Author: Gugu Lourie
Mike Whitfield, managing director of Nissan South Africa, has called for more cooperation between carmakers and government to ensure that the electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid vehicles’ market thrives in the country. By Gugu Lourie In an interview with Techfinancials, Whitfield said: “Technology (of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars) is new, is well-received, but I believe to move forward we need further cooperation on a clear strategy developed between all stakeholders.” The Japanese carmaker Nissan started the zero emissions movement in 2010 when it introduced the LEAF as the world’s first mass-produced electric car. In 2013, Nissan South Africa introduced…
International travel companies hoping to penetrate the African market must include mobile payments as a strategic initiative, according to recent surveys. By Eran Feinstein Africa has been called the world’s mobile-first continent and the fastest-growing travel market in the world. In order to dominate in the African market, mobile payments must take priority in the corporate agenda. Report: Growth of African tourism From 26 million international tourists in 2000 to 56 million in 2014, according to The World Tourism Organization, African tourism is growing steadily. It is not only African travel and hospitality companies that are poised to gain. International conglomerates,…
Big data is increasingly becoming part of everyday life. Network security companies use it to improve the accuracy of their intrusion detection services. Dating services use it to help clients find soulmates. It can enhance the efficiency and accuracy of fraud detection, in turn helping protect your personal finances. By Jungwoo Ryoo “Big data” is a catchall term for any data set of exceedingly large volume. It could be transaction information at a credit card company, invoice data at an online retailer, meteorological measurements from a weather station. All these data sets have unique characteristics that make it extremely difficult to…
Industry disruptors are forcing traditional organisations to move out of their comfort zones and unless they have a solid innovation strategy and roadmap in place to compete, they run the risk of becoming obsolete. This is the view of Vish Rajpal, group executive of Business Solutions at Business Connexion. “Gone are the days where a slight change to a product or solutions could be classed as innovative. Today’s fast changing business environment demands that real innovation takes place in real time,” says Rajpal. “Organisations can also no longer innovate in isolation. We foresee that we are going to see a…
Telecommunications clearly facilitate economic growth and participation. As such, countries should care about competitive outcomes in this sector. When competition works it can result in expanded services and lower prices, and it can stimulate innovation. By Pamela Mondliwa and Tamara Paremoer The South African record of telecommunications policy and regulation has been poor. Regulations that would allow competitors to access essential infrastructure have been part of government policy since 2007. But they have not yet been implemented. Lengthy delays in digital migration have also prevented telecommunications service providers from rolling out faster broadband. These regulations have disadvantaged competitors and benefited larger incumbents.…
Having concluded an agreement with the Nigerian authorities over a fine imposed for failure to register subscribers, MTN Group has announced a change in the composition of the board of directors of the company, as well as reconstitution of the board of its local operation. The mobile phone operator informed investors on Monday that it has resolved to refresh the board, deepening the commercial experience on both the group and MTN South Africa boards with a view to improving the risk and governance profile of the group. The appointment of new board memebrs is effective 1 August 2016. The MTN…
Phuthuma Nhleko, the chairman of MTN Group, will stand down in two and a half years as the mobile phone operator replaces its top leadership after being hit with a massive fine by the Nigerian authorities. The mobile phone operator hasn’t started compiling a list of possible replacements. Nhleko assumed the position of executive chairman on 9 November 2015 in order to resolve the Nigerian fine or what the firm calls a “very difficult challenges that the company experienced at the time”. Given the appointment of Rob Shuter as group president and CEO, MTN informed investors that Nhleko will revert to…
Vodafone’s CEO of the European cluster Rob Shuter has been named as the CEO of MTN Group, Africa and Middle East’s biggest mobile phone operator. Shuter is also a former CEO of Vodafone Netherlands and ex-Vodacom chief financial officer. By Staff Writer “Rob may commence as soon as it is practically possible in 2017 but no later than 1 July 2017 after the completion of his contractual obligations,” MTN informed investors on Monday morning. Shuter has extensive experience in telecoms and banking having held senior management roles at Vodacom Group, Standard Bank and Nedbank prior to joining Vodafone Group. “MTN…
