HiPipo Money

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MTN Uganda stood out at the inaugural Digital Impact Awards Africa #DIAA ceremony held on Thursday 21st August 2014 at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel. The Digital Impact Awards Africa were organized by Cyberplc and HiPipo, in partnership with the National Information Technology Authority (NITA) Uganda. Under the theme “Maximizing the Digital Dividend”, the awards sought to recognize andappreciate organizations that are spearheading the use of digital mediums in improving the ways of life for customers and entire communities.

The Digital Impact Awards aim to champion innovation and application of best practice to foster sustainability of digital innovations, products and services that will deliver maximum digital dividends across Africa.

MTN was nominated in 7 categories:

1. Digital Brand of the Year
2. Best Corporate Brand on Social Media
3. Best Corporate Digital Marketing campaign
4. Best Corporate Website
5. Best Digital Financial Service
6. Best Digital Financial Service Innovation
7. People’s Choice Video Commercial of the Year on YouTube

Out of the seven categories in which MTN was nominated, the MTN Brand won four awards for Digital Brand of the Year, People’s Choice Video Commercial of the Year on YouTube- ‘Oh the things you will learn’, Best Corporate Digital Marketing campaign for the Egg Hunt campaign and Best Corporate Brand on Social Media. MTN Uganda also scooped second place prize for Best Digital Financial service innovation award.

The Governor, Bank of Uganda- Professor Emmanuel TumusiimeMutebile hailed MTN for its innovativeness and customer oriented services that have endeared it to the consumers over the years.The Governor, whoofficiated the event, was represented by Mr. Richard Mayebo, Director of Information Technology (IT), Bank of Uganda.

“We are honoured by this recognition”, said MTN Uganda’s Acting Chief Marketing Officer, Kenneth Kiddu. “Last year we took the award for ‘Best Corporate on Social Media’ at the inaugural Social Media Awards. Being nominated again this year and winning is testimony of the public’s recognition of our efforts to deliver on our vision of delivering a bold digital New World in which we leverage digital solutions to improve how we serve our customers through convenient and cost effective ways”.

MTN currently provides 24/7 customer support on its Social Media pages at www.twitter.com/mtnug and www.facebook.com/mtnugand has over 350,000 fans.

This year under the theme “Oh, the things you’lllearn”, MTN launched the biggest Internet campaign in the market created to demonstrate the immense benefits of the Internet in the everyday life of a customer. The communication campaign also shows how MTN has created various solutions that are aimed at democratizing the Internet for the benefit of all Ugandans. Today, MTN customers across Uganda have access to bundles that suit both their needs and pockets.

In the six months ending 30 June 2014, MTN Uganda invested in an additional 133 2G sites plus 138 3G sites. There were also 243 existent 2G sites upgraded in various locations across the country.MTN’s total investments in Uganda exceeded Ushs. 137 billion in 2013 while a further Ushs. 150 billion has beenearmarked for 2014.

“As we celebrate the 10 million customer milestone this year, we are very excited about the future.We shall continue to lead the innovation frontierwhile ensuring that we remain relevant to both the current and future needs of our customers”, concluded Mr. Kiddu.

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Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, has climaxed a three month graduate and internship training to 31 students from various learning institutions of Uganda.

The three month activity that began in June this year was climaxed today with students presenting research findings for a survey known as ‘Telecom in my eye’. The survey regarding telecom service requirements in Uganda has been part and parcel of the students training.

Mr. Radoslaw Kedzia the managing director congratulated the students upon a successful completion of the training. ‘Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding with Makerere University in 2012; to partner and collaborate in the areas of specialized ICT training, sponsorships and skills development; this justifies the reason we are gathered here today’, he added.

The Managing Director further noted that Huawei has not only trained but also offered employment to the excelling trainees since 2012.

‘I commend Huawei Technologies Uganda for extending special ICT training and hands-on experience to the Students in various ICT disciplines’, said Mr. Balyomu Grace; the head of innovation and internship Makerere University College of computing and information science.

The 31 students have received hands-on training in areas like; application and software, transmission, datacom, core network, wireless, radio frequency, Device business and Public Relations.

