2merkato

Turkish Company, Karel, is set to enter the Ethiopian telecommunications market. The company is interested in investing in the Ethiopian market which is dominated by only a few companies according to Umut Oner Accounts Manager of Karel.  

Karel, a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) manufacturer, is an internationally recognized producer of telecommunications equipment explained promoters. It hopes to be able to introduce Voice Over IP and Closed Circuit TV services to the Ethiopian market. The services haven’t been allowed in Ethiopia as of yet.

The city administration of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has committed to improve the capital’s information system according to Kefeyalew Azeze, Head of the Addis Ababa City Administration Public Relations Office.

The Addis Ababa administration plans to set up a modern and effective technology based information system he said, speaking at a two-day training held on effective information management given to senior officials.

Crescent Tech, a technology service center, is to inaugurate a Hewlett Packard service center to serve organizations and large networks in Ethiopia. The center will service international brand computers and was set up for a total capital 80 million US dollars.

Crescent is a gold partner of HP but is ready to provide services to other brands as well explained Nathnael Mamo, Accounts Manager with Crescent.

The service center will provide services including backup and recovery problems that Ethiopian organizations had to call in professionals from abroad for according to Nathnael.

Ethiopian based organizations including money transfer agents, embassies and other enterprises dependent on internet and related operations voiced frustration at the services they receive from Ethio Telecom services.

The Ethio Telecom customers complained against the weak internet services in particular.

Complaints were heard at the event commemorating Ethio-Telecom’s Second Enterprise Customers Day on Wednesday.

An increasing number of people in Ethiopia purchase counterfeit software unintentionally according to the Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft loses an approximate 240 million birr to software piracy annually in Ethiopia.

Piracy adversely affects economic growth in Ethiopia as illegal software cannot create jobs for students, IT professionals or developers according to Eric Odipo, Channel Lead, Microsoft East and Southern Africa. 

Karel Electronics of Turkey signed an agreement on Monday with View Computer Engineering, an Ethiopia IT company, to work in partnership and to sell Karel’s IT products in Ethiopia.

It was pointed out during the signing of the agreement that in the long run the Turkish company might start assembling its products here and that the agreement could pave the way for such a venture.

Colvir Software Solution, a U.K.-based company that provides postal software and core banking solutions, launched its products in Ethiopia last week.

Representatives of Colvir said that the company entered the Ethiopian market following the steady growth of banks and other financial institutions in the country.

Plans to set up manufacturing plant here in the long run

Nokia, one of the largest phone makers, is planning to invest in Ethiopia within the coming six to twelve months, Brad Brockhaug, head of sales for Nokia in Africa, said.

Brockhaug declined to reveal how much money Nokia might invest in Ethiopia.He said that the company was considering opening a manufacturing plant in Ethiopia in the long run.

Yetim ePayment Service PLC, a newly formed local company, Friday launched a service that provides instant information including schedules of Ethiopian Airlines's departure and arrival, foreign exchange rates, prices of coffee, gold and related items as well as cinema schedules via cell phone to potential customers.

Seven Seas Technologies (SST), a Kenyan integrated information technology services provider, is set to open an office in Addis Ababa.

The Kenyan SST said that it was going to invest nearly one million dollars in its move to register a strong market presence within the horn of Africa region.

SST's venture into the Ethiopian market is powered by a joint venture agreement with Netcom Limited an Ethiopian company.