Author: Gugu Lourie

The launch of mobile service by FNB is the latest attempt by a bank to win new customers as technology converge between banks and mobile phone operators. FNB,  the oldest bank in South Africa, will offer its own SIM cards to its customers from 15 June 2015, setting its sights on growing market for customers to take all telecoms service from it and becoming the first South African bank to offer mobile services. The move by FNB will be welcomed by the market and this will benefit its more than 2 million customers, who are topping up with airtime and bundles monthly.…

By Staff Writer Telkom on Thursday announced that it will be rolling out the first phase of SmartBroadband Uncapped High Speed Wireless packages to select areas in Gauteng. An online sale will take place on 10 June to offer the uncapped packages to customers on a 24 month contract at prices starting at R599. As part of the promotional offer, customers will also receive an antenna and installation by Telkom technicians at no additional cost. Promotional packages will be capped at 150 per base station to ensure a high quality customer experience with the service. “We are rolling out this…

With Africa experiencing an e-Commerce revolution, more and more African consumers are looking for ways to protect themselves against scammers. By Cristobal Alonso, CEO of MOBOfree.com “African consumers need to adopt some key habits in order to avoid fraudsters.” Tips on how to shop safely on an online social marketplace: Keep things local. Meet the seller in person, check the item and make sure you are satisfied with it before you make a payment. Do not pay in advance, not even for delivery. Buyers – don’t make any payments before receiving an item. Sellers – don’t send an item before receiving payment.…

By Staff Writer AlwaysOn, a Wi-Fi provider, launches AlwaysOn Calling for Android smartphones. AlwaysOn Calling lets users make calls over Wi-Fi or their cellular data package, a much cheaper way of calling then using your mobile network. All users have to do register from the AlwaysOn Website, they will receive a sms then just need to follow the instructions. Once installed, the user’s phone will then automatically choose Wi-Fi or other data networks to make calls. A launch starting Monday the 8th of June will include 60 minutes of free talk time to any local cellular or landline service. In…

By Staff Writer MTN has dropped the price of its own-branded  smartphone Steppa 2 to entice more customers to buy the device. MTN has slashed the price of its popular Steppa 2 smartphone from R999 to R799 effective immediately. MTN launched the Steppa 2 smartphone after a resounding success of the original Steppa smartphone which was South Africa’s most affordable smartphone when it launched in 2013. The MTN Steppa 2 runs on the popular Android 4.3 operating system which gives users access to thousands of Android-based apps. Steppa 2 has a 5 megapixel camera and comes preloaded with popular starter apps…

By Staff Writer It is that time of the year when MTN employees across the country will be exchanging their tools of the trade for picks and shovels when they roll up their sleeves and embark on community upliftment programmes as part of 21 Days of Y’ello Care, MTN’s employee volunteerism programme. MTN SA Foundation has injected an R8 million into the 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign to capitalise on the partnership with the MTNers in the 2015 investments in education. As part of MTN’s employees’ volunteerism project, the campaign will be implemented between 1 and 21 June this…

Vodacom, South Africa’s largest mobile phone operator, in a creative and clever advert is calling subscribers to remain with the best network in the country to avoid #SlaapTiger network and potential customers to #ChangeTheGame by joining the country’s super-fast network #PowerToYou. The operator is asking potential customers not to let a bad connection slow them down by switching to its super-fast LTE network. “By switching to SA’s best mobile network you switch to a range of top devices, convenience and reliable connectivity that always has you covered,” says Vodacom.           Change the Game – Vodacom Slaap Tiger TV #SlaapTiger #ChangeTheGame The company added that…

Telematics to remain the M2M sector champion despite high growth in smart-metering By Staff Writer Leading hi-tech analysts Juniper Research are forecasting that the telematics sector will continue to outperform all other M2M markets over the next five years, in revenue terms, with one in five passenger vehicles connected globally by 2019. Smartphone-based models have become the key disruptor for M2M, as sectors such as healthcare, consumer electronics and retail continue to evolve. Juniper Research forecasts that the M2M sector will generate service revenues of over $40 billion globally by 2019 – doubling the size of today’s market. Smart metering…