Independent content creation company Oxyg3n Media is now on the lookout for participants to take part in the hit series, Married at First Sight South Africa. By Staff Writer The series will premiere on Lifetime (DStv channel 131) in early 2017. In Married at First Sight, singles who have failed to find love put their hearts in the hands of a team of experts, who select their perfect partner; the couples then meet for the first time at the altar. After the wedding and honeymoon, the married couples move in together and start their new lives. From the first kiss…
South Africa’s Vodacom paid CEO Shameel Joosub nearly R22 million in total compensation for its financial year 2016, according to the mobile phone operator’s latest integrated annual report. The disclosure makes Joosub among the highest-paid executives in Africa’s telecommunications sector. According to the report, Joosub received a guaranteed salary of R7.8 million versus R7.2 million in 2015. His R21.7 million total remuneration included a R13.9 million bonus, according to the operators’ integrated annual report. While former chief financial officer (CFO) Ivan Dittrich was paid R7.7 million, which included a guaranteed salary of R1.6 million and R6.2 million…
Both Apple and Google use their developer conferences to introduce updates to their mobile operating systems. Google IO, held last month, introduced Google’s latest version “N” of Android, along with new apps. By David Glance Apple has done the same this week at its World Wide Developer Conference, introducing iOS 10. While both Apple and Google are likely to be monitoring each others’ releases to stay competitive, there is a big difference underlying the Android and iOS approaches to feature development that means their respective focus will also differ. Google has little control over hardware and the rate at which OS…
A US court has this week granted the ZA Central Registry’s (ZACR’s) motion to dismiss all claims against it by DotConnectAfrica Trust (DCA). This is in relation to DCA’s ongoing attempts to stall the public availability of the .africa (dotAfrica) generic Top Level Domain (gTLD). The Californian judge has essentially sent a firm message to DCA that its spurious claims against the ZACR are deficient in law and don’t stand up to proper scrutiny. “As matters currently stand, the next step in these US-based legal proceedings is to wait for the judge to rule on the ZACR’s motion to reconsider…
Charlene takes a picture of her dog with her smartphone and morphs his face onto hers to make a hybrid creature. She sends it to dozens of her friends and acquaintances. By Jennifer Charteris and Sue Gregory Over the next 23-hour period, 70 of Charlene’s friends view it. Many reply with pictures of their own, some clutching dogs or cats, some with hybrid faces themselves. Some have accompanying text: “Aww weird!” or “That’s an improvement!” It sounds like typical teenage high jinks, and it’s all done via Snapchat, the ephemeral messaging app where posts are automatically deleted after a few seconds, or…
Today we’re updating the resources we offer to people around the world who may be experiencing self-injury or suicidal thoughts, as well as the support we offer to their concerned friends and family members. By Antigone Davis, Global Head of Safety and Jennifer Guadagno, Researcher at Facebook Developed in collaboration with mental health organizations and with the input from people who have personal experience with self-injury and suicide, these tools first launched in the US with the help of Forefront, Lifeline, and Save.org. Today, we are rolling them out around the world in collaboration with local partners and in all languages…
Prima Interactive, distributors of interactive games and products in South Africa, today announced a four day price drop on Xbox One consoles. The substantial discount of up to R1 500 on Xbox One consoles will be available to South Africans this week from Thursday, 16 to Sunday 19 June 2016. What this means is that the Xbox One 500GB console with game, will retail for a recommended selling price of R4 999 and the Xbox One 1TB consol with game for a recommended selling price of R5 499. These bundles will be available from all leading South African retailers and…
DataProphet, a Cape Town-based machine learning startup, is looking to bolster its innovative offering across borders and industries alike after Yellowwoods Capital Holdings acquired a significant shareholding in the South African firm. By Gugu Lourie Global investment and private equity firm Yellowwoods Capital Holdings is a member of the European-based global investment and private equity focused Yellowwoods Group. Its local investments include Hollard Insurance, Clientele Limited and Nando’s, amongst others. “This investment is a testament to the team we have built, to our capabilities and ultimately to the field as a whole – all of which is very exciting,” DataProphet’s…
In an interview with Techfinancials, CEO Eileen Wilton says Gijima wants to continue to develop its Human Capital Management business. The business, which is relatively not well-known, plays in the recruitment and placement space. It also develops much needed-skills. By Gugu Lourie “Human Capital Management Business is a key focus for us going into the future and our human capital business is a very special business for Gijima,” Wilton told Techfinancials. “We want to make a sustainable difference and sustainable difference is about how you can contribute [solutions] to [tackle] core problems that are being faced by South Africans.”…
