Author: Staff Writer
MyCountry MyWorld is set to launch MY! a social media platform for Africans by Africans providing possibilities in world exploration by giving users the opportunity to bring their country and world to each other. MY! A social media platform is set to be launched in May 2021. “Having developed the app over a period of two years, with a series of tests; we are now confident that the app is ready to be released to the world”, Samuel Zean Jr, Co-founder, MY! With over 4 billion internet users across the world and growing by 332 million in the past 12…
Mercedes-Benz has introduced the New Mercedes me Privacy Centre to responsible handle its customer’s data. Safety and security matter at Mercedes-Benz – and always have. In both the physical and the digital world. The high demands that customers place on their vehicles with the star can therefore also apply to the handling of data. In the new Mercedes me Privacy Center, customers can get an overview of their personal data even more quickly and easily, and decide in an intuitive way what Mercedes-Benz is allowed to use it for. “Data privacy is a distinguishing feature for us. The new Mercedes…
MTN Group confirmed on Monday that it is participating with equity partners in a bid for a telecoms licence in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country which represents the last and largest telco liberalisation opportunity in the world. The company said its participation is aligned with our strategy, Ambition 2025, focusing on capturing growth from digital acceleration across the continent. It has been made in partnership with Silk Road Fund from China. Other partners will be disclosed on a successful bid outcome. “Ethiopia provides the largest telecommunication and digital services growth opportunity in Africa over the medium term and fits…
Internet Service Provider (ISP) RocketNet is sponsoring schools in the Western Cape with free high-speed internet to support digital learning and education. Access to fibre internet at the school supports the school in its administrative and teaching functions. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to digital economies and it’s, therefore, more important and more urgent for schools to prepare learners for life and careers in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This is impossible to do without internet access. Six schools received RocketNet fibre installations at their schools. The schools include Laerskool Edleen, Vredelust Primary School, Star College Cape Town, Plumstead…
We’ve known for all of Fortnite Season 6 that soccer superstar Neymar Jr. would be coming to the game at some point, but the details have been very scarce about what to expect. Neymar Jr can be contained no more! Starting this week on April 27, you can tackle his Battle Pass Quests, allowing you to unlock his Outfit and other items from his high-octane Set. By completing Neymar Jr Quests and Epic-rarity Quests, unlock and unleash his primal forms. Also, visit Creative mode for a player-made Welcome Hub and Island inspired by Neymar Jr’s arrival, and compete in the Neymar Jr Cup for…
Global tech company Huawei believes that information and communication technologies or ICTs, has the potential to reduce global carbon emissions by 20% over the next decade. William Xu, Director of the Board and president of Huawei’s Institute of Strategic Research, recently said energy sustainability was a daunting challenge that faced all countries over the next decade. “Global energy consumption is growing at an annual rate of 1.7%. Currently 85% of energy comes from fossil fuels. Energy sustainability is a daunting challenge that faces all of us. By empowering a wide range of industries, ICT technology has the potential to reduce…
At a time when gaming companies are battling for the attention of users following the release of two major consoles, the war between PlayStation and Xbox has likely never been more cutthroat. The decades-old battle has been in motion since Xbox first launched in late 2001 against their already well-established 6-year-old rival – however, PlayStation has levelled up its online presence and managed to leave Xbox in the dust. To gain some perspective on how Sony’s PlayStation consoles compare to that of both Microsoft’s Xbox range and Nintendo, Compare the Market created a detailed infographic that explores the market share…
Many small businesses face cost and technical business continuity challenges. A cloud-based back up and recovery system can resolve many of these challenges. It goes without saying that large enterprises will inevitably have carefully crafted disaster recovery plans in place. While corporates may have the budget for such an approach, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often find that they simply cannot justify the investment required to implement a large-scale disaster recovery plan. Instead, they are forced to rely on the hope that their backups are able to be recovered. Unfortunately, more often than not, the back up plan’s SMEs have used are…