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Through our dedication to customer-centric innovation and strong partnerships, we have established end-to-end advantages in telecom networks, devices and cloud computing. We are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers by providing competitive solutions and services. Our products and solutions have been deployed in over 140 countries, serving more than one third of the world’s population.    For more information, visit Huawei online: www.huawei.com

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Mountain Dew, Uganda’s fastest growing soft drink brand on the market will this year mark six years of refreshing Ugandans.

Crown Beverages Limited, bottlers of Pepsi Cola, unveiled the soda in November 2008 in mainly 300ml bottles and has since had a tremendous growth in market share and volume since its inception.

“Mountain Dew has been a huge success in Uganda,” said Mr Innocent Tibayeita, the head of sales and marketing.

“The launch of Mountain Dew was as a result of our desire to offer our Ugandan customers a unique experience. For all the six years Mountain Dew has inspired youth in Uganda to live their lives to the fullest and seek out all the exhilaration the world has to offer. Mountain Dew recognises that youth are Bold, adventurous and daring. That’s why we offer them a soda like no other” Mr Tibayeita added.

Since its introduction, the soda has been driven by two key marketing thematic campaigns; Break-Out and Experience Extreme. These campaigns have been used to reinforce the brands message.

The huge success CBL has registered with Mountain Dew has led to Uganda being used by PepsiCo as a benchmark for any other launch in Africa. Uganda was the second African country after Nigeria to sell the citrus-based soda. Mountain Dew is currently available in over 150 countries worldwide.

CBL has spent more than Shs2 billion to promote Mountain Dew through various sponsorships like the National Motocross Championship, the Extreme Gamers Challenge, the most elite video gaming championship in Uganda, the Buzz Teeniez Awards and Leavers Rock, among others.

A series of exciting events have been lined up by the soda company to celebrate the achievement, starting this month.

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Download UCC Quality of Service(QOS) Report 

The independent Quality of Service(QOS) assessment that was carried out by the Uganda Communications Commissionand published in the leading daily newspapers indicated MTN Uganda as the leading network operator for the period February 2014 to June 2014.

The report covered a number of parameters which include among others Successful Call rate, Blocked call rate and Dropped call rate.

MTN Uganda’s focus over the last year was on Network Quality, the rollout of innovative Products and Services, improvement of Customer Experience and wide distribution network which have consolidated our leadership in quality service and delivery.

“This is a fantastic achievement and reflects the results of our investment program and network optimization focus over the last few months. What is particularly pleasing is that we are the clear leader in important cities like Mbale, Jinja, Kasese, Kabale, Masaka and Mbarara. This is a clear indication that MTN has not only limited our investment to Kampala but has focused on the whole of Uganda,” said Chief Executive Officer, Brian Gouldie.

In 2013 MTN investments in Uganda exceeded Ushs 137 billion and in 2014 UGX 150 billion. This is part of a cumulative investment exceeding Ushs 1.7 Trillion in Uganda since 1998. This has gone towards network rollout and upgrades as well as a number of other infrastructure developments to support our subscriber growth and the rollout of new innovative products and services.

In terms of infrastructure, for the six months ended 30 June 2014, MTN Uganda added 133 new 2G sites and 138 new 3G sites.  There were also 243 existent 2G sites upgraded in various locations across the country.

MTN officially commissioned its Fibre network at Katuna Border in Kabale district last year. The commissioning of the fibre at Katuna was a major development which has had a positive impact on Uganda’s ICT Roadmap. This landmark development was the first terrestrial link to Rwanda that was earmarked to greatly lower cost and significantly improve quality of communications services in the region. It has since substantially improved the connectivity with neighboring countries and the world by connecting Uganda to an additional submarine cable SAT-3 to Rwanda via the Tanzania route from Dar es Salaam.

This is in addition to the other two cables already connected through the Kenya route from Mombasa which provide Uganda with unique redundancy and a backup structure for secured and reliable connectivity while providing quality voice and data services. This important development is in line with MTN Uganda’s commitment of leading innovation in the market and in the region as a whole.

By December 2013, MTN Uganda’s total Fibre infrastructure exceeded 3,200km. An additional 350 km of fibre will be rolled out by the end of 2014 and 150 km in the first quarter of 2015.

