MTN Group must remain a South African entity managed by locals, Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda told media today in Johannesburg.

The MTN -Bharti talks are in now in the final round with media reports saying the Indian government is waiting for their South African counterparts to bring a new offer that comply with Indian laws. Today is the deadline set by both parties for their exclusive negotiations.

The telecom industry in South Africa lags the all-industry average on gender equity, particularly when it comes to skilled technical levels, with women making up some 32.7% versus other industries at 39.3%, according to Telecommunications Sector Survey released today.

Neotel has intensified its presence in Africa by launching the first public TelePresence facility on the continent, making the public room available for business customers to interact with their global counterparts.

The HTC Hero will be available on the South African market the first week of October, Leaf International Communications, the exclusive distributors of HTC handsets said yesterday.

With continued airport expansion and high levels of customer traffic expected at South Africa’s airports during 2010 and beyond, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has focused on providing critical IT network services 24/7 for all its SA airports to ensure services run efficiently.

MIA Telecoms, the sole distributor of Samsung telecommunication and PABX equipment in Sub-Saharan Africa, has introduced the latest addition to its OfficeServ 7000 series, the OfficeServ 7030 Compact, a converged communications platform.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is aiming to increase its subscriber base to 5 million; the announcement came after the operator concluded a US$200 million expansion deal with ZTE of China and Ericsson of Sweden.

Telkom has committed R50 million for three years towards government’s Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) initiative, the company said in a statement released today.

Altech East Africa will in the next three years be the core of Altech Group’s growth as it is expected to contribute 45% of the total profit, Craig Venter, the firm’s CEO revealed today when he announced the group’s interim results.

Marco Lippuner has been appointed Vice President and Managing Director of Siemens IT Solutions and Services South Africa and the Cluster Africa with effect from 1 September 2009.