Tunis January 14, 2009 -

A first in Tunisia! Tunisia Telecom launches new offer called "SIGOUNDA" and intended to prepaid subscribers to offer pricing based on the billing from the 1st second.
Whatever the offer to which you subscribe, and until January 31, 2010, you can migrate freely to "SIGOUNDA" by dialing * 130 * 6 #.
Yes! The second is 5 millimes for all local destinations!
With the second billing from the 1st second of TT plus a second to lose!

TT just aligned with its main competitor Tunisiana who recently started charging its customers per second in stead of the old 15 seconds chunk system.

The monopolistic Vsat and Wimax provider Divona Telecom has officially changed its corporate name to orange Tunisia after winning a bid to provide exclusive 2G and 3G cell services becoming in the same time part of the French Telecom group with less than 50% shares as stipulated by the the Tunisian regulations.

The move was expected as part of the new marketing strategy of the company to introduce a well know brand rather than using an old Vsat and Wimax provider barely know or even creating a new brand from the mix.

Ornage France has many exclusive contracts allowing to distribute Black berry and Iphone a growing trends in the telecoms markets with the lack of support from Tunisia telecom and the inability of Tunisiana to market any phones locally other than the HTC.

Months ago, Divona did merge with its little sister compagny Planet a major Tunisian ISP with hundreds of sales shops and hundreds of technical support all over the country, Ornage Tunise will certainly benefit from this asset making it easier to distribute their goods in no time.

Divona telecom has also build a solid structure of Wimax with mostly 60% coverge in the tunisiana territory thus adding GSM repeaters on the Wimax tours already available would be an other benefit to spred its cellular coverge in a couple of months, already outsourced to Huwawei the Chinese telecommunication company doing business in Tunisia and other European partners as Satec.

Via [Tn Geeks]

A Tunisiana insider has reported trusty that Tunisiana has raised all the GSN engineer by 25% and gave them an exceptional bonus of 30,000 TND n made them sign a closed contract for 5 years.

The company seems preventing and overprotecting its brilliant staff from moving -if offered better salaries- to the next concurrent (Divona / orange Telecom).

The last news from Divona bakery were talking about French staff that will integrate the actual team for the GSM platform.

The Divona / Orange - France Telecom group is retained as a tenderer offering the best technology in the process of granting a license for a new telecommunications operator.
What will happen now? Who is France Telecom and its partner is Divona Tunisian who has 51% stake in the new entity they create together?

Groupement Divona / Orange - France Telecom is retained as a tenderer offering the best technology in the process of granting a license for a new telecommunications operator.
It is worth noting that the ministry of communication technologies has almost complied with the schedule, reflecting the superb professionalism of government in the management of major operations. It was the same in the award of the GSM license to Orascom and the opening of the capital of Tunisie Telecom.

Pursuant to the provisions of Decree No. 2009-283 of 2 February 2009 laying down the conditions and procedures for the granting of a license to install and operate a public telecommunications network for the provision of telecommunications services fixed and mobile telecommunications services from 2nd and 3rd generation, the Ministry of Communication Technologies announces the following:

-The commission established by the decree above mentioned report has concluded its evaluation of tenders received in the framework of the international tender for the granting of a license to a new operator of fixed and mobile telecommunications 2G/3G .
-This process has enabled the Group to retain DIVONA / ORANGE - France Telecom, as a bidder who submitted the best technical offer.

This assignment is tentative pending the completion of the conditions contained in the Rules of procedures of the international tender.
The entry into service of a new telecommunications operator aims to contribute to the revitalization of the landscape of the telecommunications sector (fixed, broadband internet and mobile), promotion of investment and employment as well as 'in support of the business climate in Tunisia.

France Telecom is the first telecommunications operator in France and a major player in the world. The France Telecom Group is the leading provider of broadband Internet access and the third mobile operator in Europe and among the world leaders in telecommunications services to multinational companies. It offers its customers, individuals, businesses and other telecommunications operators a full range of telecommunications services. Its main activities include the provision of fixed and mobile telecommunications (local, national and international), Internet services and multimedia communication services, sales and rentals of equipment, information services and other value-added services. Orange is the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile in most countries where it operates, and Orange Business Services brand of services to companies worldwide.
At 31 December 2008, France Telecom serves 182.3 million customers worldwide and 13 million ADSL subscribers.

