The Link Africa deal is done! From left to right: Gateway CEO Peter Gbedemah, Celtel CEO Marten Pieters, Celtel Bus Dev Mgr Dave Hagedorn and Gateway Director Julian McIntyre.

Hello and welcome to another highly charged edition of Talking Drums that brings you all the latest events and developments from Gateway Communications.

In this edition we are proud and excited to tell you about the acquisition of Link Africa, the pan-African satellite service provider and subsidiary of Celtel International, for more than US$50m in cash.

The combined company will be the largest African international service provider, delivering the broadest range of connectivity services in more than 25 African countries to 100 service providers and 3 000 enterprise customers.



The deal is, without a doubt, one the most exciting developments in the company’s 14-year history and will make a real difference to the quality and affordability of international communications in Africa.

In this special edition of Talking Drums we focus on this news, but also update you on events that are equally as important, including our exciting partnerships with Globacom and Vmobile in Nigeria.

It has been a busy time for us on both sides of the equator with our office in Johannesburg working on a number of e-commerce projects including Proctor & Gamble and Unilever, of which we are justifiably proud.

Preparations are also underway for our visit to the Intelstat Global Telecommunications Meeting in Washington at the end of May where we will lead discussions on Gateway’s involvement in the African communications revolution. If you are going, look out for us and our speaking engagements.

Finally, the wait is over for those of you who entered our ‘Picture This’ competition in the last newsletter and at the GSM Africa in Cape Town. The name of our iPod winner can be found further on in this newsletter.

Enjoy Talking Drums!

	Peter Gbedemah.

Gateway Communications is an innovative and entrepreneurial company and the acquisition of Link Africa, a pan-African satellite service provider and subsidiary of Celtel International for more than US$50m, signals a new and exciting chapter in the company’s history.

The combined business, trading as Gateway Communications, will be the largest African service provider, delivering the broadest range of connectivity services to over 100 service providers and 3 000 corporations in more than 25 African countries.

Africa has the fastest growing and most diverse telecom market on earth, yet until now, there has not been one single company with the specialist knowledge and capability to deliver high quality, cost effective communications across the whole continent. This acquisition has created the largest voice and data carrier on the continent of Africa, carrying more than one fifth of the continent’s traffic.

Peter Gbedemah, Gateway Communications Managing Director comments: “We will continue to be a customer-focused organisation and now have the capabilities to deliver even greater benefits to our customers and partners. We will build on our existing strengths to deliver the highest quality, most competitive and broadest range of connectivity services across the entire continent.”

Gateway Communication's newest international hub operates from Gosselies, Belgium, where it provides services via three fully redundant antennas, utilising nine transponders on three satellites and through dedicated access to the SAT3 cable.

By combining the best of Link Africa’s engineering and support capabilities with Gateway’s customer focus, systems and service expertise, the new company will deliver improved services and support with greater value to business customers.

The integration of networks and systems will result in the most reliable and advanced international network infrastructure on the continent. Significant cost synergies and economies of scale will be passed on to customers.

Gbedemah adds: “One of the most significant aspects of the new company is that we are now able to deliver the highest quality service portfolio in Africa including voice, international and national data links, internet and managed networks, roaming and network consulting – this is important news for Africa.

“In real terms it means that in many areas, in-country and country-to-country communications will be possible for the first time, creating trade opportunities and further developing the economy of Africa.

“One of the most noticeable benefits to our customers will be that our companies and their support functions will have the most knowledgeable 24/7/365 support capability in the industry.”

The array of seasoned telecommunications professionals with extensive African expertise at the company’s disposal, create an unparalleled team and wealth of experience to drive the company forward.

Carriers and operators wanting to know how Gateway Communications can add value to your business in Africa, visit our website at www.gatewaycomms.com or email us on info@gatewaycomms.com.

If you are attending May’s Global Telecommunications Meeting in Washington between 23-27 May, we can be found on booth 159 and will be pleased to see you during the event.

From the Golden State to the City of Gold

Chris Lundh.   Gateway Communications is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Lundh as the new General Manager of its Enterprise Voice and Data division. Lundh will be based in Johannesburg, taking responsibility for the management and future expansion of Gateway’s voice and data product lines to its enterprise customers in South Africa and across the continent. USA-born Lundh takes up the position of General Manager with immediate effect, although he has worked for Gateway Communications as a consultant since December 2003. Lundh brings a wealth of local and market knowledge to the position, gained in senior roles for a number of leading African telecommunications companies. In 1996 he became MD of Africa online, the largest African ISP, before moving to communications provider Telecel in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as Director General. He also established the wireless service provider Afritel, and between 2000 and 2002 he was based in Bolivia, where he founded the mobile telecoms company VIVA GSM. Commenting on his appointment, Lundh said: “Gateway is poised for huge growth and it’s a particularly exciting time to join the company full-time. As well as focusing on our current core data business, we are expecting to capitalise on the liberalisation of the telecommunication sector in South Africa, which is allowing us to target VoIP-based services, where we are very well positioned internationally, as well as data connectivity via our MPLS VPN network, which we’re hoping to expand access to across Africa.” Mike Van den Bergh, Managing Director of Gateway Communications in SA said: “Chris has demonstrated great success in creating and building opportunities and we are delighted that he has agreed to join Gateway on a full-time basis. His technical expertise coupled with his thorough understanding of the African market ensures that we will continue to be well placed to anticipate and meet the communications needs of telecommunications operators and businesses operating across Africa.”

