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Hewlett Packard (HP) launched this week a Toner Cartridge Authentication (TCA) program to help customers confirm the purchase of original HP toner cartridges.

The new technology works on select HP LaserJet printers such as HP Colour LaserJet Pro CP5225 Series, HP LaserJet Pro M1530 MFP Series, HP LaserJet Pro P1100 Series, HP LaserJet Pro P1560 Series and HP LaserJet Pro P1600 Series.

The HP – TCA is free software that validates whether the installed cartridge is an original HP LaserJet toner cartridge or an alternative supply, such as a remanufactured, refilled, cloned or counterfeit cartridge.

When the cartridge is not a genuine HP cartridge, the TCA will present users with additional information to address potential counterfeiting.  If a user receives a notification when they believe they have purchased an Original HP cartridge, they will be directed to HP’s Anti-counterfeit website to report the potential counterfeit cartridge.

The new product is available to customers all over Africa who can download the HP TCA Software and apply it on any HP LaserJet printer that supports the digital authentication

Over the last four years, HP has assisted in the seizure of nearly nine million pieces of fake printing supplies products and components in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Source: HP press release

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Seacom Ltd., a company that operates a fibre-optic link in East Africa, said it was planning to extend the cable into Burundi, Southern Sudan and Somalia in cooperation with partners as demand for internet services continues to grow.

"We would like to expand our footprint," Julius Opio, the company's regional head, said. But he refused to give more details.

Opio said that the first country to be linked to the cable would be Brundi once it has installed 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) of fibre network next year. The cable would then be extended to Southern Sudan within a year of its independence, scheduled for July 9. Over the following two or three years, the cable will be extended to Somalia, he said.

The company currently has fibre-optic links in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya (where its east and north African office is based), Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, Opio said.

Source: Bloomberg

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology signed an agreement with Global Communication Solutions for electronically facilitating unified payment of monthly telephone, electric and water bills. The system would help save time and labour.

Dr. Ahmed, GCS’s CEO, said that his organization was working with the government to address overdue billing problems. He said the agreement would be effective within three years after six months probation period.

The first phase of the system will be applied in 42 service rendering institutions of Addis Ababa while the second phase will be applied in Adama, BahirDar, Hawassa and Makalle.

Delegates from Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation, Ethio-Telecom, Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority attended the event.

Source: ENA

Addis Ababa - CIO magazine of the International Data Group (IDG) declared Wednesday that the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) had been named CIO 100 winner for the 24th annual award programme.

The award programme honours obusiness companies throughout the world for demonstrating an oustanding performance in operational and strategic excellence in information technology.

ECX was selected through a three-step process to be recognized a winner of the CIO 100 award. The selection process involves companies applying online listing their efforts in the creative use of information technology and business programs. Then, a group of judges evaluates the companies according to their merits. And finally, based on the judges' recommendations CIO editors select the honourees.