As for Divona Telecom Tunisia is the first VSAT operator in Tunisia. It is also the only telecommunications operator in Tunisia, whose capital is owned 100% by Tunisians.
Present in the telecommunications sector in Tunisia for more than twelve years, through its parent Planet Divona managed to grow rapidly at the head of the sector.
Planet, for its part, have for a dozen years in the country, it is now a leader in the internet for businesses with more than 100,000 customers.
Both entities are run by Mohamed Garbouj and belong to Marouen of Investec Mabrouk (not Mabrouk Group).

Now that the group is chosen for its best technical offer, both parties will need to create and implement a Tunisian law firm of which 51% (at least) are held by Investec.
This should, in theory, marketing its new fixed and mobile services in six months. These services include:
Fixed:
• telephone service domestic and international, including IP telephony;
• access services to the Internet;
• data transmission services;
• transport services signals in accordance with the applicable legislation;
• Wholesale services (wholesale), including without limitation, leasing capacity and wholesale traffic.

Mobile:
• mobile telephone service, national and international levels;
• Messaging Services SMS and MMS;
• data services including video telephony, mobile Internet, multimedia messaging and multimedia content with mobile broadband;
• services wholesale traffic operators and providers of telecommunications services authorized in accordance with laws and regulations in force.

The License granted to Divona / France Telecom offers also several advantages, among which we include access to existing infrastructure to build its network, obtaining resources frequencies, numbering in codes and international interconnection, provision telephony services over IP, national and international roaming, the provision of number portability so.

The license granted to Divona / France Telecom is valid for a period of 15 years with possibility of extension, at the request of the holder, for additional periods not exceeding ten years each.
In addition, and to promote the dynamics of competition and support the introduction of the new entrant, the Tunisian State has committed to attributing any license additional fixed until at least 1st January 2013.
It will not, either, of 3G licenses to other operators about a year before in order to initiate the conditions of homelessness and use optimum and common infrastructure for fixed and mobile telecommunications.

Source [Business News]

It's now official. This is the group DIVONA / ORANGE France Telecom which is retained as a tenderer offering the best technology in the process of granting a license for a new telecommunications operator, said a communiqué of the Ministry of Technology Communication.

''In accordance with decree No. 2009-283 of 2 February 2009 laying down the conditions and procedures for the granting of a license to install and operate a public telecommunications network for the provision of services fixed telecommunications and mobile telecommunications services in 2nd and 3rd generation, the Ministry of Communication Technologies announces the following:

-The commission established by the decree above mentioned report has concluded its evaluation of tenders received in the framework of the international tender for the granting of a license to a new operator of fixed and mobile telecommunications 2G/3G .
-This process has enabled the Group to retain DIVONA / ORANGE - France Telecom, as a bidder who submitted the best technical offer. This assignment is tentative pending the completion of the conditions contained in the Rules of procedures of the international tender.

The entry into service of a new telecommunications operator aims to contribute to the revitalization of the landscape of the telecommunications sector (fixed, broadband internet and mobile), promotion of investment and employment as well as 'in support of the business climate in Tunisia.''

Source [WebManager center]

It was Mr. Glay Haj, Minister of Communication Technologies, which has opened the 2nd edition of Tunisiana Forum on Value-added services, held on Friday 24 course at the hotel Les Berges du Lac - Concorde .

In his speech, the minister, while highlighting the contribution of''Tunisiana sector development'', said that this forum is able to provide an opportunity to launch new products.

Thereafter, Mr. Glay took the opportunity to review the achievements of the sector. 8.5 million subscribers of mobile telephony at the end of February 2009, he said.

He also stressed that Tunisia implementation, through a set of measures and projects to further boost the sector, including the extension of the pole Elgazela communication technologies, development of networks Cyberparc, the new Act sharing the benefits of value-added services ...

In addition, the Minister highlighted the contribution of Tunisiana in promoting innovation and the promotion of Tunisia as a destination site technology. Among other measures announced by the Minister of Communication Technologies, and following the decisions taken at Cabinet on 16 January 2009:

- The introduction of a preferential system of telephone rates to encourage the development of content through SMS and MMS and the fixing of a discount rate back to telecom operators capped at 35% instead of currently 50% applied and the granting of shares of the discount as an incentive for producers of cultural content and educational value-added;
- Support for call centers oriented toward the local market through the use of simple numbers (81xxxx) and the application of preferential tariffs telephone for citizens to access various services through the phone and mobile and the introduction of reductions exceeding 30%, while allowing the call center of a dividend;
- Introduction of new fee schedules for the green and blue, and with commercial companies active in this area, a larger share of revenue generated by traffic Telecom to encourage it to develop its services with better quality.

A highlight as many as five companies operating in new areas of M2M 70 "TV solutions for mobile, location based services, and other applications based IVR ...