By Staff Writer Prepaid customers will receive 100MB of data per month for free for the first six months. The Smart 6 also comes with free access to Vodacom’s e-school portal.  Vodacom today launched the Vodacom Smart 6 smartphone, a 4 inch handset with a full Android 4.4 (KitKat) experience. The Smart 6 is the latest Vodacom device to launch in South Africa with the express purpose of making the cost to connect to South Africa’s best network with the  fastest  mobile internet* more affordable, particularly when combined with Vodacom’s low-cost data plans. The Smart 6 will be available from…

By Staff Writer  A legally binding arbitration process that MTN is suggesting to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) is fair and it can help put an end to the current industrial action, MTN SA CEO Ahmad Farroukh told the delegation representing the striking employees. This follows a meeting that MTN management had with a delegation from the CWU this afternoon. “MTN wishes to reiterate that the proposal for the appointment of an independent arbitrator that is fair and impartial may be the only practical solution to this stalemate. I therefore urge the unions to accept it. As a law abiding corporate…

By Mortimer Hope Explosive growth in mobile connectivity has already transformed the lives of millions of people across Africa. According to GSMA research, Sub-Saharan Africa has been the world’s fastest-growing mobile region over the last five years and is forecast to continue to lead global growth through 2020. By then, the number of unique mobile subscribers in the region is expected to pass the half billion mark as mobile services become increasingly affordable and accessible to millions of currently unconnected citizens. As government and business leaders prepare to convene in Cape Town to “Reimagine Africa’s Future” at the World Economic…

By Staff Writer MTN Business has appointed four new senior managers as part of an ongoing overhaul of its top leadership aimed at making the firm  a key player in the enterprise market. The firm said Mandisa Ntloko would take over as the head of enterprise marketing. She joins MTN from Accenture. Ntloko has extensive experience in developing and implementing marketing and communications strategies at a number of multinationals. She worked for a number of entities in various roles, including at MTN South Africa, later at Dimension Data where she served in different roles including Director for Marketing and Communications for…

By Staff Writer OpenWeb has launched an incredible Uncapped ADSL sale, offering up to 60% discount. The company claims to provide some of the lowest prices ever seen in South Africa. OpenWeb CEO Keoma Wright says OpenWeb home uncapped is an affordable and redefined ADSL package perfect for home use. “Prices range from R139 for 2Mbps to R349 for 10Mbps.” The special is subject to activating a debit order or auto deduction from a credit card. It allows for one ADSL line to be connected at a time, but unlimited devices may be connected from the same line. OpenWeb requires one…

Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, has teamed up with Vodacom Business to develop a technology solution for efficient energy and water use. The solution enables users to intelligently monitor and manage their geysers or boilers in real time. Presently, water heaters are managed manually. This often means that faults are not always detected timeously. This method of physically monitoring geysers or boilers in an era of machine-tomachine (M2M) solutions is obviously outdated. M2M – also referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) – involves connecting an assortment of devices including refrigerators, toothbrushes, geysers, couches, smart electricity meters and coffee makers to the internet. At the Huawei Network Congress 2015 held in Beijing in May, Huawei revealed…

By Gugu Lourie Through the simplification of what has historically been perceived as a highly technical arena, SAP is making coding more appealing and accessible to a wider audience. SAP has, developed a coding course which is available at no cost on openSAP, where registrations are now open for all learners in Africa with courses scheduled to begin on 2 June 2015. “You’ll be truly amazed at how fast your learners get up to speed with coding skills. And if you’ve never written a line of code in your life, don’t worry. This course will get you started step-by-step,” said…

By Ujuh MTN Zakhele received R836 million in dividend income from MTN Group for the 2014 financial year but the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) scheme will not be paying dividend to its investors. This is carried in the 2014 MTN Zakhele financial results which were published yesterday. The dividend income was much improved when compared to the R658 million received in 2013. MTN Zakhele directors said the dividend income was first used to pay for operational costs as well as taxes. Thereafter, the dividend income was used to pay down MTN Zakhele’s debt. MTN Zakhele chairperson Thulani Gcabashe said “The…

By Ujuh MTN Zakhele announced that it has applied for a further extension for the exemption of its share trading platform as it works towards a JSE listing. This suggests that MTN Zakhele will miss the June 30 default deadline to list on the JSE. MTN Zakhele, like other companies operating own shares over-the-counter (OTC) trading platforms, have been ordered by the Financial Services Board (FSB) to meet new standards. MTN Zakhele opted to abandon its OTC and to list on the JSE. All along MTN Zakhele trading platform has been operating on temporary exemptions from the FSB new rules.…