Today there is an increased demand for internet access in Uganda and MTN Uganda has managed to stay on the top of its roadmap. MTN was the first to introduce the latest technologies providing World Class Internet using 3G, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi Hotspots. Furthermore through its regional Internet Expos, MTN continues to take basic data and computer literacy to the different part of the country. Currently more than 3 million subscribers are accessing the Internet thought MTN Network per month and this number is steadily growing.

“It is important to highlight the fact that network downtime usually results in significant revenue losses. We have however invested heavily in network infrastructure to minimize this down time so as to ensure that customers and their Businesses are never offline. Unfortunately, these efforts are being affected by persistent network damages along our routes”, he said. 

The continuous improvement in network quality and services is being affected by different challenges including the increase in the number of vandalism cases on MTN’s network infrastructure. For instance during the last 12 months, MTN Uganda recorded more than 200 incidents of infrastructure vandalism largely attributed to the theft of fiber cables by individuals and activities of road construction.

Gouldie said, “Our investment into Uganda shows MTN’s commitment to continue providing services relevant to our customer’s current and future needs and this firmly positions MTN as a leader with a clear vision for the future”.

Download UCC Quality of Service(QOS) Report 

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Being at the helm of MTN Uganda for just over a month now, Brian Gouldie is very optimistic for what the future holds for him and his team in Uganda. 

“I am very excited to be leading MTN Uganda into the future as it seeks to improve its market leadership position in a very competitive market. It is with enormous anticipation that I have arrived in Uganda to continue with the successful legacy that has been built. There is a very skilled leadership team in place and I am looking forward to working with them. I personally have had the privilege of working in a number of different operations in the MTN Group and am very excited to start this new challenge in Uganda” said the new CEO of MTN Uganda, Brian Gouldie.

With more than 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry and being a founder member of MTN, Brian has had a rich career.  A qualified chartered accountant by trade; he has worked in both South Africa (15 years) and Nigeria (5 years) and has extensive knowledge in both start-up and maturing markets.

Gouldie has held a substantial number of executive positions over his tenure; the two most recent was for MTN South Africa, where he was appointed as Executive of Consumer Sales and Distribution, and most recently as Chief Marketing Officer. A visionary and catalyst for change, Brian believes that sound strategy delivers solid results.  Some of the key highlights in his career included:

•       Founding MTN SA – In 1994, he was part of the original team that launched MTN SA

•       Launching prepaid cellular services–Launching prepaid or better known Pay As You Go, A world first, he played a pivotal role in the team which took it to market in 1998

•       Launching MTN Nigeria – He was part of the original start up team that launched MTN Nigeria in 2001. He led the Sales, Distribution and Operations team as executive from 2001 to 2006.

•       Launched MTN Zone – He was part of the launch team that took the MTN Zone product to market in 2007 (MTN Group and world first)

•       Launch of Mobile Money – He spearheaded the launch of Mobile with an integrated banking platform in MTN SA in 2011 and within less than two monthsthey gained more than 300 000 subscribers.

Asked what he sees as strategically importantto MTN, Gouldie commented; “Our leading position in the financial services market, through Mobile Money, plays a critical part of MTN’s evolution and future success. Financial inclusion is as critical to consumers as communications accessis. By integrating these two business models, MTN will have the ability to enable our customers even further.”

“As the most trusted brand in Uganda, it is essential that we continue to invest in the latest technology to keep our customers’ money secure, allow for greater integration into the broader banking system and substantially improve the customer experience of Mobile Money. It is to this end that MTN will investing substantially by upgrading its financial services platform in the next two months. We have the most extensive Mobile Money distribution network and this technology upgrade will provide our distribution agents with more business opportunities.”

“In addition, MTN needsto continue its investment in fibre technology, our 4G roll-out, corporate products and solutions, through this we believe we will enablefurther efficiencies for our corporate customers and in turn future growth for the country.”

Gouldie continuedby sharing some of his most resent observations; “In assessing the Ugandan market opportunities, since my arrival, I was very pleased to see the results of the independent assessment done by the UCC which was published on Friday 8^th August.”

“This clearly positions MTN as the leading network operator with respect to Quality of Service.  It isa reflection of our extensive investment strategy in Uganda and the benefits that our customers have been receiving pertaining to call quality and set up.This independent assessment also indicated that our investment has not been limited to Kampala, with MTN having a clear leadership position in other important cities like Mbale, Jinja, Kasese, Kabale, Masaka and Mbarara.”

