also, he urged customers to keep secure their pin number which are used in performing ATM and mobile money transactions.

Source:Dailynews

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Vodacom launches unlimited internet

ALL Vodacom customers will from now on have unlimited access to internet regardless of the type of phone that they use. The unlimited data bundle dubbed - Uhuru Wa Kweli- is available at daily, weekly and monthly rates.

Vodacom Tanzania Managing Director Rene Meza said on Sunday there was need for Tanzanians to have access to internet at affordable rates. “This is the only way that we will be able to bridge the digital divide in the country,” he said.

He goes on to say that, “we understand our customers use an array of handsets in the market today and that is why we have configured our network and data bundles to allow them the freedom to use whatsapp, facebook, twitter and any other internet service of their choice using any device of their choice.”

Uhuru wa Kweli allows Vodacom customers to buy daily data bundles for 1000/- , weekly ones for 6,000/- whereas the monthly bundles go for 20,000/. “We are already seeing tens of thousands of customers using the bundles!” says Meza.

To subscribe to Uhuru wa Kweli , customers have to dial *149*01# and choose their preferred package for the day, week or month. This will provide them with unlimited access to the internet. Vodacom has the widest 3G coverage in Tanzania.

This allows our customers to access the internet for among other things; on-line banking, e-learning, business and many other other services at the fastest possible speeds all over the country.

Source:Dailynews

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