South Africa’s independent fibre operator FibreCo Telecommunications has trained 200 fibre technicans to help uplift the level of skills for the maintenance of fibre optic infrastructure in the country. By Staff Writer The training programme, known as TechTrain and started in 2012, aims to build capacity in the fibre sector and is accredited by the Fibre Optic Association (FOA), whose certification is recognised in the fibre networking industry worldwide. “These young people are the future leaders within our industry. We want to motivate you to be go-getters with a will to succeed and hope that TechTrain will put you on…
VOIP Service provider Otel Telecoms announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Chinese-based Zycoo to distribute their solutions within South Africa. Zycoo is a developer and manufacturer of IP (Internet Protocol) unified communications solutions. “Our commitment to delivering quality IP solutions worldwide means we only partner with distributors who are the best at what they do,” Zycoo CEO, Hongzhen Wan, said in a statement. The company’s flagship product that is finding growing favour with South African businesses keen to scale down IP-based voice and data costs without comprising on quality is the CooVox V2. The product’s focus is on…
As organisations progress through the analytics maturity curve – from descriptive, to diagnostic, to predictive, to prescriptive – they can build the systems to enable rapid transformation. By Gavin Holme, country manager, Africa, Wipro and Rudraksh Bhawalkar, practice manager, Analytics, Africa, Wipro. Boardrooms in every industry are abuzz with concepts such as data science, big data, advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to mention a few. In an increasingly digital world, it seems there are endless opportunities to better use one’s data – to understand customers, optimise operations, and strategically plan for the future. But, how do organisations get started on the…
Users have downloaded 450 000 apps from Tuluntulu, which is an African mobile video on demand (VOD) service, less than two years since its inception, the South African-based mobile VOD firm announced on Monday. By Gugu Lourie Launched in August 2014, Tuluntulu targets audiences in Africa, and globally, with African focused content delivered on its mobile content platform. The Tuluntulu app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play and App stores. In the next three months, Tuluntulu is targeting to reach a half a million mark of downloads. “We are proud of our achievements so far but still…
MTN will be ranging the much-awaited Huawei P9 and P9 Lite LTE smartphone, for both prepaid and post-paid customers. The Huawei P9 is the world’s first co-engineered Leica dual-camera smartphone that boasts an 8MP front facing camera for crystal clear selfies, and a stunning 5.2-inch 1080p display. The device comes in a storage capacity of 32GB with expandable memory, is powered by a new Kirin 955 2.5GHz 64-bit ARM-based processor, and its 3000mAh high-density battery offers outstanding mobility and greater battery life. In addition, the P9 boasts an enhanced fingerprint sensor which gives users added security and easy access to…
ShowMax, the internet TV service launched in August 2015, will now be available on connected DStv Explora decoders. This is the fourth new viewing option introduced over the past four months and extends access to subscription video services to an even wider audience. In particular, these new viewing options make it easy for people with a standard (non-smart) big screen TV to watch ShowMax. “In South Africa, interest in internet TV is entering a new phase. In addition to early adopters, we’re now seeing a more mainstream customer base wanting to try the service out. For Explora owners this is…
VAST Networks, open access Wi-Fi network provider, has partnered with the City of Cape Town to deploy Wi-Fi to all MyCiTi buses. The first stage of the project will involve ten buses across various routes, with commuters being able to enjoy 50MB of free data per day. “Our partnership with MyCiTi will deliver a fast and seamless Wi-Fi infrastructure to commuters, both local and international,” says Grant Marais, CEO for VAST Networks. “Wi-Fi connectivity is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives; providing a reliable and safe way to connect to the web will go a long way in enhancing…
HP today unveiled its next generation DeskJet All-in-One (AiO) printer, the ideal device for the style savvy, always connected consumer. The reimagined HP DeskJet 3720 is half the size of other inkjet all-in-one printers in its class, yet combines robust print, scan and copy capabilities with easy mobile setup and features. “Consumers crave tiny, wireless devices that fit into their lifestyle and enable them to stay connected, social and productive wherever they may be,” said Sue Richards, general manager and vice president, HP Consumer Printing. “With its innovative design and intuitive mobile connectivity from virtually any device or social network,…