Author: Gugu Lourie
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…
African startups win a $10,000 prize each and a chance to share their insights about innovation in Africa with FinTech experts from around the world. By Staff Writer The Innotribe Startup Challenge attendees selected the three most promising FinTech companies during its second annual showcase for Africa. The event was held in Mauritius on Wednesday 18 May, in partnership with SWIFT’s African Regional Conference (ARC). The three winners of the African Startup Challenge are: Based in South Africa, Hello Paisa is a low cost international money transfer solution for remittances. “My experience at Innotribe has been invaluable. The quality of…