Author: Staff Writer
London-listed Helios Towers announced on Tuesday plans to buy the towers of Airtel Africa. The company said it has signed an agreement to buy Airtel Africa’s passive infrastructure in Madagascar and Malawi and has signed an exclusive memorandum of understanding for the potential acquisition of its passive infrastructure assets in Chad and Gabon. These deals are all subject to regulatory approvals. The company said in a statement that the deal comprise four separate agreements: Two separate agreements, one for each market, for the acquisition of Airtel Africa’s passive infrastructure companies in Madagascar and Malawi for a total expected consideration of…
Makwa-IT Technologies has been certified as a Cisco Gold Partner in South Africa. This makes it the first black and youth-owned company in Mzansi to achieve Cisco Gold Partner status. It plans to leverage the Cisco recognition to bring a better global solution to its customers, as well as grow its footprint both domestically and abroad. Founded in 2012, Makwa-IT Technologies is one of the youngest and fastest-growing technology companies in South Africa. It helps customers realise the benefits of digital transformation. Their world-class product portfolio, globally experienced professional services engineering teams and intelligent management services platform are built with passion,…
Enterprises around the globe are waking up to the importance of digital transformation when it comes to achieving their business objectives. But as more and more applications and office functions move to the cloud and operations evolve, so network capability will become increasingly critical. In fact, IP Intelligent Networks will be critical to enabling digital transformation at the enterprise, and even societal, level. That’s according to Kevin Hu, President of Data Communication Product Line at Huawei. Hu was speaking at Huawei’s IP Tech Summit, which takes place from 17 to 19 March and highlights the impact that IP Intelligent Networks…
Nedbank through its super app Avo is now allowing users to shop from digital malls. “Avo by Nedbank is bringing digital malls to the South African market with Sandton City being the first to launch,” said the bank. It added that this creates an immersive ‘mall’ experience in the palm of your hand. The digital mall is a first for any digital platform on the continent, opening up a luxury shopping experience across borders. Avo’s Click and Collect lounge feature lets users shop items from multiple stores in Sandton City, pay for goods on the app, and gives them the…
Softbank and Tencent are taking a $300 million (R4.5 billion) bet on PatSnap, an Innovation Intelligence (IP) analytics platform. The investment round was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Tencent Investment with participation from CPE Industrial Fund and existing investors Sequoia China, Shun Wei Capital, and Vertex Ventures. PatSnap said in a statement it plans to use the funds to further advance its innovation intelligence platform, accelerate product development, and acquire additional domain expertise in the industry sectors where its technology is used by research and development (R&D) and intellectual property (IP) teams. The funds will also enable PatSnap to expand its sales presence around…
eMedia Holdings’ Openview has partnered with Vodacom to bring Wi-Fi connectivity to homes that remain unserved by fibre networks. The Wi-Fi enabler (dongle) is known as Openview Connect. The free-to-air satellite television provider said the Connect data dongle will drive increased connectivity for families across South Africa and act as a plug-and-play hotspot for Openview-enabled homes that wish to Get Connected and Stay Connected. For a once-off fee of R599, Openview customers can enjoy up to 10 devices simultaneously connected with operating data rates of up to 150 Mbps speed on 4G LTE – lightning-fast compared to most home fibre…
The BMW iX is the first model to be based on the group’s new future toolkit. The company’s new technology flagship represents a fresh interpretation of design, sustainability, locally emission-free driving pleasure, versatility and luxury. The market launch will get underway at the end of 2021 with two model variants. “We made a promise and we will deliver on that promise: the market launch of the BMW iX will get underway at the end of this year with a two-pronged approach – in the form of the BMW iX xDrive40 and BMW iX xDrive50,” says Pieter Nota, Member of the…
Microsoft is expanding its Surface device range in South Africa with the introduction of the Surface Book 3 for both commercial and consumer customers. The device is available for consumers in retail from Incredible Connection stores. Surface Book 3 is a robust laptop, powerful tablet with detachable touchscreen, and portable studio that adapts to all the ways users work and create best. It combines speed, graphics, immersive gaming and long battery life with the versatility of a laptop, tablet, and portable studio. Recommended retail pricing for the Surface Book 3 starts at R37,999. “We are excited to expand our Surface…
Huawei has underlined its commitment to the F5G (Fix 5G) solution, aimed at spurring the development of broadband in Africa. The announcement was made at the recent SATACONNECT Virtual Expo 2021 where the key message delivered to suppliers and buyers was adoption and supplying the Africa region with the open standards, interfaces, and open-source solutions enjoyed by the rest of the world. ITU’s statistics show that nearly 1 billion households worldwide have no access to fixed broadband. Of the 1 billion households connected to fixed broadband, only 53% have access to the optical fibre. In Africa, the situation is even more…
Vodacom’s recent ShakeOff 2020 summer campaign has been a smash hit, with more than 23 million customers joining in the fun, setting the record as the most successful summer campaign ever by the network. ShakeOff 2020 engaged on average, over 5 million daily unique users. “We delivered on our ambition to create a campaign that was responsive to the needs of our customers, brought some fun, excitement and much-needed savings through our third party rewards, so much so, that our customers found ways to share their vouchers with close family and friends,” says Jorge Mendes, Chief Officer of Consumer Business…
