Author: Gugu Lourie

Internet service provider Axxess, which recetly switch over to its own network and introduced mobile voice service, is planning to launch fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services joining bigger players such as Telkom, VumaTel, MTN, Vodacom and Metrofibre. By Gugu Lourie The Port Elizabeth-based Axxess said in a an email to customers on Thursday that “we have realised that our clients are looking for faster broadband speeds, and bigger data packages fueled by video streaming like ShowMax and Netflix.” The company added “which is why we are planning to introduce FTTH services very soon, to address this growing demand.” However, Axxess didn’t specify…

It is time MTN South Africa learns to let go. When MTN South Africa launched MTNFrontRow, in December 2014, the video-on-demand (VoD) service was billed as “a niche player” – but clearly it seems as if the platform hasn’t signed enough customers to write about. A year later MTN rebranded the VoD service into VU, taking away some of its goodwill already built in the market at a time when the competition was hotting up and new players such as ShowMax and ONTAPtv, were launching new services. The launch of Netflix was also imminent, which only occurred earlier last…

Travelstart has secured $40 million (R645 million) in funding from global technology investors Amadeus Capital Partners and mobile phone group MTN. By Staff Writer “Travelstart’s goal has always been to put people in charge of their own travel arrangements – to help them save time and money while receiving excellent customer service,” says Stephan Ekbergh, CEO of Travelstart. “This capital gives us additional resources to expand quickly and strategically into new markets, innovate rapidly, and deliver on our vision in more countries”. Africa’s largest online platform for booking flights, hotels and rental cars, said the investment would be…

AG Mobile,  an African mobile technology, has launched in Nigeria. Recognised as one of the continent’s first ODM (original design manufacturer), it was the first South African brand to release its own mobile device in 2007. This is the ninth African country where AG Mobile phones and tablets are available, and the first where its launched independently of a retail partner.  By Staff Writer  AG Mobile CEO Anthony Goodman said this development forms part of the brand’s expansion strategy to provide more Africans with affordable, quality products while investing in markets that offer mutually beneficial opportunities. “As a proudly African brand…

As on-going tough economic times bite, Business Connexion (BCX) looks likely to be less aggressive with its pan-African growth strategy. By Gugu Lourie Even after it was acquired by Telkom last year, BCX continued to pursue its forceful acquisition strategy. But, now with the market downturn affecting most of its clients such as mining houses, BCX could put brakes on its growth strategy ambitions. Global miners are seeing profits diminish amid slowing economic growth in China, the largest commodities buyer. With other exogenous factors such as rand weakness, the downturn was likely to affect technology firms, including BCX, which…

The Jasco Group has expanded the presence of NewTelco South Africa, a joint venture between the Jasco Group and NewTelco GMBH, into the East African region with a dedicated presence in Kenya. By Staff Writer The company said in a statement that this presence will support NewTelco’s existing customers in the region, including Six Telecoms in Tanzania. “The East African ICT market is one of the fastest growing ICT markets on the African continent. It is a well-developed, open and deregulated market that is still is attracting much foreign direct investment,” says Eckart Zollner, Business Development Manager at NewTelco SA and…

Vodacom  Business, an enterprise division of Vodafone-owned Vodacom Group, informed investors on Wednesday that its machine-to-machine (M2M) customers increased 29.6% to 2.2 million in the third quarter to end-December 2015, as the company continues to extend its M2M’s solutions. By Gugu Lourie  M2M services are also referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) – a concept of connecting devices to the internet ranging from refrigerators, geysers and smart electricity meters to coffee makers – in such a way that they communicate without the need of human intervention. Vodacom Business said its fixed-line and business managed services revenue now consist…

After an exceptional strong third quarter, driven by strong growth in data customers and benefiting from massive infrastructure investment, Vodacom – South Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator is likely to saw its revenue growth slightly taper in quarter four. By Gugu Lourie In the third quarter to end-December 2015, Vodacom posted a  14.5% rise in active data customers to 30.3 million boosted by an increase in sales of affordable smart devices. As a result the mobile operator, which is majority owned by British mobile giant Vodafone, saw a 27.5% increase in data revenue to R5.5 billion, due to higher demand…

Today, however, the newest data increasingly support the idea that young people are actually transitioning out of using what we might term broadcast social media – like Facebook and Twitter – and switching instead to using narrowcast tools – like Messenger or Snapchat. By Felicity Duncan When my digital media students are sitting, waiting for class to start and staring at their phones, they are not checking Facebook. They’re not checking Instagram, or Pinterest or Twitter. No, they’re catching up on the news of the day by checking out their friends’ Stories on Snapchat, chatting in Facebook Messenger or checking…

In mid-January, Netflix announced a ban on the use of proxies, unblockers and virtual private networks (VPNs) – all technical work-arounds to view movies and TV programs unavailable in the subscriber’s country. This announcement coincided with the company’s global service launch into more than 130 new markets. By Peter K. Yu With the new ban in place, Australian subscribers will no longer be able to watch U.S. shows until they become available Down Under. Likewise, U.S. subscribers who are addicted to British shows will have to wait for those shows to come stateside. The content providers’ desire for this ban is…