Author: Gugu Lourie

A new tech company aims to tackle South Africa’s “archaic” property selling methods and make residential sales happen, in some cases, at over 80% less than traditional estate agent commissions. By Gugu Lourie Sellers sign up with Property Fox online, after which professional photographers will visit their homes. The new ‘enhanced’ model to buy and sell property online was launched earlier this month across South Africa. It offers customers the services of a professional photographer, floor plans and valuations. Property Fox have teamed up with SA’s leading online property market intelligence company, Lightstone Property, to ensure accurate property valuations. This…

South Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) believes discrimination should not feature in the country’s online or real-world environments. The Association says there should therefore be no blocking or prioritisation of lawful websites, content, applications or services. “Net neutrality affects every one of South Africa’s Internet users,” says ISPA regulatory advisor, Dominic Cull. “An independent judiciary, regular elections, and a free press are traditionally seen as some of the most important hallmarks of a functioning democracy. To this list should be added net neutrality, or the inability of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), government or major corporations to discriminate against Internet…

ShowMax’s largest collection of series and movies keeps getting bigger with new shows added every week. From Hollywood heavy hitters to international exclusives and local favourites. Here’s what’s coming up in May. Here’s what’s coming up this month. NEW SERIES Brooklyn Nine-Nine S2 The Shield S1 – S2 The Secret Life of the American Teenager S1 – S8 Unreal S1 The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Mini-series) Chicago PD S2 The Newsroom S3 Nashville S3 KIDS ADDITIONS  Ever After High: Legacy Day Ever After High: True Hearts Day Ever After High: Thronecoming Pingu S1 – S6 Ever After High:…

Wanting to share your Mall of Africa experience with your friends and family on social media? Needing to send a business email in the midst of shopping? Not a problem! You can surf the internet for free wherever you are at Mall of Africa. By Staff Writer VAST Networks, South Africa’s first open-access Wi-Fi Network, along with global wireless equipment provider Ruckus Wireless., have successfully deployed the continent’s largest mall Wi-Fi installation to provide consumers and retailers with a reliable and fast Wi-Fi experience throughout Mall of Africa. Wi-Fi on this scale has never been delivered before on the continent, marking…

To future proof its business, MTN SA together with Ericsson has successfully trialled LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) at MTN’s flagship channel store in Morningside, Johannesburg. LTE-U is a mobile technology innovation that enables higher data speeds, which increase network capacity and significantly enhance customer experience. This is the first LTE-U trial in Africa, which demonstrates MTN’s constant drive towards introducing innovative technologies to help improve its network quality experience. The LTE-U trial was completed by aggregating 10MHz of MTN’s licensed 1800MHz spectrum and 20MHz within the unlicensed 5GHz band. The trial achieved a throughput of more than 200Mbps. The aggregation of licensed…

The recent sustained attention given to the economic performance of Africa is a sharp departure from the usual negative and patronising representation of the continent in the global media. The old narrative represented a continent riddled by wars, famines, disease and the burdens of poor infrastructure and reckless governments. While many think that the description of Africa as a hopeless continent was harsh, the Africa rising narrative was considered rather hyped. By Kenneth Amaeshi Obviously, Africa is not hopeless. But it is not yet Uhuru! The balance between the two extreme representations seems to have been struck in a recent article…

Apple has reported its first decline in revenues and income for the past 13 years. The market and media has reacted predictably with an 8% fall in Apple’s stock price. From an investor’s perspective, the decline in sales of the iPhone is a signal of worse things to come and in particular the end to Apple’s ability to continually grow. By David Glance As others have pointed out, despite the fall in sales, Apple still made $10 billion of profit in the quarter and sold 51.2 million iPhones. The US stock market, in combination with venture capitalists, have become obsessed with…

The legal victory of Nkosana Makate at the Constitutional Court against telecoms giant Vodacom, in the Please Call Me case, has been widely celebrated as reflecting the strength of South Africa’s justice system. By Sibonelo Radebe, Founder of ProBonoMatters But we at ProBonoMatters continue to mourn under the shadow of the Please-Call-Me jubilation. This is to dilute intoxication in a small victory. Yes it was a classic David versus Goliath case that has galvanised popular and populist support rhythms. A young, black and bright man in the employ of Vodacom, invents the Please-Call-Me concept. The concept, allowing a moneyless mobile phone subscriber…