Via [Web Manger center]

For the latest news, the process of opening a third telecom license in Tunisia, and continues serenely on time. This process is currently in the process of answering questions of candidates for the universal license. This process of technical issues where the answers were made by the Tunisian State, even allow candidates to propose amendments to legal documentation of the tender and especially to the same licensing agreement. This phase should be completed by 13 of the month of March 2009 and responses should occur no later than 7 April this year and the submission of bids on May 5, so we should know the name of the candidate contractor provisionally at the latest during the month of June 2009.

Meanwhile, 9 serious candidates are emerging. There are of course the Tunisian Divona, Vivendi and France Telecom in France, the STC of Saudi Arabia, the emirate Ittisalat BSNL and even the Indian and Chinese PCCW of Hong Kong. This means that the Tunisian offer is great international interest, despite the crisis. This also means, as the same ITU (International Telecommunication Union) in a recent report that the telecommunications sector is not in crisis as some would say.

Source [African Manager]

Many sign and rumors give Divona most of the chances to win the bid as a new growing company and the only Vsat and Wimax provider on the country knowing the local market and having almost a wide Wimax coverage that can be easily used for other telecommunication services.

According to a Tunisiana insider at the last Mobile World congress that was hled 16-19 februray in Madrid - Sapin, Orascom Tunisia did sign an exclusive right for marketing the brand new Nokia E72 in Tunisia powered with their pusmail service.

The new phone is planned to start being sold starting next April for tunisiana suscribers only.

Tunisiana has launched an SMS service employment www.emploisms.net
The site and domain name are registred on the name of 3s, Globalnet group.

As a result, competition Tunisiana all job portals being beaten on several points: Capital user confidence, accessibility, Push ...

Source [Pink Lemon]

Tunisiana is bring always stunning ideas, I like the way they deal with Business and high tech.

Recently, the Tunisian Office of topography and cartography (under the Ministry of Defense) has issued an official statement stating that the Court of Appeal of Tunis ordered permanently Orascom Telecom Tunisie (Tunisiana) and Maghreb and NGI NGI International no longer sell the GPS solution Weenee. Immediately, the company has redirected obverse Morocco. Its offer service road GPS navigation has been launched by Morocco Newcom, a subsidiary of the NGI International.

"The application is available on Weenee PND (GPS boxes) and smartphones, or PDA (Windows Mobile configuration) with a GPS. Of these, the tool enables Exchange Weenee exchange between GPS positions Weenee users via SMS ", says in a statement of the company.

Some technical specifications as presented by Weenee: A mapping interface and bilingual English / Arabic; symbolic and voice guidance in 8 languages, the most commonly used as Darija (Moroccan dialect) and Arabic classical solution covering 50,000 km of roads, 42 cities and more than 100,000 points of interest are listed in databases ...

Beyond the solution public, the NGI Newcom International and Morocco say they also offer bids for companies, communities and governments whose webmapping and GPS geolocation.

PND (GPS boxes) with the application and mapping Weenee Morocco are offered at prices ranging from 2575 to 2900 DH. Application Weenee and mapping of Morocco for smartphone or PDA GPS 1500 is sold at DH.

Source [Le reporter]

The Tunisian Association for the Development of Digital Technology and Human Resources (ATTR) held on Friday at El Ghazel Technology Park, an international symposium on "The digital market: An opportunity for investment and the creation of innovative in emerging countries. " This symposium brings together researchers and experts from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France and the USA. The purpose of this meeting is to explore synergies between innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital age, to identify the levers and identify key success factors to enable emerging countries to have a conducive to the creation and sustainability of innovative enterprises...

Source [Tunisia Mag]

The Tunisian Office of topography and cartography (under the Ministry of Defense) has released an official statement stating that the Court of Appeal of Tunis ordered permanently Orascom Telecom Tunisie (Tunisiana) and Maghreb and NGI International not to market the solution GPS Weenee.
The Office of Topography communiqué concludes with a warning (which reminds us of consonance thought over time), which speaks volumes about his determination to enforce this ruling.
Now, given this ruling, the Tunisians may benefit from the GPS only solution they have general public. Note that GPS is available in all supermarkets in the developed and equipped a large number of cars.

The GPS allows motorists and pedestrians to easily recognize their way without resorting to traditional maps.
As for the GPS Tunisian Weenee, it offers a multitude of new services with 40,000 km of roads, highways, streets, avenues, boulevards, etc. throughout the country, and a large number of service centers such as banks , restaurants, archaeological sites, etc..
According to reliable sources, the Maghreb NGI plans to close shop in Tunisia (although it employs more employees) to offer its high-tech solutions in Morocco.

