Tech

Telecom Egypt partners EXA Infrastructure to promote intercontinental traffic via WeConnect

Published

1 month ago

March 22, 2024

Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the MENA region, Telecom Egypt, has entered into a partnership with EXA Infrastructure aimed at promoting intercontinental traffic via WeConnect.

The partnership between Telecom Egypt, and EXA Infrastructure, a European fiber backbone and transatlantic subsea cable infrastructure provider, will aim to reshape the East-to-West traffic flows entering the Mediterranean, and reinforce Egypt’s role as a pivotal hub for global telecommunications.

At the signing ceremony on Thursday held in Cairo, Telecom Egypt Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Nasr, expressed the company’s “commitment to launch a new era of cooperation that will see them work more closely together to support digital infrastructure initiatives.”

The agreement was signed by Nasr behalf of Telecom Egypt, Nick Read, the EXA Executive Chairman, on behalf of EXA in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology
H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, as well as top officials from both companies.

Speaking shortly after the signing ceremony, Nasr said:

“Through this partnership, EXA Infrastructure becomes a one-stop-shop for traffic from the Middle East and Asia into Europe, uniquely combining multi-route solutions, while providing protected capacity solutions from Egypt – via Telecom Egypt’s robust infrastructure and cutting-edge model, ‘WeConnect’ – to hundreds of endpoints in Europe and North America.

“In September 2023, Telecom Egypt had unveiled ‘WeConnect’, a unique ecosystem offering agile access to Egypt’s extensive subsea cable infrastructure.

“WeConnect enables users to seamlessly navigate connectivity between subsea cable systems in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, fostering an open and neutral model.

“As part of the partnership, EXA Infrastructure will serve as the European and North American-based service provider to access WeConnect.

“This partnership is another step in the strategy to position Egypt as the main gateway to Asia, Africa, and Europe, and as an emerging intercontinental interconnection hub,” he said.

Also speaking, Talaat, said:

“This agreement is an important milestone in the series of partnerships forged with major international telecommunications service providers to expand the reach of the international digital infrastructure globally, keeping pace with the growing demand for Internet services worldwide and in line with the government’s strategy to position Egypt as a global digital corridor for data.

“The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is keen to maintain Egypt’s distinctive edge in the field of international subsea cables infrastructure, capitalizing on its unparalleled geographical location as a unique hub for submarine cables worldwide.”

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Tech

RepAir, Cella partner to launch carbon capture in Kenya

Published

6 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Global Direct Air Capture (DAC) firm, RepAir, has entered into a partnership with carbon storage technology company, Cella, to launch a first-of-its-kind innovative Carbon Capture and Storage venture in Kenya.

In a statement on its website on Friday, RepAir said the venture will see a replication of its “cultivating partnerships” with storage firms in Europe, U.S. and Africa.

“This storage agreement will streamline the sale of high-quality carbon credits to off-takers, enabling corporations to meet evolving ESG standards, manage offsets and advance towards net zero goals,” the statement issued by RePAir CEO, Amir Amir Shiner, stated.

“Our solution sets a new standard, requiring only 600 kWh per ton of CO2 captured, marking the lowest energy consumption on the market.

“This agreement is perfectly aligned with the launch of our commercial demonstrator in 2025, empowering RepAir to offer high-quality carbon credits to our customers.

“It will see to the establishment of a storage partnership with Cella aimed at creating dedicated value chains for extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground through in-situ mineralization.

Corey Pattison, CEO, Cella, who also issued a statement on the partnership, said “by partnering with Cella at our first demonstration site, RepAir can capitalize on two critical resources: the potential for truly permanent, highly verifiable carbon storage via mineralization combined with Kenya’s abundant renewable energy sources.

“Together these resources provide a comprehensive solution for capturing and storing CO2 for off-takers. This collaboration represents an extraordinary opportunity to nurture mutual growth.”

Tech

Intel Liftoff Hackathon 2024 calls for applications from African AI startups

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Applications for the 2024 cohort of Intel Liftoff Hackathon has opened for African AI startups designed to bring together aspiring tech entrepreneurs, software developers, and AI enthusiasts to collaborate, innovate, and create solutions to concrete African challenges.

In its second edition, the hackathon welcomes pioneering early-stage AI startup teams from the African continent, delving into experiments with LLM technology, a statement on the website of the organiser stated.

It added that the Intel Liftoff Hackathon for African AI Startups, which will be held online on May 27-31, is themed “Hack and Connect”, and will take place in partnership with Modus Africa, University Mohamed VI Polytechnic, Morocco

Other partners include TUT Hub of Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa, Prosper Africa, UM6P Ventures, FAST Accelerator, Innov8 Technology Hubs, and Open Startups International.

“The hackathon will feature hands-on workshops that will allow learning of AI essentials; three days of challenges with mentors to test skills; exhibition opportunities to showcase startups and forge partnerships with industry leaders; and networking opportunities to engage with fellow startups and gain insights from domain experts in the AI ecosystem,” the statement said.

“Winners will be invited to join the Intel Liftoff for Startups programme, and receive unique mentoring sessions with ecosystem partners and marketing opportunities with blog articles,” it concluded.