INTRASOFT International’s inhouse communications agency, SCOPE Communications, has been selected by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) for the implementation of two contracts in the field of graphic design, layout and communication strategy respectively. Both awards underline INTRASOFT’s repositioning in the EU communications market, with the rebranding of its communication unit under the SCOPE logo and with the definition of a full range of digital communication services. SCOPE is now a multidisciplinary team of creative professionals and consultants, providing 360 degrees communication and consultancy services from the company’s offices in Luxembourg, Brussels…
Huawei Cloud has unveiled plans for increasing its market share in South Africa and Africa, through strategic investments and collaboration with partners. At an online media briefing, Stone He, the new President for the Huawei Cloud Business in Southern Africa, said since its launch in SA in February 2019 the company now has four points of presence in Africa, two in South Africa, one in Nigeria and one in Kenya. “We will look to increase the number of these data centre’s as the demand for cloud services grows. We currently serve customers in 12 countries, with plans to grow rapidly…
With the world celebrating International Girls in ICT Day, Huawei South Africa has underlined the importance of supporting female students in the technology sector. International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative of the International Technology Union (ITU), where it works with partners, including Huawei, to build awareness about the gender digital divide, support technology education and skills training, and encourage more girls and young women to actively pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). “Globally, women are still dramatically underrepresented in information and communication technology (ICT),” says Christina Naidoo, Chief Operations Officer of Huawei South Africa. “Improving…
Instagram has announced new tools to filter abusive Direct Messages (DMs) and to prevent someone you’ve blocked from contacting you from a new account. The tool will allow users to automatically filter out DMs requests containing offensive words, phrases, and emojis. The tool is targeted at people with larger followings, who have faced abuse in their DM request inbox from people they don’t follow. This tool focuses on DM requests, because this is where people usually receive abusive messages – unlike your regular DM inbox, where you receive messages from friends. It will work in a similar way to the comment…
MetroFibre is upgrading line speeds on its FTTH fibre packages as part of its drive to make quality fibre internet access as ubiquitous and accessible as possible for South African families. The product adjustments will be effective from 1 June 2021 and rolled out over a two-week period after that. Existing direct FTTH customers and those of ISPs and resellers operating on MetroFibre’s open-access network will automatically be bumped up to the next higher speed at no additional cost. With its open-access model, customers can choose from multiple Internet service providers, packages and prices. MetroFibre will also introduce a new…
Amazon is opening a London hair salon to trial the latest industry technology, from augmented reality (AR) hair consultations to point-and-learn technology. The Amazon Salon will occupy 1,500 sq. ft. on Brushfield Street in London’s Spitalfields. At this salon, customers can experience the best in hair care and styling. “We have designed this salon for customers to come and experience some of the best technology, hair care products and stylists in the industry,” said John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. “We want this unique venue to bring us one step closer to customers, and it will be a place where…
JSE-listed Altron has acquired digital signatures services company Lawtrust from Etion for R245 million subject to Competition Commission approval. Lawtrust is a digital trust services and cyber information security solutions company which provides solutions used to verify the authenticity of digital identities and counterparty systems in transactions, data encryption, digital signatures, as well as biometrics. “In 2019 we acquired Ubusha Technologies, a leader in identity management. Ubusha formed the foundation of Altron Security,” said Altron Group Chief Executive, Mteto Nyati. “It has proven to be a great acquisition as customers accelerated their digital transformation due to COVID-19. “The…
MTN today unveiled its new MTN BozzaGigs LTE offering which gives MTN customers exclusive pre-paid data bundles on the fastest and best network. New prepaid customers joining the network can buy an MTN Starter pack and migrate to MTN BozzaGigs LTE price-plan that offers a range of bundles starting at R99 for 10GB data bundle valid for 30days. In order to move to MTN BozzaGigs LTE, new Prepaid customers will need to dial *137# to migrate to the BozzaGigs LTE in order to qualify for exclusive data offers starting at 10GB for R99. Migrations to the new BozzaGigs are only…
The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionised business operations the world over and forever changed the way markets engage with customers and how consumers deal with brands. Companies must now face the reality of a touch-free generation, people who expect everything to work touch-free and today there is an opportunity to leverage loyalty programmes to meet this expectation. Online research shows that one of the fundamental changes to the business environment resulting from the pandemic has been the surge in e-commerce and the use of digital tools. It’s proof that the touch-free generation is getting to grips with technology to avoid personal…
