Author: Gugu Lourie
As companies continue to grapple with the need to become more digitised, many are being held back by legacy technology. By Matumane Tshabalala, managing executive of Application Services at Business Connexion. The cost of modernisation is often an inhibitor, but removing the risks associated with outdated technology far outweighs the price. The challenge is that many organisations do not even realise how vulnerable they truly are. The first step organisations need to take is to understand what legacy technology and applications are running in their environments and how critical these are to their business, which requires a thorough assessment of the…
More than 3 million registered users now use Vouchercloud, making it one of the biggest voucher codes and deals apps in South Africa. By Gugu Lourie Vouchercloud is a geo-location enabled product that seeks out the best local deals, displays them via the mobile phone, and allows users to redeem either digital or printed vouchers at participating retailers. Ashraff Paruk, managing executive of Digital Services at Vodacom, told Techfinancials.co.za that the Vodacom’s location-based deals app now has about 3 million registered users in South Africa across all its various channels – web and app. Some of the brands listed on…
The inaugural Women in ICT – Partnership for Change Awards has garnered over 100 entries for the inaugural event. A panel of experts will be meeting on 12 August 2016 to judge the entries submitted. Finalists in the different categories will be announced on 15 August 2016. “Receiving over 100 entries for our inaugural event highlights the necessity of a platform that recognises the strides that women have made in the ICT sector in South Africa. We hope that by showcasing successful women in ICT more girls would be interested in entering into the sector from an early age,” says…
Despite some technological safeguards, self-service checkout machines in supermarkets rely heavily on customer honesty to scan, and pay for, their shopping. It turns out however, that around a third of all customers “cheat” the machines in some way. By David Glance Although self-service checkouts can do some technological checking by having scales in the bagging area, these measures are very easy to circumvent. Shoppers will swap barcodes on items, scan more expensive vegetables or fruit as lower cost varieties, avoid scanning an item and just placing it on the floor or in an already packed bag and sometimes go to more…
For some people, the human body isn’t a temple. Instead they see it as a source of frustration thanks to the considerable limitations compared to the powerful technology available today. In the last few years, a new community of biohackers or “grinders” has sprung up to experiment with enhancing the human body with technology. By Kevin Warwick Largely outside of the mainstream disciplines of science or philosophy, it is a raw, exciting field that turns longstanding ethical beliefs on their head. It is a long time since my own first electronic implant – a simple radio frequency transmitter – was inserted…
Broadband speed test results are about as useful to accurate consumer decision-making as infomercialsinfomercials. By ISPA That’s the word from South Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) which represents almost 180 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that provide the lion’s share of the country’s broadband connections. A number of popular websites are advertising tools to help Internet users test the download speed of their fixed-line or mobile broadband connections. Media outlets, too, often conduct their own tests outside of laboratory settings where broadband speeds advertised by ISPs are compared to actual speeds achieved at very specific places and points in time.…
Hong Kong Bitcoin exchange Bitfinex announced that it had been hacked and 119,756 Bitcoins stolen which at current prices represents nearly US $69 million. Bitcoin prices dropped 20% after word of the hack became public but the price has since recovered. By David Glance It is not clear how the hackers were able to get hold of the cryptographic keys that protected the stolen Bitcoins. Bitfinex had instituted a new way of protecting its accounts that involved multiple signatures, one of which was held by BitGo, the creators of the system that was supposed to keep the Bitcoin accounts safe from…
Lawyers, advisors and other professional services firms involved in reducing MTN’s fine in Nigeria are laughing all the way to the bank. By Gugu Lourie When the brawl with the Nigerian authorities’ started MTN lined up top lawyers to argue its case in Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria The South African-based firm at the time hired seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) to fight the R59 billion ($3.9 billion) fine imposed on it by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). The lead lawyer was Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who lead the others against the federal government and NCC before the Federal High…
