Author: Gugu Lourie
The City of Tshwane has doubled the daily data allowance on its public Wi-Fi programme. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency “Tshwane free Wi-Fi daily cap has been increased from 250MB to 500MB per day,” Alan Knott-Craig Jnr of Project Isizwe told Fin24. The non-governmental organisation has been tasked with the installation of Tshwane’s Wi-Fi programme which has delivered over 700 hot spots in the metro. Knott-Craig Jnr was quick to point to the consumer cost saving of the project. “The equivalent monthly cost based on R120/GB is R1 800. In effect, Tshwane gives R1 800 worth of internet per month to people…
The first phase of the Namola security application has been given the green light in the City of Tshwane. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency “Roll-out has started at Atteridgeville and Pretoria CBD. Once these areas are covered and Namola has been adopted there we will move out to the remaining regions,” Craig Rivett of Ever Africa told Fin24 about the launch. The project, which bills itself as an “Uber for security”, initially worked as a smartphone application so that people could call for an escort when they felt unsafe. It has evolved into a parallel communications channel where tablets in Tshwane Metro…
Smart cities are best defined as urban ecosystems that leverage technology and connectivity to deliver services to citizens. They touch on almost every aspect of public life: basic service delivery (like water, electricity and sanitation), healthcare, public transport, security and surveillance, traffic management, education, energy-efficient buildings, and technology-driven payment systems. By Martin Vergunst, Business Solutions Executive at T-Systems South Africa A smart city integrates various municipal departments, connected by innovative technologies, giving citizens access to public services with ease and low cost. In this way, the smart city vision promises to fuel economic development, increase levels of citizen participation, and…
It could herald a great leap forward in the way we live our lives. The internet of things, the idea that objects can be interconnected via a global network, will run your home, keep you healthy and even check how much food is in your fridge. It will mean a trillion new “smart sensors” being installed around the world by 2020. But what’s going to power these devices? By Jeff Kettle In some cases, the energy source is obvious: sensors in fridges or traffic lights can simply tap into mains electricity. But it’s much trickier to power something that detects…
If you are an entrepreneur, or a small medium business enterprise (SME) running an office or a retailer and you need a surveillance system that is easy to install and use, try the Axis F34 surveillance system. By Gugu Lourie This video surveillance solution only requires a personal computer (PC) to activate its cameras on the internet and thereafter the user doesn’t need a PC to use the video cameras. Users are likely to be impressed by the fact that Axis F34 surveillance system removes the need for a recorder for your videos? The solution comes with two 64 GB…
MTN’s biggest shareholder, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), has questioned the role of the board of directors of MTN over the $2.5 billlion Nigerian fine. By Staff Writer The PIC noted the resignation of MTN’s Group CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, early this morning. MTN announced on Monday that it has appointed its Phuthuma Nhleko as executive Chairman after Dabengwa resigned. “Whilst the PIC acknowledges that Mr Dabengwa’s resignation is the noble thing to do in the current circumstances, the PIC is of the view that a lot more people need to take collective responsibility for the fine that was imposed…
The resignation of MTN group chief executive officer Sifiso Dabengwa is a “loss to the industry”, says Vodacom boss Shameel Joosub. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency Dabengwa joined MTN in 2004 as the company’s CEO in Nigeria. He then became group CEO in 2011. But Dabengwa resigned on Monday amid the company facing a $5.2bn fine in Nigeria for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards in the country in a timely manner. Since the announcement of the fine, MTN’s share price has tumbled from a close of R190.84 on Friday October 23 to R159.42 at 13:44 on Monday November 9. The…
South Africa’s biggest mobile network Vodacom wants a regulatory approach to data-driven over the top (OTT) applications such as Facebook-owned WhatsApp. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency WhatsApp has grown to over 10 million users in South Africa, according to research from World Wide Worx and Fuseware. And Vodacom, in its interim results announcement on Monday, said that it has experienced a 33.5% data growth rate but that the company had invested R6.2bn in SA to cater for greater internet usage. This follows a R5.8bn investment in 2014. “A lot of your data growth is driven by the same people who are trying…
MTN Group shares and that of its Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) scheme MTN Zakhele regained some of the lost ground on Monday after the mobile phone operator said it has appointed its Phuthuma Nhleko as executive Chairman after the group CEO resigned. By Gugu Lourie The MTN and MTN Zakhele shares have recouped the lost ground they lost due to the Nigerian troubles that have rocked the mobile phone operator. MTN shares gained 1.71% at R160.14 by 11:58am on Monday while MTN Zakhele shares rose 12.42% at R77.01. The shares gained after MTN group announced earlier on Monday that it…
The resignation of MTN’s [JSE:MTN] group chief executive officer Sifiso Dabengwa should not be seen as an admission of wrongdoing, the operator’s spokesperson said. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency MTN on Monday confirmed that Dabengwa had resigned following the company having been fined $5.2bn in Nigeria for failing to disconnect five million unregistered SIM in a timely manner in the country. MTN said in a market update to shareholders that it’s still engaging with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on its mega fine in Nigeria. Dabengwa further said in a statement on Monday morning that his resignation was in the “interest of the company…