Gateway Communications Expands Presence in Nigeria through Interconnection with Globacom

As a result of significant growth in subscriber demand in Nigeria, Globacom, the second national operator (SNO), and licensed GSM carrier in Nigeria, has confirmed that it has selected Gateway Communications as a provider of international voice services.

[ More on this story: ]

Gateway Communications connects to Vmobile in Nigeria

Building on its significant presence in West Africa, Gateway Communications has entered into an agreement with Nigerian GSM operator, Vmobile. Vmobile was impressed with Gateway Communication’s experience of working in Africa and the company’s capability to deliver high quality services across the continent.

[ More on this story: ]

Gateway Communications Acquires Celtel Subsidiary for $50m

Gateway Communications, has agreed to acquire Link Africa, the pan-African satellite service provider and subsidiary of Celtel International, for more than US$50m in cash.

[ More on this story: ]

	Gateway's has been at the forefront of developments, including supply chain collaboration solutions for major retailers.

For more than a decade Gateway Communications have been a pioneer in providing Electronic Commerce solutions for the South African market place.

As technology has progressed and e-commerce has evolved, Gateway has been pivotal in ensuring its acceptance as a key-driving factor for business process integration in South Africa.

Over the past few years there has been a discernible shift away from pure data exchange to the development of full function enterprise application integration solutions.

Gateway has been at the forefront of these developments, which have included a range of web-enabled supply chain collaboration solutions for major retailers, and integrated logistics and cargo management solutions for international freight forwarders.

Mike van den Bergh, Managing Director of Gateway Communications South Africa comments: “Electronic Commerce has always been and will continue to be one of our core services. We believe we have developed a set of e-commerce skills and capabilities which sets us apart from our competitors, and allows us to deliver true added value to our customers”.

Gateway Communications has implemented fully integrated electronic trading solutions which allow more than 2000 FMCG suppliers, including multinationals such as Nestle, Unilever and Proctor & Gamble, to trade with major retailers such as Spar, Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Clicks.

Gateway is also a strategic partner to South Africa’s leading clothing and apparel retailers Ackermans, Edgars, Truworths and Foschini, assisting them to roll out electronic trading programmes with their local and international suppliers of clothing and cosmetics.

For more details on our products and services, or for information on how we could be of assistance to your E-Commerce strategy contact Gary Crause, Electronic Commerce Sales Manager at gcrause@gatewaycomms.co.za

	Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation (WCTC)

The Global Telecommunications Meeting (GTM) has been a cornerstone of the networking and growth strategy of the telecommunications industry for more than three decades.

With carrier VoIP traffic becoming a mainstream service to meet the needs of local and long distance service providers, this year’s event from 23-27 May is focusing on how the industry can support high quality VoIP services that are increasingly requiring carrier and operator support to be an integral part of any networking solution.

The explosion of VoIP currently being witnessed in the USA and Europe is surging in Africa and the telecom industry is looking for successful models on which to build their enterprise.

Africa has the fastest growing telecom market with more carriers and operators looking to add value to their services by connecting to the continent. Gateway Communications is the one single company with the specialist knowledge and capability to deliver high quality, cost effective communications.

Gateway Communications will be showcasing a new range of VoIP and data services for GSM carriers and operators wishing to meet these needs.


To find out how Gateway Communications can help your business by working hand-in-hand with you and to see the full range of carrier, operator and corporate services visit suite 159 at GTM 2005.

Carriers and operators wanting to know how Gateway Communications can add value to your business in Africa, visit our website at www.gatewaycomms.com or email us on info@gatewaycomms.com.

		Peter Vella receives his iPod from Mike van den Bergh, of Gateway South Africa.

In the last edition of Talking Drums, we asked you to identify the African location of the mystery Gateway Entertainment Spot to stand a chance of winning an Apple iPod.

We had literally hundreds of emails and business cards given to us at GSM Africa, all trying to guess where this popular watering hole can be found.

Well it is now time to reveal the mystery location and put you out of your misery!

The Gateway Entertainment Spot is located near Lungi International Airport in Freetown, Sierra Leone, correctly guessed by Peter Vella, of Cell C in South Africa.

Peter Gbedemah commented: “We were flooded with answers from people entering the competition from across the continent by email and from visitors to GSM Africa and it proved to be as big as the hits that Peter will be playing on his new iPod.”

If you would like to know more about Gateway Communications, please contact our London or Johannesburg offices:

Gateway Communications United Kingdom:
1 Red Place
Mayfair
London
W1K 6PL
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 20 7493 0099
Fax: +44 20 7495 3082

Email: info@gatewaycomms.com


Gateway Communications South Africa:
Building 12
Harrowdene Office Park
Western Service Road
Woodmead
Johannesburg
South Africa

Tel: +27 11 797 3300
Fax: +27 11 797 3363

Email: info@gatewaycomms.co.za