Virtual reality (VR) has arrived. It has already been described as “revolutionary” and the “next big thing” in technology. By Gonzalo N Villanueva Its applications extend beyond entertainment and games to include education, art and a range of other innovative uses. But VR also has the potential to promote social change. From words to pictures There is a reason we say “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Images can communicate complex ideas and provoke emotions more effectively than descriptions. For example, take Aduc Barec’s story: she was compelled to leave Sudan in the early 1990s because of the civil war.…

FNB Connect has registered more than 200 000 active customers since its launch in June 2015 and has recently been awarded the Most Innovative MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) at the 15th Annual World MVNO Congress 2016, held in Amsterdam this month. This award adds to the 3 internationally recognized awards received since. FNB Connect received recognition for being the “Most Innovative MVNO” in the Telecoms.com Awards in November last year, and scooped 2 further awards at the AfricaCom Awards shortly after this. “We are very pleased at the recognition FNB Connect is receiving around the world as this proves that…

As part its efforts to become the most intelligent bank Barclays Africa, a subsidiary Absa, announced on Tuesday that it would pilot a chatbot that relies on artificial intelligence to simulate intelligent conversation through written or spoken text with customers online. The pilot will be implemented within the coming few weeks, making it the first bank to do so in Africa. “At Absa, we are constantly seeking new ways to be more relevant to our customers. By aligning our user-centric and big data expertise we are able to connect with our customers through channels that they are actively using,” said Yasaman…

Solving the puzzle below will make you eligible for consideration for four internships on offer at leading software development house SMSPortal. That is if you are also one of the select group of third year university Computer Science students in South Africa. During June and July 2016, four 3rd year computer science students (or recent graduates) will have the opportunity to work at SMSPortal’s Cape Town offices. James Pearce, SMSPortal IT Director, says the company specialises in multithreaded, highly-scalable services. If you’re potentially the right person for this rockstar opportunity, you’ll know what that means. “The internship positions on offer could…

MTN SA has appointed Ideshini Isabella Naidoo as the new Chief Customer Experience Officer, effective from 01 May 2016. Naidoo is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in information systems and total quality management. She has a proven track record in the banking sector. Naidoo has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematical Statistics and a BSc Honours in Computer Science from the University of Natal. She also has a Masters degree in Strategic Information Technology Management from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom. Before she was appointed to this new role at MTN SA, Naidoo…

MTN, Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator, disclosed on Monday how much it paid to buy Visafone, Nigeria’s wireless network provider. By Gugu Lourie Africa’s largest telecoms group said on its 2015 integrated annual report that it paid R3.4 billion to buy Visafone. In 31 December 2015, MTN bought 100% of Visafone. Visafone, which was incorporated in Nigeria on June 20, 2007 following the acquisition of Cellcom received its Unified Access Service Licence as a telecom operator from the NCC on August 1, 2007 positioned it to offer mobile, fixed and any other telecommunications service to its subscribers. The deal enables…

Pick n Pay is planning to invest into a dedicated picking warehouse in Gauteng as it looks to cash in on the surge in popularity of internet grocery shopping by customers in the country’s richest province. By Gugu Lourie Turnover growth from Pick n Pay Online quickened to 38% over the year, with a stronger range and a substantial improvement in product availability, according to the company’s 2016 financial figures published on Tuesday. The firm said its refurbished hypermarket stores are delivering stronger sales from less space, and are finding innovative alternative uses for freed-up space, including through rentals to…

We now have dozens of smart devices in our houses and even on our bodies. They improve our lives in so many ways – from lowering energy consumption in our homes to egging us on to be active. By H V Jagadish But these smart devices respond to whatever commands they are given: we’ve had security experts demonstrate how cars can be hijacked remotely and medical devices in your body can be hacked and turned into lethal weapons. These risks are now well-recognized by technology developers, and there is a great deal of excellent work going on toward how to avoid…

Cell C, the country’s third largest mobile phone operator, announced on Monday that Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town  now have active  ‘LTE-Advanced (LTE-A)’, which promises to deliver true 4G speeds, unlike current LTE networks. LTE stands for “long term evolution”. Cell C said LTE Advanced is the next major step in the evolution of its LTE network that will deliver customers much faster data speeds and cater for a fast growing demand in data services and content delivery. LTE-A not only brings faster services to our customers, but also better coverage and greater stability. Cell C’s LTE-A footprint overlaps its current…

