Author: Gugu Lourie
The first social platform where creative individuals, create perfect travel groups, live dream experiences & travel for free, is finally on air at www.lifekiy.com. It has been designed to offer nonprofessional users, a set of tools to organize or find unique social trips, get matched with ideal travel groups to share social travel experiences and the opportunity to fund their trips. A brand new social marketplace to prove that there are no restrictions to organize and live outstanding journeys, with the most amazing people, even in the case of lack budget. Its purpose is to inspire people to live their dreams,…
The first plug-in hybrid production car from the BMW core brand is a Sports Activity Vehicle. Permanent all-wheel drive and the BMW EfficientDynamics eDrive technology endow the BMW X5 xDrive40e with sensational sportiness and supreme poise on the one hand and outstanding efficiency on the other. The use of BMW eDrive technology for exceptionally efficient performance as well as all-electric mobility with zero tailpipe emissions as and when required ushers in a whole new form of commanding driving experience in a sports activity vehicle. At the same time, the BMW X5 xDrive40e reaps the benefits of the technology and know-how transferred from the…
Integrated ICT and infrastructure provider, Vox Telecom has launched Business Class Fibre, a world class fibre-to-the-business offering that delivers a broad spectrum of customisable solutions, to suit businesses of all sizes. Fast, reliable connectivity has become an essential requirement for every business, from the start-up running multiple applications in the cloud, to the established corporate that needs to remain always-on. “We believe that we are able to offer more than just an internet connection, and have created the ideal platform for convergence,” says Shane Chorley, executive head: Carrier and Connectivity division at Vox Telecom. “Business Class Fibre enables businesses, to…
MTN is optimistic an agreement can be reached in the ‘short term’ to settle a $3.9 billion fine dispute with the Nigerian Government, Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator informed shareholders on Wednesday. By Gugu Lourie “We continue our engagement with the Nigerian authorities and are awaiting feedback. We remain optimistic on reaching a conclusion on this matter in the short term. We will continuously monitor developments with regards to the Nigerian fine and will review the adequacy of the provision at the end of the reporting period,” MTN informed investors via the the JSE. The mobile phone giant has set…
Your security solution should never take a break. It should always be working for you, protecting your business and its staff, which is why a strong security system needs back up power – to protect security systems from ‘dirty power’ and to keep it running even when the power stops. By Marco da Silva, MD of Power Solutions at Jasco Jasco’s alternative power solutions will ensure your security system never fails, putting the power back in your hands. Jasco supplies a range of power systems that are modular and effective, offering power supply quality and assurance. But we don’t just sell…
Wikipedia’s detractors will tell you that the site is inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable. Many universities won’t allow students to use Wikipedia as a reference in essays or assignments. So it may come as a surprise to learn that it’s the most commonly used source for obtaining medical information online – even among medical students and doctors. By Gwinyai Masukume and James Heilman In fact, research has found that Wikipedia is more popular for this kind of information than reputable bodies’ websites – including those belonging to the World Health Organisation and the US’s Centres for Disease Control. In some settings, researchers have…
MTN SA Chief Human Resources Officer Themba Nyathi has resigned from his current position to pursue interests outside of the organisation. Nyathi has agreed to stay until 30 June 2016. Says Mteto Nyati, MTN SA Chief Executive Officer: “Nyathi was an integral part of the MTN SA executive team and he had a long and illustrious career at MTN. We will miss his invaluable insights and leadership, and wish him well in his future endeavours.” Nyati has worked for MTN for seventeen years and has served the organisation in a number of roles. Under his stewardship, MTN scooped the Top…
JSE-listed Niveus Investments, a subsidiary of Hosken Consolidated Investments, has launched Niveus Ventures to fund emerging entrepreneurs in Africa’s technology space. “Building an enduring business remains an immense challenge,” says Jesse Hemson-Struthers, head of the investment team at Niveus Ventures, who has successfully launched, invested in, grown and sold several businesses. These include SAcamera, which Naspers acquired in 2012; BetTech Gaming, providing software to three of the top five listed gaming companies in Africa; LifeQ, wearable healthcare technology with clients such as TomTom; and SaveMoney, a fast growing FinTech startup. “Most businesses don’t survive past the startup phase despite great ideas,” he…
