Author: Gugu Lourie
By Gugu Lourie A possible new mobile operator or a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) promises cellphone customers “freedom”. The unidentified company behind this operator on its Twitter page said: “Hello. Fancy a bit of freedom?” It added: “Pssst, don’t renew your mobile contract just yet, nudge nudge wink wink hint hint.” Pssst, don’t renew your mobile contract just yet, nudge nudge wink wink hint hint. pic.twitter.com/tedBYDvMzJ — Be Unordinary (@BeUnordinary) April 20, 2015 The new MVNO on its Twitter page added: “Does your large mobile bill make you feel loved?” Does your large mobile bill make you feel loved?…
South African media tycoon and self-made billionaire Koos Bekker has rejoined Naspers as a non-executive chairman. Bekker – who stepped down as CEO of Naspers early last year and succeeded by Bob van Dijk – will replace Ton Vosloo who retired from the company with effect from 17 April 2015. Vosloo has served on the Naspers board since March 1983. He chaired Naspers for 23 years. Koos stand down from the Naspers board for a year to allow Bob the space to settle in with both Naspers top management and the board. He remained a board member of Tencent. As expected this month, Koos is…
By staff writer A single 1902 Veldpond, the Holy Grail of South African numismatics, was recently sold on bidorbuy for R497,000. The coin has been graded by the world renown grading service NGC as MS 64. That made this very rare coin even scarcer. It is very seldom that these coins get such a high grade, making it, according to the seller, a superb collectors’ specimen and a once in a lifetime find. The seller, known on the site under username Kp36, is no stranger to high value merchandise. In the space of the last thirty days, he sold an…
By Noah Askin and Dean Pierides Digital music downloads and online streaming sales have now overtaken sales of CDs and records for the first time, underscoring just how fundamentally the internet has changed the way we consume. The UK-based trade group the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has reported that global market revenue from digital music sales represented 46% of all sales last year, coming to $US6.85 billion. By contrast, physical sales came to $US6.82 billion. While online consumption and dissemination has certainly made things easier for many creators and consumers, the online market place can also yield monopoly…
Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown has seconded Transnet CEO Brian Molefe and appointed him as the acting Eskom CEO after Tshediso Matona was suspended in March. Molefe has been in his role at Transnet since 2011 and was the Public Investment Corporation CEO from 2003 to 2010. Matona was suspended when Eskom announced it would start an independent inquiry into the state utility, which has been battling with maintenance and financial issues, resulting in load shedding. Brown said there would be clarity on the so-called deep dive inquiry into Eskom’s financial troubles on Wednesday.A company skilled in accounting and forensic…
Altech Node, which was seen by many commentators as ‘South Africa’s Netflix’, is finding it tough to compete against pay-TV operator MultiChoice and other video-on-demand (VoD) services. The performance of the Altech Node, which is owned by Altron’s TMT division, has not quite gone as planned on the market. Altron, JSE-listed telecoms group, announced on Thursday that the recently launched Altech Node has performed below expectations, with regard to retail customer take-up. “Altron TMT is well advanced in terms of exploring alternative opportunities for this business,” Altron said late on Thursday without providing additional information. One wonders whether Altron TMT…
Romeo Kumalo, Vodacom’s chief operating officer: International Business, is leaving the mobile phone operator . Richard Boorman, Vodacom spokesperson confirmed the departure and CEO also sent out an internal memo to staff on Wednesday. “It is with regret that I announce that Romeo Kumalo, Chief Operating Officer: International Business, will be leaving the company at the end of May to join his family business,” said Shameel Joosub, Vodacom CEO. Joosub praised Kumalo. “I would like to thank Romeo for his contributions to Vodacom and wish him all the best for the future.” Joosub added that the mobile phone operator will announce…
Business Connexion (BCX), the JSE-listed technology group being bought by Telkom, on Thursday delivered strong earnings growth and solid cash generation, which will help it pursue more opportunities. The company reported a 25.9c diluted headline EPS in the six months ended February 2015 versus 20.7 cents in the same period in 2014. The South African-based third largest listed software and computer services group continued to generate strong cash flows of R282m in the period compared to R259m in the same time last year. The company, which has been focusing on aggressive acquisitions strategy, said as industry dynamics continue to evolve…
By Staff writer Two years ago Huawei launched the P6, the first in a series of smart, beautiful devices; today the company unveiled its two latest P Series smartphones – the Huawei P8 and the Huawei P8max. The Huawei P8max builds on the P8 design and features a larger 6.8-inch screen, longer battery life and a unique camera with light tracing for any environment. It also inherits the ID design and light painting capabilities of the P series devices. The large 4360 mAh battery features Huawei’s power saving technology and power consumption management technology that ensures outstanding battery life. With…
Huawei lights up London with Huawei P8 Smartphone launch on 15th April 2015. Watch the highly anticipated…