Author: Gugu Lourie

Ex-Telkom staffers, who were outsourced to WNS, faces a bleak festive season. By Gugu Lourie In a letter from WNS dated 30 September 2015, 255 ex-Telkom employees were told they may be retrenched by December 31.  “We envisage that if retrenchments are unavoidable, they are likely to take effect on 31 December 2015,” Johann Kunz, MD of WNS, said in a letter to the affected staff. An ex-Telkom staffer, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear that disclosure of his name may jeopardise his chances of being redeployed by WNS either in Port Elizabeth or Durban sent TechFinancials.co.za the letter…

FNB today announced the launch of its latest marketing campaign to encourage digital banking via its innovative platforms. The campaign revolves around the concept of time and cost saving when banking digitally. By Staff Writer The TV advert focuses on real people going about their everyday lives and highlights minor frustrations that take up time such as leaving your wallet in a taxi, spilling a cappuccino in your lap, looking for your car in an underground garage or failing to get a tie right in the morning. “The adverts are light-hearted and ordinary South Africans will identify with the…

Phuthuma Nathi shareholder, Priscilla Hadebe tells of how the excellent value derived from her Phuthuma Nathi shares has helped her and her family realise their dreams. MultiChoice said investors who invested in the BBBBEE scheme and still held their shares until 31 March 2015 have received a return of over 1 400%, including dividends. Watch Video below: Email TechFinancials.co.za at [email protected]

Cell C, ‘the champion of the consumer’ could soon have a new owner – a “potential” buyer has already advised investors of ongoing talks for the purchase of a majority stake in the country’s third mobile phone operator. By Gugu Lourie Last month, Dubai-based Oger Telecom – Cell C’s parent company – put up a “for-sale sign” at the company’s Midrand offices. While there have been as many as six suitors, Telkom has emerged as a front runner, especially after the leading fixed line operator issued a “cautionary announcement” to shareholders on Monday. The suggestion was that Telkom was about to secure a deal to acquire…

Struggling mobile network operator Cell C has long been identified as a company that is likely to be gobbled up by a big local telco or a foreign firm. Gugu Lourie takes a closer look at this potential deal, which has seen speculation about a number of potential suitors, including French telecoms group Orange, South Africa’s Telkom and multinational technology firm Dimension Data. Last month, Cell C’s parent company, Dubai-based Oger Telecom, confirmed that it is looking for buyers for its 75% stake in the mobile operator. Goldman Sachs has been appointed to help with the process. Cell C, which was launched in 2001 as the country’s third…

As part of its summer campaign dubbed “With Love from MTN, the mobile phone operator is turning five of its lucky subscribers into overnight millionaires just for being on the MTN network. By Staff Writer MTN will be giving away a monthly cash prize of R1 million to each lucky subscriber between October 2015 to January 2016 just for staying on the MTN network. This cash prize of R1 million in cash will be given at the end of each month to one lucky subscriber. That’s not all, MTN is further sharing the love by giving away approximately R5 million…

 Vox Telecom, an end-to-end technology provider, has today launched a series of new uncapped ADSL bundles that are aimed at keeping South Africans connected for less. By Staff Writer Effective 01 October 2015, Vox Telecom is offering a consolidated range of uncapped ADSL bundles for home users. “We’ve created these packages in an effort to deliver best value to our customers, both in terms of data only, and bundled line rental options.   In so doing we’re offering cost conscious customers more bang for their buck,” says Shane Chorley, executive head of Carrier and Connectivity at Vox Telecom. Packages will range…

As computer technology has become more advanced, it has also become more sensitive to fluctuations in the voltage and supply of electricity. On-going power issues continue to be a major cause of computer and server downtime, and can have long-term repercussions on the reliability of equipment and the availability and integrity of data. By Marco Da Silva, MD of Power Solutions, The Jasco Group An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) has thus become an essential component of any end-to-end technology or computing solution. As a critical component of these systems, it is essential to ensure the UPS is optimally maintained, operational…

The computing cloud we have created supports much of our day-to-day office and leisure activity, from office email to online shopping and sharing holiday photos. Even health, social care and government functions are moving towards digital delivery over the internet. By Bill Buchanan However, we should be wary that as we become more dependent on it, the cracks will show. The systems are often a patchwork of interconnected services provided by various companies and industry partnerships. A failure of one can lead to a failure in others. For example, Skype recently went down for almost an entire day, while…

  On 29 September, almost exactly one year after iPhone 6 debuted on the site, the first iPhone 6s was sold on South African marketplace www.bidorbuy.co.za for R17 999. By Staff Writer The buyer, who is from Amanzimtoti, was happy to pay R17,999 for a 128GB Rose Gold model, although there is currently a 64GB Space Grey or Silver model on offer on the site for R15,799. Both of them are available immediately and are not on pre-order. The first iPhone 6s units appeared on bidorbuy on 27 September. “The fact that an iPhone 6s was sold so quickly after being listed…