Author: Gugu Lourie
The US Trade and Development Agency has provided funding to South Africa’s Wireless Access Providers Association (WAPA). The funding will be used for a pilot project that will help improve internet access for rural and semi-rural areas in South Africa through the use of American TV white space (TVWS) technologies. The pilot sites will be in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga. The consortium carrying out the pilot will be led by Adaptrum and includes Microsoft and International Data Corporation (IDC). The pilot will help WAPA promote TVWS networks to its wireless internet service provider member companies. “We are extremely…
Troubled JSE-Listed technology group EOH has re-launched the ICT business, which has been renamed iOCO, and the company seeks to improve its balance sheet efficiency. The group said in an update to shareholders on Thursday that re-launched the ICT business represents a key milestone in the internal reorganisation process. The process is aimed at simplifying the ICT business, integrating client offerings under one brand, driving governance imperatives and aligning the service delivery model and offerings for the cloud economy and fourth industrial revolution. The company added that work on the NEXTEC strategy continues, including how iOCO, NEXTEC, and the IP…
Telkom August Big Deal has been revealed. The company is offering a SmartBroadband Wireless deal for R249 a month on a 24-month contract and comes with an LTE WiFi router. The deal also includes: 20GB Telkom anytime data per month 20GB night surfer data per month (Night Surfer Data shall be valid between 12 am – 7 am) Customers on SmartBroadband Wireless 20GB offer are eligible to add a LIT TV box at an additional amount of R50pm x 24 months. Included in this August deal the ability to receive 3 months of Netflix on Telkom. Telkom said it reserve…
JSE-listed pay-TV group Multichoice has today published its integrated annual report detailing the salaries of its top executives. MultiChoice Group includes MultiChoice South Africa, MultiChoice Africa, Showmax Africa, and Irdeto. The company competes with global video-on-demand players like Netflix, Amazon, Facebook and iFlix continuing to offer alternatives in our territories. In the pay-TV market, operators such as StarSat, ZAP TV, Zuku TV and Azam TV all have the necessary broadcasting knowledge and experience to compete with MultiChoice. Improved mobile broadband penetration also facilitated growing competition in the provision of OTT services with the entry of StarTimes ON, iRoko TV, Cell…
Online sales are booming at South African supermarket chain Shoprite Holdings, which also owns the Checkers chain of supermarkets. Shoprite on Tuesday published a trading update for the six months to June 2019 showing online sales, which includes Click & Collect orders and its on-demand liquor home delivery partnership has swelled 386% with rapid customer acceptance. Excluding hyperinflation, Africa’s biggest retailer Shoprite reported a 3.2% (0.1% like for like) increase in turnover to R150.6 billion in the period to June 2019. Shoprite’s supermarkets increased the number of customers served by 2.3% and product volumes sold by 1.2%. Including the impact of the Angolan…
MTN Nigeria today announced that its subsidiary, Yello Digital Financial Services Limited (YDFS) has been granted a full Super Agent Licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Super Agent licence enables the scale launch of MTN Nigeria’s FinTech strategy. This is part of the South African-based company’s plant to “be the largest bank in Africa” in the next three to four years. The company has also appointed Yolanda Cuba as Group Chief Digital and Fintech Officer. Cuba will join the MTN Group Executive Committee reporting to the Group CEO Rob Shuter. In this role, Cuba will lead the Group’s strategic…
Nigeria, MTN’s largest market by subscribers, attracted 3.3 million subscribers in the six months to end-June 2019. The South African-based firm announced on Friday that its Nigerian operation now has 61.5 million customers. The operation was launched in 2001. MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group – a multinational telecommunications group which operates in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Two months ago, MTN made history as the first mobile telephone company to trade on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). MTN is now the second biggest Nigerian company listed on the NSE. Dangote Cement Plc owned by…
South Africa’s Telkom has cut the compensation of CEO Sipho Maseko for the 2019 financial year. In an integrated annual report, the company said it has paid Maseko a total package of R23 million in 2019 versus R27 million in 2018 financial year. The total package comprises of R8.2 million basic salary, a short-term incentive bonus of R7 million, a long-term incentive bonus of R5.3 million and R2 million in the dividend paid on unvested shares. Maseko, who has spearheaded Telkom’s turnaround, was appointed on 1 April 2013. “I have been fortunate to have a supremely talented, committed and engaged…
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has launched a competition aimed at getting young people in the country to come up with solutions to some of South Africa’s infrastructure challenges. Called the DBSA Youth Challenge, the competition invites entrants aged 18-35 to submit innovative development ideas that address infrastructural needs across various sectors. The winning submissions will attract a total of R1.5 million in prize money. The DBSA sees the competition as an opportunity for young people to have a voice and participate in the economy, thereby bringing them from the margins to the centre. With technology making it…
Despite recent volatility in the Bitcoin price, it has risen almost 30% in a year. You might be wondering how to start buying Bitcoin. You may be feeling brave and want to try a new type of investment which has the potential to form the backbone of a new financial system. The first thing you need to know, is you don’t need to buy a whole Bitcoin currently valued at over R146 000. Marius Reitz, GM for Africa of Luno, South Africa’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, explains that you can invest any amount from R20. With more than 2000 cryptocurrencies in…