Author: Gugu Lourie
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…
Legendary music icon Prince Rogers Nelson died unexpectedly on April 21, 2016, sending shock waves through the lives of many music lovers. With a career spanning nearly 40 years and even more albums, Prince was one of the most prolific musicians of this generation. By Shontavia Johnson Naturally, as Prince fans process his death, they will also search for his music online to purchase and play while they mourn the loss of a music titan. But most of these searches will be futile because American law provides strict protections to copyright owners, and Prince was a pioneering advocate when it came…