Agripoa, loosely translated to ‘smart agriculture’, is a Tanzanian-based start-up established by an enterprising young innovator Placidius Castus Rwechungura in 2019. The ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2020 finalist who hails from Mbezi Louis-Msumi, Dar es Salaam, holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Information Systems...
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À peine les rideaux tombés sur la 1ère édition du Concours de l’innovation pour l’Afrique 2020 de l’UAT, Bequerelle Mbou, 23 ans, troisième de la compétition, avait déjà un autre défi à relever. Peu après le concours, Intel Corporation lui a demandé, ainsi qu’à...
ATU had its 1st consultative meeting on WTDC-21 preparations on 11th February 2021. Part of the discussion covered the outcome of BDT consultations. TDAG Study Groups and WGs deliverables towards WTDC-21 were also discussed as well as regional initiatives and their implementation status as...
Theme: “Connecting the Unconnected to Achieve Sustainable Development” For the first time, Africa will host the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-21) from 8th-19th November 2021 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With a lot in store for the continent, Africa looks to supporting the preparation...
“Imagine waking up every day, five days a week to go to school, you are very excited to learn but you cannot comprehend anything simply because you do not understand the language of instruction,” says Abdinoor Yerrow, 1st runner-up of the ATU Africa Innovation...
Today the World celebrates the International Women’s Day, a day traditionally set aside for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. For Africa, and for the ICT community in the continent, this day provides the opportunity for reflection and the possibility...
The radio frequency spectrum (commonly known as simply the spectrum) enables the transmission of information in a wireless manner. The information you get when; watching television, listening to the wireless radio, when on a plane, when using your phone or when wirelessly connected to...
Africa has experienced a notable increase in the adoption of technology in the continent. The uptake of mobile and wireless services, broadcasting, and broadband access has been steadily increasing, and radio spectrum is the central resource supporting these developments. It is not an exaggeration...
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) have today signed an MOU aimed at jointly undertaking research and building the capacity of African Governments and ICT regulators for enhanced broadband development in Africa. The projects to be implemented under...
High-altitude platform stations (HAPS) are easily deployable stations operating in the stratosphere that can provide a variety of connectivity services to end users on the ground. HAPS are high enough to provide services to a large area or to augment the capacity of other...
The ATU Task Group on Emerging Technologies had its second meeting from 24th to 27th November 2020. The meeting was dedicated to furthering the work on four areas namely; 5G/IMT2020, High-altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), Fixed Satellite Service Systems (FSS)/Mobile Satellite Service Systems (MSS) and...
On 7th December 2020, the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) held an online Forum to commemorate the establishment of the Union 43 years ago. The Forum was attended by; five African ICT ministers representing each of the five subregions of Africa, the Secretary-General of the...
The ATU Task Group on Emerging Technologies had its second meeting from 24th-27th of November 2020. Discussions during this meeting were dedicated to furthering work on four areas that are within the mandate of the group namely;5G/IMT2020; High-altitude platform stations (HAPS); Fixed Satellite Service...
Bringing connectivity to all requires a mix of technical solutions. Today, majority of Africans are not connected to the Internet and for those that have connectivity, many face various challenges such as poor connectivity and interruptions just to mention a few. Additionally, the COVID-19...
ATU Task Group on Satellite Resources had its 1st meeting from 8th to 9th December 2020. The mandate of the group is to draft a study report and strategy for the optimum acquisition, retention and use of satellite resources. The strategy and the guidelines...
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) held its first web dialogue with its Associate Members on 23rd November 2020. The focus of the dialogue was on issues of mutual benefit to both the Union and its Members. It was a participatory dialogue where the Members...
Given the strain on the internet requirements of residential areas occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly the ‘stay at home’ directive issued by many governments, ATU proposed a plan to empower Member States with options on how the radio spectrum bandwidth can be...
At the beginning of June, the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ericsson to help decrease the cost of technology across the continent. The MOU is expected to provide ground for supporting the growth of ICT as a critical infrastructure...
The ATU Regional Web consultation on WTDC reform process was held on 22nd April 2020 with over 63 participants taking part in the forum chaired by Mr. Christopher Kemei, the Director General of the Communication Authority of Kenya’s, the country’s ICT regulator. Giving the...
The 21st Ordinary Session of the ATU Administrative Council was held virtually under the Chairmanship of Cote d’Ivoire from 22 to 25 June 2020 with Tchad as the Vice Chair. The opening remarks were given by Dr. N’datien Séverin GUIBESSONGUI, Cabinet Director of the...
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to re-shape the environment across the globe, regulators in the continent have taken action to release spectrum to cope with the additional demand for these resources. It is on this basis and following the 1st successful African Internet Resilience...
The African Union Commission, the Internet Society, and the African Telecommunications Union hosted the 1st ‘African Internet Resilience’ webinar series on 1st June 2020. The event aimed at discussing Internet Resilience in Africa in the context of COVID-19 and assessing the impact of the...
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) was established on 7th December 1977. This founding day has been set aside for annual reflection and demonstration on the key role Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have played and continue to play in the social and economic development...
North Africa’s Mai Nagy emerged as the winner of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2020. The 31-year-old Egyptian national who will be taking home USD 5000 is the creator of a virtual science lab that allows students to conduct science experiments virtually. The innovation,...
Denis Ogwang, an ITU Innovation challenge winner, had over time been watching his friends suffer from preventable water-borne diseases, while growing up in rural Uganda. Generally, millions of people lack access to safe water in the country. Even though clean water pumps are commonly...
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been considered as a key development pillar in Egypt since the 1980’s. This has led to keen and concerted efforts by the Egyptian Government to develop the ICT industry as well as usage of ICT services across different...
Undoubtedly, technological advances drove the first three industrial revolutions: steam power, electricity, and, information and communications technologies (ICT). Undeniably also, having gone full circle, technological changes today are reshaping our industries and are leading a new industrial revolution. With around 50% of Huawei’s global...
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with almost 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The...
With the advent of COVID 19 and the seemingly ever exponential nature of the digital space, there has been a boost in the emergence of new technologies touted to evolve livelihoods and day to day operations across sectors. Notably, majority of these new technologies...
The Internet is a global resource open and accessible to all, and while half of the world is connected to the Internet, existing policy, regulatory, financial, and technical models are not designed to connect the poorer and more sparsely populated regions. Connecting the unconnected...
ATU recently conducted the first meeting on the call for input contributions on the thematic area of spectrum audit recommendations. The Meeting which took place on 3 and 4th September 2020, brought together representatives from South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), ESOA, Policy Impact...
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and Mozilla have signed an MoU for a joint project that will promote rural ICT connectivity in the African region. According to ATU Secretary General Mr. John OMO, the project, pegged on the usage of spectrum policy, regulations and...
With increased suppression of the social fabric in many communities in Africa as a result of COVID-19, and in consideration of the fact that a large population of Africans are generally living in difficult conditions, the ability for countries’ readiness for digital solutions, could...
24th August 2020, Press Release For Immediate Release ATU Launches Competition to Support Young African Innovators and Combat COVID-19 The Africa Telecommunication Union(ATU) on Thursday (20th August, 2020) launched the ATU Africa Innovations Challenge 2020; a competition designed to identify and support young African...
African Telecommunications Union calls for harmonised action by telecommunications regulators and operators in Africa to combat Coronavirus Pandemic Saturday, 21 March 2020 – Nairobi Kenya: The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), a specialized agency of the African Union in the field of telecommunications, has put...
