Author: Contributor
by Karl Blom, Associate at Webber Wentzel The rise of the FinTech industry may herald a significant upheaval to the financial services industry, and significant opportunities (and risks) await those who wish to participate. Novel data processing techniques are a key aspect of many FinTech businesses and with such a rapid pace of innovation, there is a concomitant rise in the risk of data breaches. It is vital for FinTech companies to be aware of their obligations in the event of a data breach. Obligations in respect to data breaches The Protection of Information Act, 2013 (POPI) requires you to…
By Karen Mesoznik, SaferVPN What You Should Know About Public Wi-Fi Usually when you’re preparing for an upcoming trip, your mind runs through the usual concerns and questions: “What vaccinations do I need?” “Is my passport up-to-date?” “What do I need to keep my cash and cards safe?” But if there’s one more travel habit you should have, or precaution you should take, it’s staying safe over public Wi-Fi. Today, public Wi-Fi at airports, hotels and cafes, is a lot like water at a restaurant – it’s an expectation, not a gift, a commodity, not a luxury. But what if the…
By Staff Writer Internet Solutions, a pan-African telecommunications service provider, has deployed the company’s first Point of Presence (PoP) in Madagascar. Further expanding their African footprint, Internet Solutions has also commissioned a second PoP in Zambia. Internet Solutions now has 68 PoPs in 16 African markets, with operating offices in South Africa, Mozambique, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, as well as international PoPs. “We can boast a significant managed services network on the continent because of our investment in both infrastructure assets and partnerships with trusted, in-country service providers,” says Murray Steyn, executive head: Wholesale at Internet Solutions. “This, along…
By Staff Writer JSE and Nasdaq-listed tech firm Datatec announced on Tuesday that its subsidiary Logicalis has acquired 51% stake in NubeliU, a South America based company specialising in cloud computing projects based on OpenStack. The South African-based firm said the acquisition is part of Logicalis’ strategy to position itself as a cloud integrator, and strengthens its commitment to the opensource community, in particular with OpenStack, which is essential for large SDx (Software Defined everything) and cloud computing projects. NubeliU was founded in January 2015 by the team that deployed the first production clouds in OpenStack which is seen as…
By Staff Writer A South African startup is simplifying the process to establish and verify the identities of clients. This South African start-up ThisIsMe, which has innovation that’s “giving a heartbeat to your identity” is making it easy and affordable for corporates and clients to comply with the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment (FICA) Act 2017. Conceptualised in 2013 and formally established in 2014, ThisIsMe verifies an individual’s identity to other individuals, businesses, financial institutions, and regulators. It does so using links to Home Affairs data and the major banks. ThisIsMe has set an African record for the FICA process, which used…
By Staff Writer Vodacom is spending R260 million ($20 million) to offer its more than 30 million subscribers free mobile games. South Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator has entered into a strategic partnership with a US-based mobile game publisher, GameMine. The partnership will provide GameMine’s diverse range of subscription-based mobile games to Vodacom’s large South African mobile market. GameMine is providing a selection of its ad-free mobile games, which include more than 175 titles spanning all major mobile gaming genres, free of charge to Vodacom subscribers during a promotional trial period. The deal is part of Vodacom new promotion to…
By Dr Saahier Parker, Human Sciences Research Council From the microchips in smart phones to the largest jumbo jets, science and technology influences the way people interact with the world around them. It brings them closer to friends and family, enhances health care, secures assets and keeps the world moving forward. Traditionally, people have turned to science for certainty and confirmation. But in a sea of social media and allegations of fake news, it has become increasingly harder for people to distinguish fact from fiction. As a result, science’s authoritative place in society is being questioned more and more. This…
By News Agency Staff The Gauteng Provincial Government will in the next three months introduce a pilot project for a single e-ticket for public transport users. A similar card-based pilot project was introduced in Pretoria last year by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) for minibus taxi commuters on the Johannesburg, Pretoria and Mabopane (JPM) route. However, according to the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, the project to be introduced by the provincial government will encompass all modes of public transport including taxis, buses and possibly trains. The department will launch the pilot project for a single e-ticket…