In conclusion,Gouldie commented; “It is critical that MTN continues to grow from strength to strength as we remain relevant to our customers through our products, solutions and brand investment in the country. We need to enable our customers not only to access voice communication, but also to unearth the multiple opportunities which data and the internet can provide. The growth in this digital world will drive economic development and enable access and opportunities never experienced before.”

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As part of its celebration of the landmark achievement of 10 million subscribers, MTN Uganda has accorded the success to the loyalty and commitment of its customers and hence announced a give-back of 10 million minutes of free MTN airtime and 100million, MB of data today. This means that each customer automatically gets one MTN to MTN minutes and 10 MB of data.

Announcing the milestone which comes in the backdrop of the recent MTN Group interim results which indicated a massive improvement, MTN Uganda’s Acting Chief Marketing Officer Kenneth Kiddu said, “I cannot emphasize the importance of this milestone to us, it is clear from our research that network quality and investment remains one of the key reasons for customers trust and loyalty to MTN and we are grateful to our customers who have been loyal and very supportive to this achievement. I affirm that our key focus remains the expansion of the infrastructure to enhance network quality for both voice and data across the region”.

With this achievement, MTN Uganda has cemented its position in the market both in terms of market share and value share. Since it was launched in 1998, MTN Uganda has moved steadily to control more than 50% of the telecommunications market in Uganda.

Over the last year MTN Uganda has been focusing on Network Quality, the rollout of innovative Products and Services, improvement of Customer Experience and wide distribution network which has consolidated the leadership in quality service and delivery.

MTN Uganda with the support of MTN Group for the past 16 years has made major investments to its infrastructure by adding 117 new 2G sites and 130 new 3G sites for the six months that ended 30^th June 2014. Over this period, MTN Uganda has invested Shs 100 billion in network and other infrastructure to improve customer experience, taking their cumulative capital expenditure to over Ush 1.5 trillion since inception.

In addition, MTN Mobile Money recorded a 20.7% increase since December 2013 to 6.2 million registered users, who in turn now generate more than 28.5 million transactions per month.  These drivers have contributed to a 39.4% increase in mobile money related revenue.

“This momentum is continuing, and we take pleasure in announcing that we have now surpassed the significant milestone of 10 million subscribers. These additional customers, together with our strong data revenue growth of 54.7%, have contributed significantly to our 6.8% year-on-year increase in Revenue.  Our data revenue now contributes 24.7% to total revenues.   This revenue growth was achieved despite the significant reductions in revenue from incoming international calls, as a result of Government’s imposition of a 9c per minute levy causing a reduction of minutes of more than 30% in incoming international minutes since the introduction in July 2013,”Kiddu added.

In terms of Network Infrastructure, MTN continues to lead the way in terms of investment and its commitment to development of the ICT sector. MTN has secured USD 60 million as additional investment in 2014 to expand its Infrastructure and Services and this will be added to the USD 150 million invested during the last 2 years.

MTN Uganda launched its Mobile Network operations in 1998 and since inception MTN’s cumulative investment has been in excess of UGX 1.7 Trillion. In 2013, the company injected more than UGX 140 billion in upgrading the Network infrastructure and adding another 400Km of national fibre. By December 2013, MTN Uganda’s total Fibre infrastructure exceeded 3,200km.

According to Kiddu, MTN Uganda will continue to invest in Uganda to ensure that it lives up to its vision which is to lead the delivery of a bold, new Digital World whilst improving the community. In sixteen years, MTN has through its continuous investment, created direct and indirect jobs for more than 560,000 Ugandans through partnership and business relationship. 

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The U 17 players who were chosen during the Airtel Rising Stars season 4 regionals are currently in training at Njeru Technical Center in Jinja. They are being trained and closely supervised by FUFA coaches ‘Video’Anyau and HadijahNamuyimba in preparation for the African champions that are going to be held in Gabon. The coaches are happy about the progress that the players have shown since the regionals and are optimistic about Uganda’s performance in the championships.