The appointment of a new CEO for MTN, Africa and Middle East’s biggest mobile phone operator, is likely to be concluded in two months’ time following the departure of Sifiso Dabengwa with immediate effect on 9 December 2015. By Gugu Lourie The mobile phone giant envisaged the appointment would be made by the end of June, it said in its 2015 integrated annual report. Dabengwa left the mobile phone operator after a $5.2 billion (over R74 billion) fine imposed by the Nigerian authorities for failure to register subscribers, resulting in the telco losing R75 billion ($5.4 billion) of its market value.…

MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone operator, informed investors on Monday in its 2015 integrated annual report that its former CEO Sifiso Dabengwa would be receiving R23.7 million compensation for loss of office. By Gugu Lourie The amount includes notice pay and a restraint of trade. Dabengwa left the mobile phone operator on 9 November 2015 following a $5.2 billion (over R74 billion) fine imposed by the Nigerian authorities for failure to register subscribers, resulting in the telco losing R75 billion ($5.4 billion) of its market value. His total remuneration, including the million compensation for loss of office, was R40.6 million. It also included…

Incredible Connection on Monday launched its new Click 10X – a hybrid device that offers the convenience of a tablet, but the additional functionality of a notebook, through a detachable keyboard. With a quad-core processor, integrated 3G and multiple connectivity options with two USB ports, mini HDMI and mini USB, the Click 10X provides the full functionality of a notebook in the compact size of a 10” convertible. The hybrid tablet is aimed at the user who wants the mobility tablets offer and with the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has made clear its intent with this platform to deliver…

South Africa’s health informatics firm LifeQ has teamed up with Nasdaq-listed Analog Devices to improve effectiveness of body monitoring devices in health management. LifeQ has set out to catalyze a change in how we understand and optimize our health. Championed by computational systems biologists, LifeQ sees the human body as the ultimate sensor. Tapping into this, LifeQ provides people with the information required to live intelligently today, and, in the future predict changes in personal physiology and health. The two firms plan to design sensors that enable personalized, continuous and accurate tracking of physiological parameters such as heart rate, sleep…

Flash storage solutions provider SanDisk has revitalised iXpand Flash Drive  for iPhone and iPad with a new, modern design and a lightning connecter, plus encryption software that password-protects files. The new model has a USB 3.0 lconnector for faster transfer speeds to Mac or PCs, and a completely redesigned app to easily manage photos, videos and music. The flash drive device designed to help people quickly and easily free up space on their iPhone and iPad with up to 128GB of additional capacity. “People are using their mobile phones to capture tons of photos and videos, and more than 70 percent of…

The transport and logistics industry could improve their operation systems should they consider entering the telemetry market and embracing Machine-2-Machine (M2M) technology. By Greg Hatfield, GM for Products and Solutions at MTN Business South Africa The steady growth of the Machine-2-Machine (M2M) industry has been triggered by the need to improve operation systems and delivery of services in a manner that would catapult the industry into the next level of quality assurance. This can be achieved through, and not limited to, tracking goods in transit, monitoring and maintaining vehicle and driver safety, as well as increasing the reliability and efficiency of…

Fear mongering is everywhere, in every industry. And most recently, the contact centre has experienced its own dose of this with the announcement that Facebook will be making use of chatbots via Messenger to deal with customer queries. By Bruce von Maltitz, co-founder of 1Stream The concern, of course, is that the development and inclusion of intelligent tech will replace humans in a contact centre. There are many opinions on the matter, but many industry experts maintain that while the advancements of technology are remarkable, for the foreseeable future there will remain an important place for people, with the help…

Zoona is on its journey to become a billion dollar business that helps African communities thrive, said its CEO, Mike Quinn. The South African-based fintech firm was launched in 2009. The agents of the Cape Town-based firm has processed over $1 billion (R14.4 billion) in money transfers, bill payments, and other financial services in Zambia and Malawi in the past seven years. The firm is planning to expand into two unnamed African countries. Zoona’s entrepreneur agents serve more than one million customers every 60 day, across close to 1,500 locations. The company said its iconic green booths have become a…