Via [Business New (french)]

Many of the poorer countries in the region have vast swathes of their land not covered by GSM or any other connectivity. Sierra Leone, to pick one random example, has no coverage except in and around its capital, Freetown. It is wise not to expect coverage when travelling outside major urban centres, even to some large towns.

Having said that, some vast areas have been covered by pioneering operators who cannot rely on the sort of infrastructure taken for granted in much of the rest of the world - a reliable national electricity grid to power base stations, for example.

South Africa, Swaziland and Tunisia are among the most covered countries geographically, again by GSM. South Africa is the only major country to have launched W-CDMA.

Via [Silicon.com]

There's no surprise that Tunisia comes among the best networks in Africa as the competition between Tunisiana and Tunisie Telecom was based in three major facts: prices, services and network coverage. i have been traveling the country all around for years in my former job and the cover was always excellent even in the most far places.

It has been more than 6 months that Tunisiana is trying to get an agreement with Black Berry in order to introduce a full support of the handled to its customers, according to our insider in Tunisiana, the challenge is not technical, the current systems can easily support BB, but the clue is that they will have to pay fees for ever connected BB.

The Black Berry itself is not that popular in Tunisia, remember that number one phone locally is Nokia, but many corporations are bringing with them their own tools and technology, as for roaming it works great thus many companies have to get a Europe or US Sim to make their BB working in Tunisia, it's a little expensive considering the roaming fees, but it seems that's really worth it.

Belive or not, a running bid is under the works for the acquisition of the permit to exploit Tunisian land phones in Tunisiana, the bid was lanched lately with Tunisinana and Divona on the race.

Tunisie Telecom will soon get a competitor to its low quality land lines service, the land phones business includes also ISDN, ADSL, T1, ...

If ever one of those -Especillay Tunisiana- gets in the permit we;re going to see better services and lower prices -even from Tunisie itself- areal improvement in the service, just imagine that your ADSL with less paperwork for the 1/10 of the price installed in a couple of hours.

Tunisiana is starting today a new service through its portable and a dedicted wap site offering hundreds of doownloble -via mobile- games and applications, it would be the first time that a phone operator offers such service.

We just knew from a Tunisiana insider that Planet is suing Tunisiana for "selling Internet services", as you know, Tunisiana have started selling a new EDGE service to its customers: a PCIMCA Air card (Sony Eriscon GC85 and GC89 for 400 and 600 TND) and now a much simpler USB Alcatel Modem (For 220 TND) using the same bandwidth as the GSM stream you use to call.

The product is mobile and cost all over the purchase of the Card and 50 bucks per months suitable for any internet mania or business man, the product was so successful that Tunisian run out of stocks, therefore Planet Tunisie (The major Internet provider in Tunisia) declared war on Tunisiana, the argument would that Tunisiana is getting into a unlicensed filed of activity.

It's crazy how such success can make other companies jealous, more to flow keep stay tuned.

Did you notice a new teasing ad in the city? It's an other Tunisiana Hold on sign for the new voice message service, record your message and send it directly to the phone number you like, a fast and efficient way to spread a word, save time or to keep you waiting foe hang up. More details coming soon.

(Photo creadits to Blog2Com)

the telecom integrator and operator specializing in the innovation and deployment of wireless broadband technologies, announced today that it continues its negotiations with Tunisia Telecom in order to act as the provider of this state-of-the-art technology within the territory of Tunisia.

Via [Market Wire]

An insider of Tunisie Telecom just told me about this deal, TT is in process of signing a partnership with the Canadian company to provide Wireless service basically Wimax, the great boom including Tunisiana and some Tunisian ISPs is just getting prepared, the Wimax prices will fall to more than 60% with an upcoming growth of more than 70% by the mid 2009, Tunisie Telecom after seeing popularity of the Wimax and the decline of its land cables services, is seeking to be a good competitor.

he number of mobile phone users in Tunisia rose to 7.8 million last year from 6.7 million in 2006, giving a mobile penetration of 78 percent of inhabitants. Adding in fixed lines, telephony penetration reached 90 percent. The figures were announced by minister for communication technologies El Hadj Gley in a presentation on the country's innovation strategy, reports local paper La Presse. The number of computers in the country grew to 767,000 last year, of which 62,000 were supplied by the government programme to supply family PCs.

Via [telecompaper]

The success of the GSM is due to the competition once Tunisiana got in the market, the land phones are just about ADSL, in fact few people use their land phone else for business, faxes or ADSL, the cell phone is most used in all circumstances.