The maiden edition of MTN Digital Music Conference has been held today January 17, 2019, in Accra.

It featured seasoned record labels and online music distribution platforms such as Universal Music Group, Content Connect Ghana and so on who ‘schooled’ artists and other stakeholders on how to make money from their music and stay relevant in the music industry.

At the event, artistes were duly advised to register their content with copyright societies such as GHAMRO in order to retrieve royalties and also prevent other platforms from unlawfully using their songs.

Speaking to this regard, Managing Director for Content Connect Ghana, Munya Chanetsa urged the general public to desist from downloading songs from unauthorised music sites.

He again recommended that artistes should try their best to collaborate with ‘giant’ industry players to enable their brand grow.

“Grow your fan base and find a way of working with major artistes so they can help you. The public should stop engaging in piracy. Stop downloading songs and stop feeding those sites”. He added

Senior manager for products and services for MTN, Mr Bless Agordjo also revealed that MTN has acquired an online music distribution platform known as CIMS which would enable their 200million subscribers have access to locally manufactured songs.

“We are here to help artistes so they can take advantage of our 200million subscribers. MTN has also acquired CIMS, an online distribution platform that would make music accessible and inexpensive to all”. He stated.

He went on further to note that a subscription model where mobile money can be used to purchase music would be provided so as to make songs accessible and affordable in the country.

MTN digital music conference brought together key stakeholders in the industry to discuss the state and future of Ghanaian music.

Source: MTN

Device vendors and operators are betting on 5G to unlock a new chapter in the smartphone growth story but new research from the GSMA suggests consumers will need to be convinced before upgrading. GSMA Intelligence’s annual consumer survey of 36,000 people across 34 key markets found that almost 90 percent of consumers in developed countries own a smartphone, with an average of 2.5 smartphones in every US household. More than half of consumers in developed countries (54 percent) said they expect 5G networks to deliver faster speeds, but it is not yet clear if they will pay a premium for the speed boost.

In addition, the survey revealed that only one in four consumers (25 percent) expect 5G to deliver ‘innovative new services’, and only 20 percent believe 5G will usher in a new era of devices.

Other findings include the fact that the average US and UK household now owns six connected devices – from TVs to consoles to emerging categories such as smart speakers – with 16 percent of US households owning a smart speaker, compared to 9 percent a year earlier.

However, adoption rates of VR headsets in developed markets stayed flat year-on-year at around 6 percent of households and have even dropped in some key markets such as the UK. AR applications in fashion, gaming and various enterprise sectors are more advanced at this stage, said the GSMA.

The industry body added that it will be using the data to publish two new GSMA Intelligence reports on ‘The Future of Devices’ and ‘5G’s Great Expectations’ at CES 2019.

Source:GSMA

[caption id="attachment_5171" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mr. Eli Hini, General manager for mobile money financial services at MTN Ghana[/caption]

MTN Ghana has pledged to prioritise the safety of mobile money (MoMo) agents as some in certain parts of Ghana have become targets for criminals in recent times. They have been attacked, maimed and in some cases killed, and their monies stolen. MTN said its officials have begun educating agents in personal safety, information management and how to avoid recruiting personnel who might pose a risk to their businesses.

General manager for mobile money financial services at MTN Ghana, Eli Hini, said processes are under way with the Central Bank to set up an agent registry. He said this will ensure that those on the registry are validated, and they would be taken off the system if they caught in any malpractice.

He said the company will take finger prints and do a thorough background check on people who want to become agents to ensure that they do not have any criminal records before setting up a MoMo business with MTN. He advised agents to stop working late into the night to save their businesses from being targeted by robbers.

Source: Telecompaper

Helios Towers has entered into a partnership with Vulatel to work on expanding South Africa’s mobile and fixed-line infrastructure, saying that they aim to make “major greenfield wireless and fixed-line telecoms infrastructure investments”.

Helios Towers will own 66 per cent of Helios Towers South Africa (HTSA) and Vulatel the remaining 34 per cent. Raising money for expansion across Africa for Helios and the like, seeing as the continent holds a tremendous opportunity for growth.
The company predicts that South Africa will lead in the roll-out of 5G in sub-Saharan Africa and will potentially be a part of that process. HTSA, in agreement with Vulatel, will build open access infrastructure to subsequently be leased to other companies.

Helios Towers has long considered entering into the South African market, having already established a foothold in other African countries like Tanzania, Ghana, and the DRC. Of these markets, South Africa is considered one of the more stable and so HTSA is looking at opportunities to buy towers from wireless carriers, like MTN and Vodacom.

Source:ITNewsAfrica