By Staff Writer Naspers, Africa’s biggest tech firm, announced late on Thursday that it has invested $30 million (R393 million) in Movile, a mobile marketplaces based in Brazil. The tech firm said the funds will be used to fuel growth in food delivery, tickets and education apps as well as in Rapiddo, an Online-to-Offline (O2O) platform recently launched in Latin America that consolidates several popular consumer services in one convenient place. Innova Capital, a private equity fund focused on high-growth innovative companies in Latin America and the US, also invested $23 million in Movile. Some of Innova Capital’s largest current…
By Mervin Miemoukanda, senior research analyst: Software and Market Intelligence in Africa at International Data Corporation While businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa have steadily been adopting 3rd Platform technologies such as cloud, mobility, big data analytics and social business, there has now been a shift in focus towards the uptake of innovation accelerators. These innovation accelerators are disruptive technologies that enable companies to enhance the way they engage with customers and deliver services and experience, as they move to transform their business operations. At IDC, we define the core innovation accelerators as the Internet of Things (IoT), cognitive systems, 3D printing, robotics,…
By News Agency Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo says South Africa’s media space can no longer afford to be dominated by only a few big players and that more emerging media players need to be supported to ensure diversity. Government would do everything possible to throw its weight behind small media companies and new entrants in the industry,” the Minister said on Wednesday night. She was speaking at the launch of a new opinions and news analysis online publication called Real Politik. The publication, started by former journalists, is wholy black-owned and will give a chance to the “unheard voices” in…
By Brian Richardson, CEO and Co-Founder, WIZZIT International In Africa, banking the unbanked remains a pressing need. Roughly 700 million people in Africa are financially excluded – denied economic citizenship. Discussions on the issue beg the same question, time and again: why aren’t traditional banks offering mobile solutions to potential customers who desperately need it? The American Bankers Association claims it costs between $150 USD and $250 USD to open an individual bank account through tradition channels. Over more than a decade, around the world, it’s been proven that alternative, disruptive technology such as mobile and branchless banking can reduce…
By Staff Writer South Africa’s banking group FNB announced on Thursday that customers who use its award winning banking app will no longer need data to access it via their smartphones from 1 July 2017. This follows an agreement with all major mobile network operators in South Africa to zero rate access to the FNB Banking App allowing all customers to use it at no cost. The bank already offers free access to its app to all FNB Connect customers, and offers free WiFi in most FNB branches for customers to download the app. Giuseppe Virgillito, FNB Digital spokesperson,…
By Staff Writer Aston Martin has unveiled an all-electric RapidE vehicle that will enter production in 2019. Originally unveiled as a concept in 2015, the RapidE is set for a limited production run of 155 cars. The RapidE will deliver four-door sports car looks and dynamics of the Rapide S powered by an all-electric powertrain replacing the six-litre V12 engine. The instantaneous delivery characteristics of electric motors means the RapidE will offer a unique driving experience of a kind not experienced before in an Aston Martin. “Having unveiled the RapidE Concept back in October 2015 we reach another milestone with…
by Ben Dickson Are we living in a simulation? This laughed-at notion is becoming increasingly acceptable as technological advances are blurring the boundaries between reality and illusion. There is now not one but three different flavors of synthetic reality: Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). But there’s a lot of confusion about what each version of reality is. This is something that is akin to evolving technologies. For instance, after decades, there’s still debate over what is artificial intelligence (AI). So while we know that the content we’ll be posting here might be subject to change…
By News Agency With South Africa’s cybercrime attacks on the rise, government is set to collaborate with France in order to boost the cyber and digital skills capacities which are key in investigating such crimes. The two countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will result in the capacity building of 350 forensic investigators being trained in cyber forensic investigations with the support of a French International Technical expert regional advisor on cybercrime. The MoU will be signed on Wednesday by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the French Embassy, together with the Public Service Sector Education and…
By Staff Writer South Africa’s mobile phone operator Cell Cannounced on Tuesday it has appointed Tyrone Soondarjee as its new Chief Financial Officer. He will be taking over the position from Robert Pasley who will return to his original role as chief strategy officer. Soondarjee brings 30 years of experience in the financial services industry to Cell C. He was most recently the Financial Director at the Sasfin Group, a position he held since 2010. His decade of distinguished service at the business started in 2007, when he was appointed as the Group’s Chief Financial Officer. Throughout his tenure, Soondarjee…
