Author: Gugu Lourie
By News Agency staff MTN’s regional office in Abuja reportedly shut down its operations on Wednesday following attacks by irate youths presumably protesting over the on-going xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Quoting the Daily Sun newspaper, Naij.com said a group of more than 100 youths converged at the MTN premises carrying placards with different inscriptions. Apparently worried that more attacks could follow, the MTN office immediately shut down its operations, the report said. MTN staff said services would be suspended until the xenophobic attacks faded away and stability returned to South Africa. MTN Nigeria warned early this week that any…
By Staff writer Telkom Wholesale Services announced on Thursday it will cut wholesale unit price by up to 63% across its product range. Effective 1 May 2015 Telkom’s Wholesale customers can expect the following price adjustments: Rate reductions of up to 10% on the Wholesale Fibre Broadband Access product range Price adjustments of between 6% and 25% across the SAIX product range Tariff reductions of between 1.4% and 63% across the IP Connect product range Tariff reductions of between 35% and 40% across the Metro Ethernet product range “Telkom has chosen a clear path to democratise data access to all…
By Ujuh Samsung Electronics South Africa and Absolute Software have partnered to offer a traceability feature in selected Samsang tablets targeted for schooling use. The initiative can be taken as displaying Samsung’s hunger for the emerging tablet for schooling market which promises to be a multi-billion dollar affair. In a statement released this week the companies said the Absolute Computrace solution should afford peace of mind to schools, learners and parents about security of tablets which are finding increasing use in South African schools but are targeted by criminals. The Absolute Computrace is embedded technology available on a select range…
By Gugu Lourie MTN SA results for the first quarter in 2015 show that there isn’t much operational fuel in the company as the subscriber base hasn’t risen much, but as expected data users rose 18.1% to 17.2m. During the three months to end-March 2014, MTN SA had 28m subscribers, showing a weak quarter and data usage increased 62,6%. “This was impacted by seasonality, some short-term challenges in the distribution channel and lower handset sales,” the company said on Thursday. The company added that it continues to focus on cost containment. MTN’s footprint spans 22 countries across Africa and the Middle…
Google Maps released the first ever Street View imagery of Robben Island, as well as an audio-visual tour hosted on Google Cultural Institute, on Wednesday, 22 April, five days ahead of South Africa’s Freedom Day. In an effort to marry history with the future, Google and Robben Island Museum partnered to make this global heritage landmark virtually accessible to the world via the internet, the Museum said in a statement. Luke McKend, Country Director for Google South Africa, explained the intentional launch of the project five days ahead of Freedom Day in South Africa, is because “Robben Island is a…
By Shane Chorley There is no doubt that converged networks are no longer the things of fiction, or speculation in the ICT market. Lowered costs to connect, as well as more pervasive and freely available high speed broadband are two critical contributors to this move to a single network for voice and data. But it is not only businesses that are seeing the benefits of a converged network. End users are amongst the most prolific adopters of converged network infrastructure, but very few of them know it. Why now? What is different about the ICT, connectivity and broadband infrastructure today,…
Mobile data usage in townships is accelerating rapidly, placing pressure on mobile networks. Vodacom has developed a solution allowing mobile base stations to be retrofitted to shipping container shops, allowing for the rapid roll-out of coverage. By Staff writer Mobile data usage is growing strongly across South Africa, driven by the rapid uptake of smartphones and tablets. With the increasing availability of low-cost devices, data usage has hit the mainstream and traffic volume growth in townships is running well-ahead of the average growth rate countrywide. This presents a particular coverage challenge for mobile networks, with high population density and a…
Ruckus Wireless, a US-based global WiFi firm, is benefitting from the growth of WiFi services in South Africa and the rest of the continent. The New York Stock Exchange-listed firm is beefing up its presence in the country to service its growing partners and customers. The Silicon Valley-headquartered company, which manufactures and markets WiFi products, believes the lack of ICT infrastructure on the continent offers more growth. The provisioning of free WiFi services is becoming a continent-wide trend. The City of Tshwane, which is in partnership with Project Isizwe, is already deploying free WiFi. The City of Cape Town is also providing WiFi to open internet access to the masses and the City of Johannesburg is in the…
By Giorgio Heiman The digital revolution is transforming the way businesses operate. The advancement of technology and the convergence of media are destroying traditional business models and the businesses that survive in the new environment either have to be disruptors or ensure that their business models are disruption proof. Almost no industry will remain untouched by these developments. The newest and most successful businesses have adopted the platforms that have emerged in the new millenium of mixed mixed social, mobile, information, big data and cloud technologies (or “SMIC” like many people refer to) where convergence blurs the lines between the…
Samsung has introduced a ruggedized tablet in South Africa resistant to water and dust, targeting business users working in rough places such as factories, construction or mining sites. The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active comes with a protective case to endure bumps and drops. According to Samsung the Galaxy Tab Active, which is a tougher version of Tab4 with stylus, can be protected from dust and water. In short it can endure being dropped in a warehouse, construction or mining site. The Galaxy Tab Active was on show at a business breakfast hosted by Samsung. The tablet is incorporating new technology…