The number of mobile money users in MTN’s network has hit 36.5 million across 15 countries, up by 5% in the six months to end-June 2016, according to the figures published on Friday by the mobile phone giant. By Staff Writer MTN said mobile money services generated R1.3 billion in revenues in the six months to end-June 2016, increasing by 40.8% compared to the same period in 2015. The mobile phone operator added that this was supported by strong performance from MTN Uganda, MTN Ghana, MTN Rwanda and MTN Benin. It also attributed revenue growth to focused customer engagement and…
Mobile phone giant MTN is reviewing its operations as the company seeks ways to operate far more optimally. By Staff Writer All mobile phone companies are under pressure as voice revenue continues to dwindle. MTN informed investors on Friday that it is undertaking with external assistance a ‘deep and fundamental strategic review’ of its operations and processes to ensure it is operating far more optimally given the pressure on voice revenues, evolving customer needs for high quality data and more complex and competitive market environments. MTN said this will reset and position the business for future growth in a rapidly evolving…
MTN, Africa and Middle East largest mobile phone operator, is planning to establish an advanced analytics unit dedicated to support the business to drive network quality and high-speed data connectivity. By Gugu Lourie The new division is part of MTN’s ‘deep and fundamental strategic review’ of its operations and processes to ensure it is operating far more optimally given the pressure on voice revenues, evolving customer needs for high quality data and more complex and competitive market environment. “As part of the review, the following key areas will be addressed: An advanced analytics unit will be established to support the…
MTN Business today announced the winners of its 5th annual MTN Business App of the Year Awards during a ceremony held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Tonight’s ceremony honoured app developers whose winning solutions were selected from over 450 entries competing in several categories. The App of the Year Awards celebrates the out-of-the-box thinkers that drive change through real solutions that deal with real problems. The six categories for this year’s Awards are Best Enterprise, Best Consumer, Best Enterprise Development, and Best Breakthrough Developer, Best Most Innovative and Best Mobile Gaming. Domestly was named as the winner in the…
The digital technology is disrupting the car manufacturing industry and at the centre of it all is a smartphone’s data channel, SIM card and cellular radio integrated into the vehicle’s onboard system. By Gugu Lourie The digital technology is changing the way we look at a vehicle. The global connected car market will be worth €39 billion (R607 billion) in 2018 up from €13 billion (R202 billion) in 2012, according to new forecasts from research firm SBD and the GSMA. The report titled Connected Car Forecast predicts that over the next five years, there will be an almost sevenfold increase…
With Pokémon GO all the rage, the Open Design Cape Town festival from 10 to 21 August offers opportunities to get to grips with the augmented reality technology behind the latest craze. By Open Design Cape Town The tech events are part of the 12-day Festival, which features over 140 events including talks, exhibitions, workshops, tours, activations and interactive experiences that explore how design and innovation can be used to add great value to our daily lives and create a more sustainable future. The festival takes place in two stages, with events, expos and workshops at Cape Town City Hall…
Steve Tyler – of the Gin Tub, a new cocktail bar – has turned to physics in an attempt to force his customers to actually talk to other instead of just staring at social media all night, reported BBC. He has built an electronic shield, known as a Faraday cage, into the walls and ceiling to stop the signals penetrating the building. He told BBC tha he wanted to force “people to interact in the real world” and remember how to socialise. “If the person you are with goes to the bathroom, the problem with mobiles is they insulate you from…
ShowMax has added a new feature to its Android, Apple TV, iOS and web apps that supports multiple user profiles on a single account. This feature makes it possible to customise the experience of individual users and also to limit the access of children to age-suitable material. “Why are profiles a big deal? Different users can now customise their own experience, create individual watchlists and receive personalised recommendations. It’s even possible to set up themed profiles – one for romantic comedies and another for action as an example,” ShowMax’s chief product officer Barron Ernst said. “Perhaps most importantly, this new…
Thousands of mobile network users and fixed line customers in Limpopo were yesterday left without connectivity following a serious incident of sabotage to the Telkom network. By Staff Writer Most of the mobile operators have been affected by the sabotage, along with businesses and individual consumers, in the province. “Technicians were immediately despatched to the sites where the fibre cables were cut and they have been working through the night to restore connectivity”, said Jacqui O’Sullivan, Telkom Group spokesman. “Three significant cable breaks occurred but this was not cable theft. This was the targeted and considered action of a person…