Smart technology (IoT), is simply about connecting devices, but while the focus has been on technology that facilitates the creation of smart households, its business applications are endless. According to BI Intelligence, it is projected that by 2020, 34 billion devices will be connected to the Internet. By Keith Fenner, Vice President Sage X3 International While we have heard many international examples of the use of smart technology, in Africa there are more and more examples of the technology being tested and implemented. Smart technology has the potential to change everything and every business needs to consider what these will be…
MTN SA, through its corporate social investment unit, MTN SA Foundation, is today pleased to announce the annual 21 Day Y’ello Care Campaign that is set to kick-off at MTN Innovation Centre on Saturday, 4 June with a 21 km half marathon. The half marathon allows employees, members of the public and MTN stakeholders to give back to communities by devoting time to help others. The MTN SA Foundation plans to use the half marathon to raise funds for a mobile computer lab which will be donated to a school that is yet to be identified. The theme for…
South Africa’s start-up NicheStreem sees an opportunity for niche or vertical markets apps as an alternative to popular music streaming services such as iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Simfy Africa, Tidal and YouTube. By Gugu Lourie While mass market music streaming apps offer near identical catalogs with similar features at the same price point and compete for the same user, NicheStreem, a Cape Town-based start-up founded by Catherine Lückhoff, is trying to change that. The start-up believes it’s time to improve the one-size fits-all music streaming model and capitalise on the burgeoning emerging markets where giants of the streaming music business fear to tread.…
iPhone customers on Cell C can now initiate calls over Wi-Fi using own phone number, great for when a strong cellular signal is unavailable. Cell C announced on Monday that Wi-Fi Calling is available on the iPhone 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus and 5SE. Wi-Fi Calling on iPhone requires the latest software (iOS 9.3.2). Cell C said Wi-Fi Calling can be turned on and off in Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi calling. With Cell C’s Wi-Fi Calling, customers can turn any one of these Wi-Fi hotspots into their very own Cell C base station to make calls, send SMSs, check…
Of the millions of Twitter users, there are about 98% who want to hide their location. So they switch off the function that publicly displays the location of any tweet. By Mohsen Kalantari, Abbas Rajabifard, and Farhad Laylavi There could be many reasons why people don’t want their location to be broadcast to the world, but privacy is usually the main driver. But what they don’t realise is that it’s still possible to locate many of them, down to at least a few kilometres in some cases. For some authorities, that can be very useful. What most Twitter users do not know…
For outsiders, software development may seem difficult – of course – but relatively straightforward given the relevant training. Development partners are given the business problem or brief, the timeline, and the budget. From there, it’s happy coding… right? By Leon Coetzer, Business Development Manager at redPanda Software Not so much. Software development is an inherently complex and nuanced task, and requires both experience and talent to achieve the desired outcomes. It also requires an in-depth understanding of the systems and processes needed to get to a certain point. In the world of enterprise software development, there is more often than…
BMW South Africa starts rolling out solar carport charging for electric and plug-in hybrid models. As part of the expansion of its 360° ELECTRIC portfolio for BMW i Home and Public Charging Services, BMW South Africa today unveiled its first solar carport that will be rolled out locally from July 2016. The BMW i solar carport supplies an average of 3,6kW of solar power straight to the BMW i Wallbox, which is used to show a live readout of how much power is being generated by the sun and charge electric and plug-in hybrid BMW models. BMW South Africa starts…
Cell C has introduced Multi Data Connect, a new product aimed at customers with multiple data devices and users at home or at the office. Available on prepaid and contract, Multi Data Connect allows customers to link up to 14 SIMs to a primary data SIM at a monthly cost of only R5 per month per secondary SIM. “These days, most consumers have more than one device and this product allows them to link various devices, such as handsets, tablets and laptops to a single data bundle,” says Ernst Fonternel, Cell C Chief Commercial Officer. In addition to providing convenience…
Absa is the first bank in South Africa to offer reverse billing across all four major mobile networks, from yesterday its customers will be able to interact with the bank’s App even if they have no mobile data. By Staff Writer “The agreement that Absa has signed with Cell C, MTN, Telkom and Vodacom allows the service providers to charge data costs back to Absa rather than our customers, allowing them to enjoy the full benefit of banking from their mobile device and buying airtime even if they have depleted their pay-as-you-go or monthly contractual data allocation,” says Jan Moganwa, Chief…
