Author: Gugu Lourie
Samsung South Africa has introduced a new mobile premium service for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices called Samsung Mobile Care (SMC), which offers customers a smooth and convenient repair service with expert care from the people who made the device. SMC is a Service Plan for your Galaxy S8 and S8+ device in the unfortunate event of accidental screen damage. It provides a quick and easy solution that allows you up to two screen repairs in a 24-month period. The Service Plan costs R69.99 per month, with the 1st month being free of charge. Alternatively, customers can purchase the…
The African continent has huge potential to create more “unicorns”, or privately-owned technology businesses valued at $1 billion (R13.5 billion) or more, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). WEF says that for Africa to realise success on creating more unicorns depends on creating a positive ecosystem for these vibrant enterprises to thrive and grow. The organisation added that the focus of education needs to shift towards self-learning and entrepreneurial thinking. Africa’s Unicorn Effect Last week, panellists at WEF Africa on Africa’s Unicorn Effect said policy-makers should recognise the positive role that innovation can play in improving economic efficiency and…
SweepSouth, Africa’s pioneer in using technology to provide on-demand and regular home cleaning services, has raised undisclosed amount of capital from local and global investors to accelerate its growth in the African continent. SweepSouth is an online platform for booking, managing and paying for home cleaning services using a laptop, phone or tablet. The platform makes it easy and convenient for anyone to book and pay for cleaning services, and connects clients with efficient, reliable and trustworthy cleaners. SweepSouth’s home cleaning professionals have gone through a rigorous interview process and are experienced, reference- and background checked, criminal record-checked, and fully…
South Africa is a country of well-known promise and peril. Despite being the largest economy on the African Continent, the nation is plagued by high levels of unemployment, a poor education system and staggering income inequality. Underscoring the country’s struggle to translate its rich natural resources and other assets into Underscoring the country’s struggle to translate its rich natural resources and other assets into a social benefit, South Africa ranked 149th out of 162 in its ability to convert wealth into well-being, according to Boston Consulting’s (BCG’s) most recent Sustainable Economic Development Assessment (SEDA). While financial inclusion – the adoption, usage and…
Aisha Pandor, the founder of on-demand cleaning service platform SweepSouth, has been named one of Africa’s Breakthrough Female Tech Entrepreneurs of 2017 by the World Economic Forum. The WEF contest, which was open to female entrepreneurs whose business was less than three years old, and which used an innovative technology or business models, lauded Pandor for SweepSouth’s potential to demonstrate social and economic potential for the country. Pandor said she was delighted by the recognition. The empowerment company, likened to the “Uber of domestic cleaning services” allows contracted domestic cleaners, booked via an online mobile application, to take home between…
The keyless car rental fleet market is so new in South Africa, many people are not aware of it and how it is providing a great customer experience. In fact, car rental fleets are popular among corporate users. South Africa’s Bidvest Car Rental launched in December their keyless car rental fleet with the introduction of their app known as Snappdrive, which is aimed at redefining car rental market in the country. Speaking at the MTN Internet of Things (IoT) breakfast in Sandton, Gaynor Von Loggenburg, executive: sales and marketing at Bidvest Car Rental, said the company was excited and enthusiastic about the…
Isaac Mophatlane, the CEO of BCX, has apparently been forced out of the tech company by its main shareholder, Telkom, according to South Africa’s Black Business Council (BBC). In a statement on Thursday BBC said it “believes (Mophatlane) was forced out”. The black business lobby group condemned the departure of Mophatlane from BCX, he and his late twin brother founded 38 years ago, a few years after it was acquired by Telkom. “There’s no magic solution to avoid the hurt feelings, the tension, the discomfort this development has caused among our members. This is an attack on black excellence,”…
By Richard Mukheibir, CEO at Cash Converters Second-hand is the savvy way to shop now. Even before the news of the junk-status downgrade, the Momentum/Unisa survey showed that South African households’ real net wealth had declined by nearly 2% in 2016 and we have just heard from Statistics SA that retail sales fell at about the same rate in February this year. We need to get past the doom and gloom, though, and recognise that there is a silver lining in the second-hand goods market. The market for second-hand goods has been burgeoning in South Africa and across the continent in…
