Digital Digest – DigAfrica´s Technology Alert

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Egypt: Telecom Egypt to pay fees, not buy mobile licence
By Khaled Diab

CAIRO, May 9 - State-owned fixed line monopoly Telecom Egypt said on
Wednesday it would pay fees to become Egypt's third mobile operator, but
reiterated it would not buy a new licence -- a sore point for its rivals.

"We will have to pay fees for our mobile network but they will not be for a
licence," Telecom Egypt's chairman Akil Beshir told Reuters.

Telecom Egypt's potential mobile telephone rivals say they want a level
playing field, and the state-owned operator should pay fees and purchase a
licence like everyone else.

Telecom Egypt sold its mobile operations to the Egyptian Company for Mobile
Services (MobiNil) in 1997, but says it retained an operating licence.

The Ministry of Communications' Telecoms Regulatory Authority on Tuesday
approved Telecom Egypt's resumption of mobile services from December 2002,
once the current exclusivity arrangement for its rivals expires.

Rivals MobiNil and Vodafone Egypt (Click GSM) may protest if it tries to get
back into the high-growth business without paying for a new licence, but an
official at the Ministry of Communications, who declined to be named, said:
"They already obtained a licence before they sold their operation, so they
don't need to pay fees for a licence."

Mobile phone operator Orascom Telecom's chairman Naguib Sawiris told Reuters
in March he wanted Telecom Egypt to pay the same licence fee as existing
operators.

In a country with a population of 66.6 million and only 2.25 million mobile
phone subscribers, industry experts say Egypt's mobile phone market is the
most promising in the region.

SOURCE: Reuters via DigAfrica
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Uganda: Media Organisation to Get Website
by Charles Ariko

Kampala, May 09, 2001 -- The World Bank is to construct a website for the
National Institute for Journalists of Uganda (NIJU) to enable the
institution exchange views with other international media organisations.

Robert Blake, the World Bank country programme manager, said the website
will be launched later this month.

Blake, in his World Press Freedom Day message said, "In this era of
globalisation and information technological advancement, the World Bank sees
the internet as an important tool of communication.

"We are supporting NIJU construct a website to enhance research on Uganda's
media landscape and provide access to training opportunities for
journalists."

Blake said a free media was a prerequisite of good governance along with an
effective Parliament and an independent judiciary.

"With regard to curbing corruption, the media has a dual role of raising
awareness about corruption and to investigate and report incidences of
corruption in a professional and ethical manner.

"To be effective, the media has to be free, in addition to having access to
information," Blake said.

SOURCE: New Vision via DigAfrica
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Swaziland: Government Asked to Review Decision to Ban Newspaper And Magazine

Windhoek, May 09, 2001 -- As of 4 May 2001, the government of Swaziland has
banned the print version of the "Guardian" newspaper from circulating in the
country, in the wake of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the
Windhoek Declaration. The newspaper has been blamed for not fulfilling all
the requirements under the country's media laws, though the paper has indeed
met all the requirements. "The Nation" magazine has also been banned.

Police were deployed throughout the country to collect copies of the
newspaper and magazine from being sold. Other officers were stationed at
Oshoek Border Post to intercept the newspaper before it is brought into the
country from Middelburg, South Africa, where it is printed.

The police said that they received an order to confiscate the "Guardian" on
the basis that the newspaper was operating illegally. The cabinet decided to
ban the "Guardian" at a special meeting on Thursday 3 May, and Minister for
Information Mntonzima Dlamini was instructed to convey the decision to the
newspaper. The newspaper's management was called to the minister's office,
where they were told that the newspaper was operating illegally. The
minister claimed that the newspaper never complied with all registration
requirements. The management team was instructed to cease publishing the
newspaper until they complied with the law. Lawyers for the "Guardian"
denied the minister's claim, certifying that the newspaper complied with the
law and was in possession of all the necessary papers.

BACKGROUND: The "Guardian" newspaper recently became a target after
publishing stories about the king, his queens and the prime minister. Among
other stories, one article covered the king's illness and the rumour that
one of his wives had poisoned him. That queen, whose father is the high
commissioner for Swaziland, has since gone to London, England, to be with
her family.

Send appeals to the prime minister: - urging his government to review the
decision to ban the newspaper - requesting that all confiscated copies of
the newspaper be released - demanding that the harassment and intimidation
of journalists from the "Guardian" newspaper be stopped - asking that the
government cease hindering the newspaper's operations

Dr. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini Prime Minister P.O. Box 395 Mbabane, Swaziland
Fax : +268 40 43943

E-mail the prime minister directly through the MISA website with a pre-
written letter by clicking: http://www.misa.org/petitions/swaziland1.html

For further information, contact Zoe Titus or Kaitira Kandjii, Regional
Information Coordinator, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Mailing Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232975,
fax: +264 61 248016, e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected],
Internet: http://www.misanet.org/

SOURCE: MISA via DigAfrica
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New 'Homepage' virus opens porn Web sites
By Richard Stenger
CNN

(CNN) -- Unlike some predecessors, a virulent new computer virus doesn't use
sexual intrigue to entice people to open infected e-mail. Instead, this
worm, once unleashed, attempts to open numerous X-rated Web pages.

Known as "Homepage," the application has been rated a serious threat by
Internet security professionals and caused major infections in Europe,
Australia and Asia on Wednesday.

"This is an extremely dangerous worm, similar to the ("Anna Kournikova"
virus), but spreading even faster," warned anti-virus company F-Secure Inc.
in an alert Wednesday morning.

The virus, first detected late Tuesday, will probably infiltrate more
computers worldwide than the Kournikova outbreak, which struck about 500,000
PCs in February, said F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen.

But advance warning should prevent the new infection from gaining a foothold
in North America, according to the Finish anti-virus expert.

"We don't expect things to be as bad in the United States as it was in
Australia, New Zealand and Europe because the anti-virus programs have been
updated and because of the press coverage," Hypponen said.

Spreads through Microsoft Outlook
The new executable, created with a Visual Script worm generator, propagates
only through Microsoft Outlook. It sends itself -- as an e-mail
attachment -- to all addresses listed in an infected user's address book.
Then it tries to open at random a number of pornographic Web sites using
Internet Explorer, according to Trend Micro Inc.

Other security companies issued similar alerts.

"While this particular worm has a minimally destructive payload, it does
have the capability to crash e-mail servers and so immediately disrupt
business because of its fast-spreading nature," said Hank Dugan, CEO of
Norman Data Defense Systems.

The e-mail arrives with the subject line "Homepage" and the attachment
"HOMEPAGE.HTML.VBS." The message of the e-mail reads: "Hi! You've got to see
this page! It's really cool ;O)"

After it sends out infected e-mails, the worm deletes them to prevent
detection, Trend Micro said.

Anti-virus companies, some of which posted Homepage disinfectants Wednesday,
caution Internet users to avoid opening suspicious e-mails attachments.

SOURCE: CNN via DigAfrica -- DigAfrica analyzes, informs and updates on
Internet & Telecommunications activities and progress in Africa
as-they-unfold.
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