The fruits of the Airtel Rising Stars tournament are already visible, with four players in the current Under 17 Uganda National team having passed through this program.

The U17 players chosen to represent Uganda in the Airtel African championships will leave for Gabon on 23^rd August 2014.

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Smile Uganda has today announced the launch ofits new 5GB data bundle which is a welcome addition to the other existing bundle options aimed at providing customers with high-quality, fast and consistent true 4G LTE broadband experience in Uganda.

Available to new and existing Smile Uganda customers, the 5GB bundle option that goes for only UGX 90,000and is valid for 60 daysprovides customers with the best value bundle on the market, and reinforces Smile’s commitment to provide innovative and cost effective services.

Smile Uganda currently offers 4G LTE broadband internet access via multi-user devices; the portable, sleek MiFi starter-pack goes for 240,000/= with a free 5GB data bundle, the Smile Router goes for 410,000/= with a free 10GB data bundle. Smile SIM Cards are compatible with Ipad Air, Ipad Mini, Nokia Lumia 2520, Samsung Galaxys and they go for 50,000/= with 2GB of free data.

Smile Uganda marked its one year’s anniversary on 6^th June, 2014, a major milestone as it continues to provide Ugandans with Superfast internet services on their 4G LTE platform. Furthermore, Smile Uganda has a customer-centric approach with a commitment to providing the best customerexperience. This commitment is reflected in the way they do their business, their choice of technologies and in their people.

For more information on Smile Uganda’s products and services, customers can go to: http://smile.co.ug/products-services/

Please see below Smile Uganda’s standard tariffs / data bundle prices:

*New 5GB data bundle

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Retiring Kenya Airways CEO Titus Naikuni has been appointedchairman of Rift Valley Railways’ Board of Directors with effect from November.

Mr. Naikuni will head a board that has been reconstituted following recent shareholder restructuring at the firm that holds a concession to operate freight transportation services on the Kenya – Uganda railway.

Naikuni brings extensive operational, business leadership and policy formulation experience to the rail operator thathas been consolidating volume and efficiency gains on the back of substantial capital investments, including new contracts for steel, fuel and bulk grain transportation.

RVR is at the midpoint of a sh25 billion($287 million) capital investment and turnaround programme that began in January 2012 to revitalise the railway that had been ailing from years of neglect and underinvestment.

In the 26 months since the start of the renewal programme the company has invested sh11 billion ($126 million) in modern rail operating technology, rebuilding infrastructure, expanding haulage capacity and developing modern rail operating skills in the 2,400 strong workforce.

RVR has completed the rehabilitation of the most damaged sections of the railway track between Mombasa and Nairobi and rehabilitated and reopened the 500km railway from Tororo to Gulu in northern Uganda after a 20 year hiatus. Installation of satellite tracking and GPS-based technology on all trains helped cut cargo transit times between Mombasa and Nairobi by six hours.

Commenting on his appointment Naikuni said, “RVR’srecent achievements together with the full funding of its investment and growth plan mean it is now uniquely positioned to become a high performing railway network that can spurtrade and economic growth in the region”.

He added, “I am excited aboutthis opportunity to work with the board and staff to builda robust and efficient rail transport solution which is the backbone of a thriving economy”.

In September RVR will receive the first batch of the 20 General Electric locomotives acquired from the USA. This order will complement the additional 14 trains that are being refurbished and leased, doublingthe fleet of locomotives on the main line.

“To have such a seasoned and transformational business leader chair the RVR board is a big win for the company”, said Ahmed Heikal, chairman of Qalaa Holdings, leading shareholder of the railway firm. “His insights and vast transport sector experience will be invaluable in helping RVR realise the potential of the ambitious investment and growth programme it has embarked on”.

Mr. Naikuni joined the Kenya Airways as group CEO in 2003 and spearheaded one of the most noteworthy and rapid expansions of an African airline, growing revenues threefold to over sh105 billion ($1.2 billion) and doubling fleet andpassenger numbers.

Prior to joining the national carrierNaikuni was group managing director of the Magadi Soda Company. In 1999 he was appointed permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Transport and Communication as part of a team ofexperts engaged by government to drive economic reform.

His extensive boardroom experience spans the energy, mining, real estate, banking, film, manufacturing and ITC sectors.