By Staff Writer South Africa’s Blue Label announced on Tuesday that it is buying 3G Mobile for R1.9 billion. The firm said it will buy 100% of 3G Mobile from its shareholders that consists of Wild Rose Capital, Newshelf 1312, Malewell Investments, Investec Bank, Jonathan Beare and DBF Capital Partners. The transaction will be facilitated by the initial acquisition of 47.37% of the issued share capital of 3G Mobile for R900 million. The acquisition of the remaining 52.63% for R1 billion is subject to regulatory approvals and the first acquisition becoming unconditional. 3G Mobile is one of Africa’s largest distributors,…
By Keith Fenner, vice-president, Sage Enterprise Africa & Middle East Machine learning, which used to be something only computer scientists in server rooms discussed, has become a hot topic, along with big data and artificial intelligence (AI). Machines develop algorithms that allow them to make predictions, such as the shows you might want to watch on Showmax or Netflix, to use a simple example. Machines will also update their models as new data is received, without human intervention. Advances in machine learning have caused many to fear that machines will replace human jobs. However, I’d like to argue that it…
By Staff Writer South Africa’s Frogfoot Networks, a subsidiary of integrated ICT and connectivity provider Vox, has recently secured funding to deploy fibre to the home (FTTH) to 15,000 homes in Gauteng and the Western Cape as part of a 24-month roll-out programme. “At the beginning of 2016, we embarked on an aggressive FTTH expansion programme and committed to deploy FTTH to 85,000 homes. We are currently in the process of building the infrastructure to over 16,000 homes, and with the additional funding are now able to fast-track the deployment to 15,100 homes in 2017,” says Abraham van der Merwe,…
By Staff Writer Vodacom, South Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator, has launched Vodacom Meg Your Day Promotion providing subscribers with free data of various services such as Facebook and Instagram, etc. The Vodafone-owned telco said on the promotions website that for subscribers to qualify for more data for free they must buy 100MB data bundle or more and have a balance greater than zero MB. Vodacom has partnered with the different platforms and websites that our customers know and love to enable them to access more of what the internet has to offer. The bundle will expire daily at 23:59pm or when…
By Staff Writer Thanks to recent improvements in internet connectivity and the emergence of numerous global big-hitters, South Africa has finally made a name for itself in the technological space. But while one might expect the country’s ‘next big thing’ to be found in tech-centric cities like Stellenbosch, it’s in fact in an unassuming corner of Bloemfontein where the foundations for South Africa’s own Silicon Valley are being laid. Founded in 2014, Bloem-based performance marketing company Xineoh is making waves internationally thanks to its unique vectorization algorithm, which has already generated in excess of $30 million in revenue for clients…
By Staff Writer Vodacom announced on Wednesday that it has extended its Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) network through signing new lease agreements with third-party network infrastructure providers Link Africa, Octotel, Frogfoot and Waterfall Access Network (WAN). The Vodafone-owned telco said its customers will now have access to its Fibre services through these providers, including Vodacom Fibre Broadband, Vodacom Fibre Fixed Voice and Value-Added Services. “Vodacom continues to seek opportunities to enter into strategic agreements to sell our services through other network infrastructure providers,” Zunaid Mahomed, Group Digital and Fixed Services Officer at Vodacom says. The South African biggest mobile phone operator has…
By News Agency Staff The Internet for All initiative will look at how South Africans can access the internet with affordable data prices, says Telecommunication and Postal Services Deputy Director General Tinyoko Ngobeni. Addressing the Internet for All initiative in Soweto on Tuesday, Ngobeni said government was concerned about the high data prices. “We will also be looking at the availability of smart devices, whilst we also still need to upgrade the infrastructure from 2G to 3G as well as LTE,” Ngobeni said. The South African government, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the private sector and civil society have partnered…
By Staff Writer Nokia today announced the availability of connected consumer health products in the market. The launch completes the transition of products from the Withings brand. Nokia trackers, scales, vital health devices and home products will now be available in-store health.nokia.com and online through top retailers worldwide including Best Buy, Amazon.com, and Bed, Bath & Beyond; coming soon to retailers including CVS, Target, Babies”R” Us and Apple. The Nokia Body: BMI Wi-Fi connected scale makes weight management easy and affordable Nokia Body offers smart weight management for the entire family and provides high accuracy measurements via Position Control…