Michael Malakata

Five international banks have teamed up to provide US$170 million in loans to develop information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure to Eastern and Southern African countries.

Microsoft Corp. has given African countries a US$1 billion commitment though its Unlimited Potential program (UP), aimed at developing information and communication technology around the world.

Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries are on track to harmonize their Internet laws in order to effectively deal with computer-related crimes, and hope to finalize legislation next year, according to government officials. The Zambian minister of transport and communications, Abel Chambeshi, told the IDG News Service that all the SADC countries have agreed to alter parts of their cyber crime laws and come up with common rules by the end of next year.

The East Africa (eAfrica) Commission is on track to start construction, by early 2007, on a fibre-optic loop that will link East African countries to international submarine cable networks, according to project officials.

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) is pushing for the formation of an African regulatory agency that will harmonize licensing and regulatory issues across Africa.

Chinese telecommunications equipment company ZTE Corp. is looking to establish a mobile phone manufacturing plant in Zambia, possibly starting construction by the end of the year, according to company officials.

Zambia's national fibre optic network will be linked within the next two years to the Cable Ship Nexus (CS Nexus) undersea cable that connects Africa to Europe and Asia, according to Zambian Minister of Transport and Communications Bates Namuyamba.

Comtel, a proposed private regional telecommunications company, is on track to begin offering services in 2006, now that national telecommunications operators (NTOs) in 21 African countries have agreed in principal to harmonize regional tariffs and network interconnectivity, according to company officials.