If you want to listen to your cool music on the earbuds that deliver sound with accurate tonal balance, even dispersion, natural clarity, and a rich, dynamic range, resulting in an outstanding listening experience, try Impulse Wireless. I have been using them for the past two weeks and was thrilled. We have been using them on the iPhone 6s and a Lenovo laptop to see if they are capable of being a device to be utilised at home, in the office and on the go. The iFrogz premium audio wireless earbuds are worth below R600 at Takealot and Musica Stores,…
MTN, South Africa’s second-biggest mobile phone operator, has delivered strong results to start the year, with solid revenue growth despite a drop in subscriber numbers. The telco said on Wednesday service revenue rose 4.1% in the first quarter of 2017 financial year, boosted by data and digital revenue which jumped 17.8% and 20.3% respectively. However, outgoing voice revenue declined 5.4% year-on-year as billable minutes dropped 7.5%. MTN South Africa’s customers were down 1.7% to 30,2 million in the first quarter due to seasonality. “We remain committed to our net additions guidance of 630 000. We are encouraged by the progress…
There is no more MTN VU or FrontRow. MTN, South Africa’s second biggest mobile phone operator, is shutting down its video on demand (VOD) service, MTN VU signalling a failure to retain and entice customers. VU, previously known as MTN FrontRow, is VoD service that offers TV series, music and movies to stream through your smart devices. On 1 December 2015, MTN FrontRow was rebranded into VU and pronounced “View You”. MTN VU was launched in December 2014. The platform also slashed prices to retain and entice new customers. Data consumed while streaming VU was also zero-rated on the MTN…
SqwidNet, a subsidiary of Dark Fibre Africa and a licensed Sigfox operator, is making inroads with the deployment of its Internet of Things (IoT) network and now provides coverage into eight South African metropolitan areas.Since its launch in November 2016, SqwidNet has successfully deployed its ultra-narrowband IoT radio network in eight metropolitan areas, namely Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay, eThekwini, Mangaung, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, the City of Johannesburg, and the City of Cape Town.This represents around 38% of the South African population today, and the network will grow to cover over 85% of the South African population within the next year.The…
Fast-growing innovator in Internet of Things technology, South African based IoT.nxt, will open its first fully-fledged office in Europe in The Netherlands in July this year. This follows its associate office established in London in January this year and now firmly starts the company’s global expansion. “The Netherlands has a strong technology focus and was the logical choice,” says Dr Joe Bester, IoT.nxt Marketing Director, who will lead the Dutch office. Techchrunch.com reported in 2015 that the early strengths of the Netherlands’ budding startup scene — software, space, smart energy, financial tech, digital health, sharing technology and 3D printing, among…
The internet is experiencing explosive growth. It is also ever more apparent that it is impacting and changing not only the way information is transmitted and consumed, but also transforming a lot of activities such as banking, health, transportation, education and entertainment. In South Africa, you can see the phenomenal surge and the impact of the internet on the growth of a number of industries such as online radio, digital publishers, online recruiters, app developers, etc. #DataMustFall Despite this growth, in a country like South Africa, at present, the Internet remains an elitist medium. The masses are prevented from enjoying…
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales takes an aim at getting rid of fake news though a launch of an evidence-based media platform. The Wikitribune news platform will bring journalists and a community of volunteers together. The thinking behind Wikitribune is to ensure that you read a fact-based articles that have a real impact on both local and global events. And that story can be easily verified and improved. It will be 100% ad-free. The company says the platform will also not have one’s relying on clicks to appease advertisers; no one’s got a vested interest in anything other than giving you…
MTN, South Africa’s second biggest mobile phone operator, is temporarily shaking its contract plans with a promotion to be known as Twice Your Value. The promotion went live last week Friday and will be valid until 31 May 2017. The new promotion gives MTN customers more data, and doubles the value of their voice and SMS services. New contract customers or those who upgrade their plans on selected packages will also qualify to receive double of their voice, data and SMS value. MTN said in a statement that qualifying customers will receive this 100% value back every month for three…
The number of new startups and big corporates keen on building a flying car has exploded in the past few years. Big and small companies including Airbus, Uber, Cormorant, Kitty Hawk are vying to deliver a safe flying car. The battle for flying cars is on. In October Uber unveiled Uber Elevate, an ambitious program to get cars—or at least Ubers—off the road and into the sky, according to Time.com. Airbus Group plans to test a prototype for a self-piloted flying car as a way of avoiding gridlock on city roads by the end of the year, according to Reuters.…