Marc C-Scott, Victoria University YouTube this week launched its paid subscription service, YouTube Red, in Australia and New Zealand. These are the first two countries to gain access to the service outside of the United States. The introduction of a new major video-on-demand (VoD) service will now challenge many media corporations that may not have seen YouTube as a threat. YouTube is offering a free trail of the service for a month, with introductory pricing of A$9.99 per month and A$12.99 for subscription via iOS available until June 6th. The standard pricing fees will be A$11.99 per month, or…
Neo Hutiri, founder of Technovera, a technology-enabled service that allows people with chronic conditions to collect their repeat medication in just a few minutes as opposed to waiting several hours in long queues, is the winner of R1 million 2016 #Hack.Jozi Challenge. By Staff Writer Hutiri and other two winners he winners will scale their businesses to create jobs and help beat real issues they identified in healthcare, education and local government administration in the City of Joburg. The top three contestants, selected from over 400 entries and a short-list of ten, came up with original digital solutions to tackle…
In the first hundred days in his new role, MTN South Africa’s new Chief Information Officer, Benjamin Marais says his focus was to simplify information technology processes internally and externally, and beef up security of the systems in order to enhance customer experience. Marais was addressing the media at MTN’s media forum, which was held in Johannesburg this week. “It is critical that the IT systems we have in place serve as enablers that help us to provide quality service, and are not cumbersome stumbling blocks that put a damper on customer experience,” says Marais. “It’s not only about simplicity,…
Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT) may be one of the older payment methods on the block, but thanks to fraud and crime they are experiencing a revival. By Johan Dekker, head of payments in Africa at PayU EMEA As technology platforms evolve to make EFTs more easily managed by users and merchants alike, they are growing in popularity. EFT payments are also more cost-effective and break down significant barriers to entry. A recent 2015 Ipsos survey examined some of the drivers and barriers that impacted online shopping around the world. The survey found that 22% of South African internet users have made…
The growth of the telecoms sector and the development of the country is dependent on the expeditious allocation of radio spectrum, which will enable operators to improve their service offerings by deploying new generation networks in line with customer requirements. MTN is encouraged by the strides that the regulator has made to finalise the process of spectrum allocation. However, MTN believes that speeding up the process will augur well for an improved and seamless customer experience, as operators will have the leeway to deploy new generation networks that will meet the increasing data needs and absorb increasing data traffic. Mteto…
Over the last year, MTN has made remarkable progress in its growth strategy, delivering value to its customers and enabling them to enjoy the benefits of utilising affordable smartphone devices. To date, as part of its drive to deliver a seamless and distinct customer experience, MTN has focused on perfecting its digital performance to drive growth. MTN has enabled its customers to buy 7.6 million smartphones, which reflected a 10.6% increase in the number of devices in 2015, leading to a 37% rise in data revenue pushed up by attractive voice and data offerings. “The unpacking of our digital strategy…
The South African Post Office (Sapo) now offers a service where organisations and individuals can use an electronic registered mail to send important and sensitive documents. According to the Post Office, an eRegistered Mail has the same legal status as paper-based Registered Mail in terms of Section 19(4) of the ECT Act 25 of 2002. “The company has started a journey into the digital world and is looking forward to the future where it turns the corner as a revitalised Post Office,” Sapo said in a statement on Wednesday. Anyone who needs to send Registered Mail can use this system…
MTN Business intends to provide ultrafast fibre broadband to 20, 000 homes and business premises in South Africa by end of 2016. The enterprise business unit of MTN SA currently has 14, 000km of national and metro fibre across the country, which is a network connecting over 10,000 homes. “We expect to connect between 18,000 to 20,000 homes and businesses by end of 2016, with our fibre network,” says Alpheus Mangale, Chief Enterprise Officer at MTN Business SA. MTN Business aims to become the ICT partner of choice. As part of its vision to be an ICT partner of choice, MTN Business aims to…