A little-known web standard that lets site owners tell how much battery life a mobile device has left has been found to enable tracking online, according to a report by the Guardian. By Staff Writer The report states that researchers claim that your battery status is being used to track you online. Now, two security researchers from Princeton University have shown that the battery status indicator really is being used in the wild to track users. By running a specially modified browser, Steve Engelhard and Arvind Narayanan found two tracking scripts that used the API to “fingerprint” a specific device, allowing them to…
South Africa’s popular online comparison website Click ‘n Compare, which currently attracts 50 000 users, is rebranding into CompareGuru. By Staff Writer The new identity of CompareGuru signifies the company’s shift to a more tailored and personalised experience for information hungry users on the site. Click ‘n Compare currently attracts 50 000 users and 150 000 page views monthly, and the site generates an average of 10 000 leads a month. The majority of these leads are generated in the following categories: Mobile (2000); Insurance (2000) and Loans (4500). Current users will be automatically directed to the new CompareGuru site.…
South Africa’s Telkom has been selected by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as its trusted partner to provide the state-of-the-art ICT services required to enable free and fair elections in South Africa. On 3 August 2016, over 26.3 million of South Africans will head to their local voting stations to cast their votes in what is anticipated to be one of the most highly contested and record breaking municipal elections in the country’s history. Telkom will provide a variety of ICT solutions to be sure that every point of the electoral chain, from the local voting station to the National…
Vodacom, which is owned by British mobile phone giant Vodafone, is considering providing a full-service of in-vehicle Internet bundles to connected car owners in the future. By Gugu Lourie Vodacom SIM cards are already powering BMW South Africa’s ConnectedDrive technology, which is designed to offer infotainment and other in-vehicle digital services for its drivers. “Internet-in-the-Car has recently been launched in several Vodafone operating companies in Europe, Tony Smallwood, executive head at Vodacom for business development in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Vertical Industries, said. “Vodacom is considering a similar service offering.” In February 2016, AT&T and Vodafone announced that they are supporting…
The flow of reports about the impact of automation, mostly dire, continues. The latest is from StartupAUS, Australia’s national startup advocacy group. By Ron Johnston This report follows the now familiar line captured in the phrase “exponential technologies”: exponential improvements in computer power and advances in technology such as artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, cloud computing and the internet of things will have a profound impact on future employment, with almost 5 million current jobs (that is 40% of the workforce) in Australia becoming obsolete by 2030. This follows in the footsteps of a detailed CEDA report in 2015, which conducted…
I grew up with video cassette recorders (VCRs). I still remember rushing off to the the video store to hire the latest movie, hoping that there was at least one copy still on the shelf that didn’t have the “Sorry I’m Out” tag placed in the cover. By Marc C-Scott In 2001, despite the emergence of DVDs, the portfolio for my undergraduate degree application was sent on VHS. That’s all they accepted. I still have a cupboard full of VHS tapes: films I purchased as well as my own video work. But now, viewing these tapes will become far more difficult.…
This year, online retail in South Africa will reach 1% of overall retail for the first time. While the number appears small, it marks a significant milestone for a sector that is attracting robust investment from both established and new players in the retail game. By Kevin Tucker, CEO of PriceCheck It underscores that online retail is now gathering momentum in South Africa, having maintained a growth rate of above 20% for several years, according to the World Wide Worx Online Retail in South Africa 2016 report. The report revealed that in 2015, the rate of growth was 26%, taking online retail to…
Vodacom, South Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator, and its main rival MTN are increasing their participation in the Internet of Things (IoT) space with a growing interest in the connected vehicle industry that is integrating with the smartphone. By Gugu Lourie The connected car space is very lucrative. Ralph de la Vega, AT&T Mobility’s president, once described the changes brought by the smartphone onto the car industry, succinctly saying: “The car is becoming a smartphone on wheels”. By 2020, independent research firm SNS estimates that connected car services will account for nearly $40 billion (R556 billion) in annual revenue. It…