Author: Gugu Lourie

Free Wi-Fi has come to residents of Gauteng’s East Rand as the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality starts rolling out the early stages of its connectivity programme at public facilities. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency Residents wanting to use the Wi-Fi can choose “Ekurhuleni Free Wi-Fi” network on a smartphone and are allowed a daily cap of 250MB. The Wi-Fi roll-out is coming to public facilities like clinics and libraries in areas such as Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan and Springs. Officials said the network is robust and high-speed. “From a speed point of view we don’t put on a cap. They get a capacity of…

 Telkom and Dubai-based Saudi Oger Telecoms on Thursday terminated their talks for a deal to sell Cell C to South Africa’s fixed-line telephone group. By Staff Writer Telkom informed investors on November 9 2015 that it was in talks to buy Cell C . But On Thursday  Telkom said the deal talks were called off after the telco performed due diligence on Cell C. “Shareholders are now advised that Telkom and Oger Telecoms have mutually agreed to terminate these discussions,” Telkom informed investors on the JSE. The main hurdle to the deal was not disclosed to investors on the JSE, but Telkom…

Africa’s biggest mobile network MTN has been slapped with a Ugandan court order to pay $662 000 (R9.3m) in damages for anti-competitive behaviour. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency Fin24 understands that MTN supplied a mobile money transfer company called EzeeMoney with one modem line and over 30 telephone lines on a postpaid basis to help carry out its business. However, MTN is then said to have changed the contract to a prepaid basis because EzeeMoney didn’t meet the mobile network’s criteria in terms of call volumes. But Nigerian newspaper Leadership has reported that EzeeMoney accused MTN of cancelling the contract with…

It might be thought that a firm threatened with a R200 billion lawsuit would see its shares plummet on the JSE. But investors in Vodacom Group, which is majority owned by British mobile giant Vodafone, have ignored Alieu Conteh’s threat to sue the South African-based mobile phone operator. By Staff Writer According to a report by Financial Mail magazine, Vodacom has been slapped with a $14 billion (R200 billion) claim by its partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo, businessman Alieu Conteh. Conteh is the controlling shareholder of Congolese Wireless Network (CWN), which is a minority shareholder in Vodacom…

Cloud software maker Citrix announced on Thursday the appointment of Sherif Seddik as MD and vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). By Staff Writer He will report to Carlos Sartorius, senior vice president of Worldwide Sales and Services. Seddik will be responsible for the growth and development of the Citrix operation across EMEA, driving revenues, generating new business opportunities and cultivating the company’s valued partner ecosystem. “I’m drawn to Citrix’s vision and proven ability to connect people to apps and data on any device, platform and through the cloud,” says Seddik.  “Citrix offers such a unique value…

Despite the lower cost of W-Fi compared to mobile network connectivity, there is still low adoption of the technology in emerging markets such as South Africa, says an industry player. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency “In developed markets the Wi-Fi adoption in homes is more or less 100%, in sub-Saharan Africa you still only see home Wi-Fi adoption for the privileged few,” Johan Terve, vice president of Marketing at Aptilo Networks told Fin24. The company specialises in carrier offload and has operations in 65 countries. Terve was speaking on the sidelines of the AfricaCom tech showcase underway in Cape Town. He said…

Vodacom has been slapped with a US$14 billion (R200 billion) claim by its partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo, businessman Alieu Conteh, according to a report by Financial Mail magazine. The magazine said the claim follows an ongoing legal dispute between the parties. Conteh is the controlling shareholder of Congolese Wireless Network (CWN), which is a minority shareholder in Vodacom Congo. In its financial statements, Vodacom says the latest claim seeks to “invalidate a court decision to remove Conteh as statutory manager of CWN as well as the liquidation of Vodacom Congo and its payment of various sums to CWN…

The SABC on Wednesday announced the suspension of its Group CEO Frans Matlala, four months after he was appointed. By Naledi Shange, NewsAgency Spokesperson for the public broadcaster, Kaizer Kganyago said Matlala had been suspended pending an investigation. “The SABC’s Group Executive: News and Current Affairs, Mr Jimi Matthews, will be acting GCEO during this time,” he said. While the details around Matlala’s pending investigation were unclear, Kganyago said they would not comment any further on the matter until all processes were finalised. Matlala’s suspension comes just four months after his appointment. He took over in July following the abrupt resignation…

A new “Laan” is coming to the SABC in the form of Systraat, the South African public broadcaster’s first web series in the form of an Afrikaans animation show. By Thinus Ferreira, NewsAgency Systraat will also be the SABC’s first show to roll out and be “broadcast” online first before it’s shown on linear television. Systraat (“Sidestreet”) is produced by Stemmburg Television – also responsible for the long-running Afrikaans music competition show Noot vir Noot and the more recent Musiek Rouletteon SABC2. The first episode will debut on 24 November at 21:00 on SABC3’s YouTube channel. Systraat’s internet debut follows the…

While competition among South Africa’s four leading banks is fierce, FNB has successfully managed to keep bank charges down while offering improved services and unmatched connectivity—keeping it ahead of the game. Its success strategy has involved a partnership with DFA, owner of South Africa’s largest open-access high speed fibre network. Future proofing the network Access to high speed fibre connectivity was a fairly new concept for the local market in 2007, and there were a limited number of providers able to meet FNB’s needs. To overcome this issue the bank registered as an ISP and acquired an Electronic Communications…