Author: Gugu Lourie

In the fifth edition of its annual trend report, Ericsson ConsumerLab presents the 10 hottest consumer trends for 2016 and beyond. This year’s report shows consumers believe artificial intelligence (AI) will soon enable interaction with objects without the need for a smartphone screen. In fact, half of all smartphone users expect smartphones to become things of the past within the next five years. By Staff Writer The report also shows that as the adoption of networked technologies moves faster than ever, mass-market use becomes the norm quicker. As a result, the time period when early adopters influence others is now…

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The falling prices and shrinking sizes of computer processors and sensors, coupled with a proliferation of mobile connectivity, is spurring the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT). As connected cars, connected homes, and connected workplaces join the IoT, devices such as smartphones, tablet computers and smartwatches will serve as the primary interfaces through which people interact with IoT devices and equipment. By Ernst Wittmann, Country Manager for Southern Africa at Alcatel Onetouch The smartphone will be the centre of gravity for a growing IoT ecosystem. The IoT is a network of intelligent devices and machines that can monitor…

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Africa received a $10bn boost of help to build out its renewable energy sources, with Germany leading the advanced economies in its contribution. By NewsAgency Germany’s Environmental Minister Barbara Hendricks made the announcement on Monday on the sidelines of the UN climate talks in Paris. “Africa has a large hunger for energy,” Hendricks said. “We have to avoid that this hunger is fed with coal, oil and gas.” The announcement was one of a series of additional financial pledges amounting to about $98bn made during the UN climate talks in Paris since November 30, according to an informal calculation. The…

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Vodacom South Africa announced on Tuesday that it has revised its deal with Neotel after reviewing the R7 billion merger and giving up on getting its hands on the lucrative spectrum owned by the fixed-line telephone group. By Gugu Lourie Last month, Vodacom informed investors that it was in discussions with Neotel and its shareholders Tata Communications to explore a revised transaction structure. The move by Vodacom to push for a revised transaction structure comes after Neotel placed its CEO Sunil Joshi and chief financial officer Steven Whiley on special leave in July amid an investigation into bribery. Under…

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ShowMax and Telkom have entered into a partnership to provide users with zero-rated data for streaming content. The country’s biggest fixed-line telephone group said new and existing Telkom Summer Unlimited users will have unlimited data to stream content on ShowMax. By Staff Writer Subscription video on demand (SVOD) is taking off globally, as about 100 million people are now using Internet-based services to watch series and movies. In South Africa, the adoption of SVOD has been relatively modest due in part to the availability of services and also concerns over data usage. ShowMax, which can be viewed via smart…

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SABC Chief Operating Officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s lawyer, Zola Majavu,told journalists that the corporation knew his client did not have a matric certificate when he was first hired in 1995. By Lizeka Tandwa, News24 Majavu, speaking at Motsoeneng’s disciplinary hearing in Sandton on Monday, said he had witnesses who could prove that his client disclosed to the SABC that he did not have a matric certificate. He said the man who employed Motsoeneng as a journalist in 1995 knew that he did not have matric. “I have never doubted my client’s innocence. I have defended many people and this is the one that I…

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Telkom’s 11 contestants are making final preparations today before they attempt to beat the clock – and each other – to set a new record, certified by Guinness World Records, for the longest concurrent time spent watching movies. The current record stands at 120 hours 23 minutes, and the 11 contestants will attempt to spend over 122 hours watching movies delivered via Telkom’s Boltspeed fibre. The Telkom Unlimited Movie Marathon takes place at the Sheds in downtown Johannesburg. Visitors to the event will be able to watch movies for as long as they want, for only R30 a day.…

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Sunil Joshi, the chief executive officer of fixed-line telecommunications company Neotel, has resigned. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency His resignation comes after an investigation by the board of the company cleared him of bribery, Neotel said on Monday. Both Joshi and the company’s chief financial officer Steven Whiley were placed on special leave earlier this year amid an investigation into alleged bribery. Neotel stands accused of making illicit payments of R91m in fees to a ‘letterbox company’ company called ‘Homix’, according to a report from newspaper The Mail & Guardian earlier this year. Neotel is accused of making these payments to…

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You’re sitting at home minding your own business when you get a call from your credit card’s fraud detection unit asking if you’ve just made a purchase at a department store in your city. It wasn’t you who bought expensive electronics using your credit card – in fact, it’s been in your pocket all afternoon. So how did the bank know to flag this single purchase as most likely fraudulent? By Jungwoo Ryoo Credit card companies have a vested interest in identifying financial transactions that are illegitimate and criminal in nature. The stakes are high. According to the Federal Reserve…

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The Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling on Oscar Pistorius was the top story on local social media the past week, media monitoring company ROi Africa said on Sunday. By Jenna Etheridge, NewsAgency Almost 70% of social media activity was dedicated to the ruling handed down in Bloemfontein on Thursday, which found Pistorius guilty of murder. Making up less than a tenth of that was activity remembering late president Nelson Mandela. He died on December 5 two years ago at the age of 95, after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. World Aids day, the former Paralympian and terrorism attacks all received…

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