Vodacom has donated R3 million towards relief efforts to help thousands of people impacted by a runaway fire in Cape Town at the weekend. The blaze that engulfed the Rhodes Memorial restaurant, multiple buildings at the University of Cape Town (UCT), including the Special Collections library that houses rare collections of African Studies was started accidentally according to SANParks. The blazing inferno forced the evacuation of over 4,000 UCT students to emergency accommodation. According to the Cape Town fire and rescue department, two firefighter were injured and are being treated in hospital. Shameel Joosub, Vodacom Group CEO said: “We have…
MTN Rwandacell Plc (MTN Rwanda) announced today that it will list on the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) on 4 May 2021. The listing has been approved by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE). The listing is by introduction on the RSE and the approval of Crystal Telecom’s (CTL) shareholders to distribute the 20% of MTN Rwanda’s shareholding held by CTL to CTL shareholders effective from the listing date. “The official listing of MTN Rwanda’s shares on the RSE will take place on 4 May 2021. We look forward to participating in the capital markets of…
Zoom today announced the Zoom Apps Fund, a new $100 million (R1, 4 billion) venture fund created to stimulate the growth of its Apps ecosystem, integrations, developer platform, and hardware. The company said in a statement that portfolio companies will receive initial investments between $250,000 (R3.6 million) and $2.5 million (R35 million) to build solutions that will become core to how Zoom customers meet, communicate, and collaborate. Zoom Apps announced at Zoomtopia 2020 leading applications that will bring productivity and engaging experiences directly into the Zoom platform. Dozens of Zoom Apps are currently in development and are an important component in…
Despite public pushback, Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp will be going ahead with the privacy policy update it announced earlier this year. While the public has begun to appreciate that WhatsApp’s privacy rules are in fact still very much in favour of the user, with messages sent remaining private and encrypted at all times, what will this mean for brands that use the app to reach and engage with consumers? “The benefits for brands are massive,” says Kyle Oosthuizen, chief operating officer at Blue Robot – creators of messaging solutions that allow brands to communicate with their audience at scale. “These…
MetroFibre has acquired the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network and infrastructure of Link Africa in Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal, adding another 10 000 homes passed to MetroFibre’s rapidly growing fibre network in South Africa. The deal is effective 1 April 2021 with a transition period that is expected to be completed by the end of June 2021. At the close of the deal, MetroFibre will rank among the top five fibre network operators in South Africa in terms of the number of homes passed, with its open-access network currently passing over 205,000 homes in five provinces across South Africa. “As part of…
Swedish automaker Volvo is to supply cars for Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi’s autonomous driving fleets. DiDi, a Chinese Uber competitor with more than 550 million users and tens of millions of drivers, and Volvo have signed a strategic collaboration agreement on autonomous vehicles for DiDi’s self-driving test fleet. Volvo Cars will provide DiDi with XC90 cars equipped with necessary backup systems for functions such as steering and braking, and collaborate with DiDi Autonomous Driving to integrate the additional software and hardware required to make it fully ready for autonomous drive. The XC90 cars will be the first to integrate DiDi Gemini,…
Capitec, South Africa’s largest digital bank, has launched an innovative feature on their new app that makes it possible for consumers to open an account from anywhere, anytime using facial biometrics. The process takes only a few minutes and uses advanced technology to ensure that an actual person is in front of the camera and not a photo, with images verified against the Department of Home Affairs’ database in real-time. While many traditional banks offer the ability to open an account with a selfie, they mostly still require a branch visit to activate the account. Capitec’s gives clients an active…
South African Internet of things (IoT) solution provider, Beyond, has recently entered into a long-term agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to supply its remote cold chain monitoring solution in support of UNICEF’s global vaccination programme. UNICEF will be responsible for distributing COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low and lower-middle-income countries while also supporting procurement for more than 97 upper-middle-income and high-income nations. Together, these represent more than four-fifths of the world’s population. UNICEF is working with vaccine manufacturers, logistics companies and technology partners to procure, distribute and monitor 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. Ian Lester, CEO of Beyond,…