MTN remains firm on its offer, pledges to fully restore operations and reaffirms its zero tolerance stance on violence and intimidation By Staff writer As the industrial action by service employees enters its tenth day, MTN has reaffirmed that it will not budge on the offer it has tabled to striking employees and has once again pledged to bring the disrupted operations into full operational mode and safeguard the lives of non-striking employees and protect its infrastructure and facilities. The strike has had minimal impact on MTN’s core operations which are running optimally. Reports that the strike has culminated…

By Jennifer Shukusky In the world of online dating, nothing is as it seems. But that doesn’t stop many of us from leaping to the wrong conclusions about people. A recent paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association and reported on in the press suggested that when evaluating photographs from online dating profiles, men and women judge enhanced and un-enhanced photos somewhat differently. Enhanced photos, those in which a person has used makeup, hair styling, filters, or post-editing, were rated by both men and women as more being attractive. But while women also rated men in these…

By Staff Writer Large crowds at sports matches can mean frustratingly slow uploads of status updates and selfies, and make it all-but-impossible to view the video instant replays that you get when watching the big game at home. Vodacom’s latest full-stadium Wi-Fi solution is an African first and heralds the introduction of the smart stadium where connectivity issues will be a thing of the past and fans get the best of both worlds.  Rugby fans visiting Loftus Versfeld will be able to connect to Vodacom’s new high-density Wi-Fi network, with faster data connectivity than ever before. The solution is the…

Net1, which is involved in a legal brawl with SASSA and AllPay regarding a R10 billion government tender, is indirectly expanding into the lucrative Chinese market through the acquisition of  44% minority stake in Transact24 (T24), a specialist Hong Kong-based payment services company. By Gugu Lourie The company didn’t disclose the value of the transaction. However, the company that owns Zazoo that is in a process of internationalising its mobile virtual card  didn’t disclose the value of the transaction. T24 is a Hong Kong-based Payment Services Company, established in 2006, with offices and satellite entities in Australia, Singapore, China, Mauritius, South…

By Emmanuel Tsekleves Now that the sun is shining and the temperature is rising, it’s officially sickie season: go to work, or get struck down with “flu”, a “24-hour virus”, or that faithful stand-by, the dodgy prawn takeaway. Figures show that over a third of employees in the UK admit to pulling a sickie at some point or other. But things may be changing soon – wearable tech such as the Apple Watch, Microsoft Band, Fitbit, or Jawbone Up may become mainstream within a few years, bringing health monitoring capabilities that reveal how your body is performing. It’s not inconceivable that…

By Gerhard Botha Telematics and big data have generated much interest globally within the insurance industry. Yet, there is still reluctance amongst some SA insurers to adopt these practices. While local firms have the capability and know-how to implement, the low margins seem to compel them to remain conservative. The prevalence of fraud in the industry has also necessitated many insurance firms to focus on security and other preventative measures, instead of investing in the likes of telematics and big data. Limited budgets mean that these technologies are simply not on the priority list. Scepticism around the benefits that these…

Adam Wakefield Johannesburg – International companies that supplied content to South Africa via online streaming or subscription services should pay their fair share of tax, PwC said on Tuesday. Such multinational companies did not have to comply with the same tax rules as their local counterparts, and in some instances were not taxed, head of indirect tax for PwC Africa Charles de Wet said in a statement. “We are living in an era of unprecedented digital change. South Africa’s tax laws are outdated and have not kept pace with the growth of the digital economy,” he said. “Digital giants should…

By Staff Writer Chief Executive Officer of MTN SA, Ahmad Farroukh, has apologised to customers for service disruptions resulting from the industrial action by employees affiliated to the Communications Workers Union (CWU). The strike, which commenced last Wednesday, has led to the closure of the 808 Call Centre and disrupted other services centres including retail stores and the high value repair centre. In a bid to end the labour dispute, MTN has made great strides to address the employees’ bonus pay concerns with a comprehensive bonus offer of 8% in 2015, and a guaranteed 12% bonus in 2016. MTN maintains…