Author: Contributor

Huawei has released its new 5G microwave solution with “1+2” simplified architecture ahead of AfricaCom 2019 which will be held in Cape Town from 12-14 November. The ICT company will showcase the solution to Africa’s telecoms at the continent’s biggest ICT trade showcase. This space-saving solution allows for more efficiency in the use of space on cell towers, decreasing antennas that are mounted on them. Huawei Simplified “1+2” 5G Microwave Architecture This microwave solution is the first of its kind in the industry. With 1 dual-band antenna, plus 2 any band (6-86GHz) RF unit, the simplified architecture allows 5G microwave…

by Sioux McKenna Around the world there has been a massive increase in demand for doctoral education. This mostly stems from the idea that the “knowledge economy” requires high-level skills. The claim that there’s a correlation between a country’s economic stability and the proportion of its population who have doctorates has led to national targets being set for doctoral graduation. In 2010, 1,420 doctoral candidates graduated in South Africa. Since then the number has more than doubled. The high increase in both intake and graduation has led to concerns about quality. A key question is: how did South Africa find…

by Michael Oluwatosin Bodunrin William Gregor, an amateur mineralogist and chemist, first discovered ilmenite – some black sand containing one of the world’s lightest metals – in the UK in 1791. Four years later, this light metal was isolated and named “titanium” by a German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Titanium has comparable strength to steel, the world’s most used metal, but is about 56% as dense and 45% lighter. Pure titanium is very difficult to extract from ilmenite and so it took about 145 years before the metal became generally useful. Titanium alloys are made when controlled amounts of other…

Sasol Exploration and Production International (E&PI) has aspirations to maintain and extend its gas supply from Southern Mozambique and to grow its gas portfolio in the southern cone of Africa in addition to growing its portfolio in West Africa. In Mozambique, Sasol and partners have been a catalyst for socio-economic development. Sasol’s capital investment of over $3 billion, day-to-day operations, social investment and skills development have made a significant impact with over 6% contribution to Mozambique’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the period 2004 to 2018 and is also a significant contributor to the national fiscus with $495 million in…

Standard Bank is seeing a month-on-month increase of 70 000 new customers using the Instant Money service. Transaction volumes are climbing steadily at 20% year on year, while transactional values are seeing a 26% increase year on year. However, during the years these spikes are also seen at month-end, during long weekends, school breaks and traditional holiday seasons. Nelisa Zulu, Standard Bank Head of Merchant Solutions, says the increased uptake of mobile money transfer services is due in part to the fact that South Africans, including those without formal bank accounts, are becoming comfortable with digital banking services. Further to that,…

By Greg Chen No one but the most willfully ignorant would argue with the fact that South Africa is in the midst of a major employment crisis. According to the latest figures from StatsSA, 29% of working-age South Africans are unemployed. If the country is to have any hope of addressing this critical issue, creative ideas are needed. Rehashing past solutions will simply see the joblessness rate continue to worsen.  One issue which, if addressed, has the potential to bring about real and lasting change is data inequality.  Put simply, mobile data is relatively affordable for wealthy and middle-class South…

Wits University, together with IBM Research, the Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering, the Wits Institute for Data Science, and the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) will host its first Quantum Computing Summer School from 2 – 10 December 2019. REGISTER HERE: http://www.wits.ac.za/quantum-computing/summer-school/ (Registration closes on 22 November 2019 and residence room bookings close on 15 November 2019) Aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates, academics, researchers and members of the industry who are interested in Quantum Computing, the Summer School will be an opportunity to produce and facilitate research that incorporates quantum computing. In June, Wits became the first African partner on the…

As the news stories about service providers switching off their networks continue to dominate the tech headlines, there appears to be panic around what the consumers ‘next move’ needs to be. As cliched as it sounds, the reality is that everyone should stay calm, stop, think then act. Firstly, consumers need to understand that in order to maintain connection quality, FNOs (Fibre Network Operators) and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) must upgrade and maintain the technology used to connect their users. When this technology becomes outdated, reaches a point where it is no longer financially viable to maintain and ultimately affects…

Supersonic, one of the youngest Internet Service Providers in South Africa has just been announced as the Q3 2019 winners in MyBroadband’s speed test report. The report – released ranks the best and worst ISPs in South Africa based on user ratings through their online and mobile speed test apps. “’It’s easy to get an ‘A’ once, it’s way harder to keep it there’ – I remember hearing this phrase in a 90’s movie but as we continue to improve and grow our network, the reality of this statement often hits home a bit harder,’ says Calvin Collett, Managing Director…

By Ray Campbell  The Internet in combination with modern technology is the greatest tool you have for making money while you’re studying. Why? Because by using search engines and some basic computer skills, you can start a successful business online. Online startups take time to develop and become recognized. This is why it’s best to start as early as possible, ideally in your student years. Not only will this improve your financial situation at a time when you have the most limited budget, but it will also give you a chance to double the maths and earn a fortune once…