Since 2010, predictions for growth in the Internet of Things (IoT) have been staggering, and one thing has become clear: IoT is growing worldwide. However, the true value in IoT is not in the devices, says Sean Laval, Technical Head of IoT at Comsol Networks. “The network, devices, and all of the pieces are there to allow organisations to gain value out of the data the IoT generates. The ‘how’ of IoT is therefore just as important as the ‘what’ of IoT — the data.” He points out that all of the data in the world is useless if it can’t be…
MTN SA, in partnership with Huawei, successfully trialed Africa’s first LTE Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) network at a test site in Pretoria. LTE LAA is an evolution of the LTE-Unlicensed mobile technology, which enables LTE to utilise unlicensed spectrum to significantly enhance network capacity. MTN SA said in a statement that the pilot of the LTE LAA mobile technology demonstrates MTN’s ongoing commitment to overhaul customer experience by improving the quality of its network. The LTE LAA trial was completed by aggregating 15MHz of MTN’s licensed 2100MHz spectrum with 40MHz of spectrum located within the unlicensed 5GHz band. This achieved…
FastMobile, a George based startup has quietly launched online a new smartphone with an aim to bring the benefits of affordable smartphone telephony to the African masses. The South African start-up plans to become the brand of choice for the discerning mobile consumer in a continent which has one of the fastest growth rates in mobile device consumption. FastMobile intends to provide high-end features, value-for-money products at the most cost-effective prices. It also aims to deliver outstanding values, continuous innovation, and an exceptional user experience to its customers. Furthermore, the economic downturn has caused the smartphone market to enter recession…
Huawei has taken advantage of its Eco-Connect Conference 2017 to announce the launch of its Sandton OpenLab to enable the global ICT firm to work with various industry partners in South Africa to create innovative solutions that enable digital transformation, while promoting industry ecosystem development. Based on Huawei Open ICT platforms, and developing agile innovation, Huawei has launched the Huawei Enterprise ICT Solutions Open Lab, in Sandton, in collaboration with partners and software vendors. To speed-up digital transformation, enterprises need to transform traditional IT systems and build new ICT infrastructures with cloud, IoT, and big data at the core.. The…
T-Systems South Africa and Huawei have announced that they will be bringing Open Telekom Cloud (OTC) to focus on accelerating digital transformation within the South African market. OTC is a simple, secure and affordable Open Stack Public Cloud platform that will deliver on-demand, pay as you go cloud services to enterprises. With the advent of industry 4.0 and the digitalisation of organisations, OTC will bring the best of global cloud innovation to South Africa and will enable South African organisations to operate and compete on a global scale. “This extended partnership with Huawei, allows us to bring a new level…
Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom, a subsidiary of Econet Global, and Intelsat S.A. have announced a new agreement that will introduce high performance Intelsat EpicNG satellite services into the Liquid Telecom network. As part of the new, multi-year agreement, Liquid Telecom has committed to dedicated services on the Intelsat 33e satellite, which began operations earlier this year. The solution features ground networking equipment based upon the Newtec Dialog VSAT platform, including technology developed under the ESA-funded Project Indigo announced previously by Intelsat and Newtec. By taking advantage of Intelsat’s high-throughput satellite (HTS) solutions, Liquid Telecom will be able to deliver more…
If you are fashionable, love music and are tech savvy, you should check out the new earphones to hit South Africa. The Sudio, a Scandinavian earphones firm, is expanding into South Africa to bring its premium pair of wireless earphones. The Swedish firm is already operating a local online store at https://goo.gl/fvXXBk Yesterday, a DHL delivery guy buzzed at my gate to deliver the Sudio Regent premium white monochromatic earphones. I unwrapped the box and the admiration of the wireless earphones started as I saw that there is a Sudio Case for my iPhone 6S. I quickly removed the Sudio…
A next generation of compact sedan vehicles is coming. Mercedes is bringing a new body type of its popular sedan that will provide a more rigorous implementation of the design idiom of “sensual purity”. The new body type is inspired by the “Aesthetics A” sculpture shown in January. Watch a brief teaser video of the new Mercedes Sedan below: The car is being showcased at the Auto Shanghai. Mercedes says the “Aesthetics A” sculpture already demonstrated that the upcoming compact class generation marks the dawn of an even more rigorous implementation of the design idiom of “sensual purity”. “Our Concept A Sedan…