Author: Gugu Lourie
After market speculation that Deon Liebenberg may be leaving Vodafone for MTN Business, he may not be going anywhere. By Gugu Lourie But for now it’s anyone’s guess, if he is staying put or not. Byron Kennedy, the spokesman of Vodacom Group, which is owned by British mobile phone giant Vodafone, was non-committal in his comment. “We don’t comment on market rumour or speculation,” he told Techfinancials. Techfinancials.co.za will give him a benefit of doubt. Vodacom, the country’s biggest mobile phone operator, has been consistent in not commenting on unsubstantiated market talks. It might be that Liebenberg is staying put…
Hip Hop superstar Cassper Nyovest and AG Mobile have launched the AG#Hashtag, a well specified 4G LTE mobile device available exclusively through MTN. This is the first time that AG Mobile has collaborated on the design aspects, colour of the device with a celebrity. Available in a funky red – Cassper’s own design specification and favourite colour – the AG#Hashtag will be available exclusively through MTN’s retail outlets and call centres. The device will cost R229 monthly (over 24 months) on an MTN MyChoice contract and retails at R3 499 on pre-paid. The phone is available on pre-order from April 19…
MICROmega Group company Turrito Networks announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Saicom Voice Services, a provider of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services aimed at simplifying telephony for SMEs. “Over the years, we have had discussions with many VoIP providers who promise a ‘scalable’ and ‘robust’ solution for SMEs. However, in Saicom, we have found an ideal partner, one that provides us with a unified Cloud PBX and VoIP offering for the diverse requirements of our clients across industry sectors,” says Brian Timperley, managing director of Turrito Networks. Companies traditionally had to use the…
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been recognised as a key sector of local economies, particularly in emerging markets, where formal SMEs contribute up to *45% of total employment and up to *33% of GDP. In a bid to create greater efficiencies, as well as enable the growth of this sector, MTN Business is driving the development of ICT solutions, specifically for SMEs. To this end, MTN Business has unveiled a new cloud delivery platform in Rwanda and Cameroon, which will enable this segment of customers to access cloud services with greater ease. Dubbed MTN Business Cloud Services platform, the…
“It’s a marketplace connecting local freelancers and businesses, with an emphasis on vetted skills,” by Hooros, an online network of experts connecting established businesses and start-ups to experts on a freelance or permanent basis. By Gugu Lourie The Cape Town-based Hooros provides vetted talent through a comprehensive three step filtering process and handle all legal agreements to protect all parties and client invoicing. Co-founders of Hooros – Emmanuel Sibanda and Sijabuliso Nkiwane – believe that their start-up “is the perfect starting and ending point for high performing student looking to gain work experience, professionals looking to attract new clients, or…
Organising courier, removal and domestic delivery services is fraught with time-consuming headaches, as you flounder with phone calls and copious quotes. What if there was a service available where you could state your needs in a couple of clicks and wait for the quotes to come to you? Introducing FastVan. Launched already in South Africa and available Nationwide, FastVan is an exciting labour-saving app, which allows users to gather instant quotes, compare prices and book courier, local delivery and removal services tailored to their needs at the touch of just a few buttons. The new app is available to download…
MTN is planning to rebrand MTN Business into MTN Internet of Things (IoT) and is in a process to finalise the appointment of industry veteran Deon Liebenberg to lead the enterprise business into new markets, TechFinancials has established reliably from industry sources. By Gugu Lourie Africa’s largest mobile phone group is competing aggressively for additional revenues in the enterprise space in the continent. For more read: Will Telkom’s move to gun for corporate clients pockets lead to price war for enterprise solutions? TechFinancials has been informed by sources that MTN is in advance talks with Liebenberg to leave Vodafone, where…
The registration for set-top boxes (STBs) in the digital migration project started in earnest on Sunday in Tiyani village in Limpopo. Speaking to SAnews at the digital migration awareness imbizo in Tiyani, Communications Minister Faith Muthambi said indigent people should go to their nearest post office to register for STBs. “After a consultative process with the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), an important decision was taken that indigent people with a TV licence debt should be allowed to apply for STBs. “We are urging all indigent people to register at the post office and we will be…
In a bid to broaden access to broadband and alleviate the costs associated with access to data, MTN has zero rated d6 Communicator on its 32 million network. The decision by MTN to zero-rate d6 Communicator is an acknowledgement of the mounting pressure on customers’ disposable income and the consumer frugality due to the challenging economic climate. The zero-rating of d6 Communicator is expected to facilitate seamless communication between parents and schools. d6 Communicator is an integrated web-based communications solution that allows schools to communicate with parents on a variety of platforms. The solution uses a simple, web-based control panel…
Diplomats from around the world met in Geneva last week for the United Nations’ third Informal Expert Meeting on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), commonly dubbed “killer robots”. By Sean Welsh Their aim was to make progress on deciding how, or if, LAWS should be regulated under international humanitarian law. A range of views were expressed at the meeting, from Pakistan being in favour of a full ban, to the UK favouring no new regulation for LAWS, and several positions in between. Despite the range of views on offer, there was some common ground. It is generally agreed that LAWS…