DigitalFinTech enablement provider, Ukheshe Technologies, together with Infobip, a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected customer experiences across all stages of the customer journey at scale, have developed South Africa’s very first WhatsApp payment gateway for use by Telkom, one of the country’s largest mobile operators. In addition to being South Africa’s first digital wallet platform, the solution is also the first WhatsApp channel to enable payments using QR. The project and collaboration with Infobip forms part of Ukheshe’s objective of expanding its international reach as a solution-driven B2B provider of digital-first payment solutions that enable…
South Africa’s retailer Mr Price is spending R450 million to buy online retailer Yuppiechef. Mr Price said it will pay1% of its market capitalisation for Yuppiechef. Mr Price’s market cap before the announcement was almost R47 billion, which means it will buy Yuppiechef for roughly R470 million in cash. So, what should customers expect? Yuppiechef respond to its customers. Hang on — wait. What’s that going to change for customers? Not much really, We’re still going to be the same Yuppiechef in name and people and the way we work. We’re going to carry on pushing our service levels as…
Vodacom Business has developed various digital solutions to help businesses achieve a truly connected supply chain network to help improve efficiencies and withstand disruption and unpredicted hurdles in the future. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create significant challenges for the manufacturing and retail industry globally, the need for a resilient and agile supply chain network has never been greater. Today’s supply chain network is more complex than ever. It has become a digital ecosystem of suppliers, logistics companies, customers and other value chain partners that stretch across the globe. The supply chain network relies on the synchronised movement of…
TymeBank, South Africa’s digital bank and its international sister company Tyme, announce the appointment of David Pfaff as Chief Financial Officer of Tyme as well as the country CEO of Tyme’s South African operations. He took office on 1 March 2021. Pfaff is expected to divide his time between Singapore and South Africa to cover all his responsibilities. He will work alongside TymeBank CEO, Tauriq Keraan, who will remain in his position as CEO and continue to report to the TymeBank Board. “TymeBank continues to achieve exceptionally high customer satisfaction through its single view of the customer, its world-class technology…
South African entrepreneur Nico Steyn is stepping aside as CEO of IoT.nxt, a company he co-founded with partners Terje Moen and Bertus Jacobs. IoT.nxt was founded in 2015. He resigned with immediate effect. Steyn will remain as a shareholder and will continue to serve on the board, assist in the leadership transition. He will also work with the executive team to drive the growth and innovation strategy of IoT.nxt in a new capacity. “As a founder making this decision is not easy. However, I know the exceptional executive team that we have assembled over the past 18 months is well-positioned…
Aura, South Africa’s security and medical response platform, has announced its imminent expansion into Kenya which will be led by its new General Manager, Hilary Itela. Partnering with KK Security, owned by GardaWorld, Aura will offer its emergency and medical response services in Nairobi and Mombasa. Warren Myers, CEO at Aura, says that the intention is to address the fragmented and idle response capacity in Kenya while also democratising access to critical services by making them more widely available and more affordable than ever before. With over 15 years’ experience in various management roles in East and Central Africa, Itela…
South Africa’s retailer Mr Price announced today it has entered into an agreement to buy 100% of Yuppiechef, a privately-owned South African omnichannel retail business primarily focused on kitchenware. In November 2020, Mr Price communicated its ambitions to invest in growth opportunities in specific segments of the market through both organic and acquisitive growth avenues. The group’s strict investment criteria, which have been previously communicated, continue to guide its capital allocation decisions and have been applied with the same disciplined approach in the case of Yuppiechef. The company said the acquisition of Yuppiechef will enable it to expand in South…
The Oppo A15 and A53s are now available to buy at all MTN stores nationwide. The A15 will be available on the My MTNChoice Flexi R60 at R179 per month for 24 months, and the A53s will be available on the My MTNChoice Flexi R60 at R269 per month for 24 months. Both handsets will come bundled with a free Bluetooth speaker and rewards valued at R1300, including R60 airtime. The smartphone brand prioritises world-class technology encased in technological art, all while remaining affordable to the everyday local. Both models boast an impressive 13MP rear camera and 720p HD screen,…
Huawei in partnership with the Gauteng Department of e-Government is offering an online youth ICT Skills Development Program. A total of 393 students from five regions in Gauteng (Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Johannesburg, Westrand and Sedibeng) participated in the training in new technologies like 5G, cloud and AI, to empower them with knowledge and skills as they enter the employment market or aim to further their studies. ICT skills, encompassing new technologies are amongst competencies that have been identified as essential components for Gauteng’s future economic growth, the province’s readiness for 4IR, and a key requirement for the achievement of the Growing Gauteng…
Streaming giant Netflix is looking at ways to curb password sharing for both business and security reasons. The Verge reported that a new feature prevents people who are not authorized to use the account from accessing it. A Netflix spokesperson told The Verge, “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.” If Netflix detects that someone is trying to use the account without being an account owner, they’ll be asked to verify later or verify being an account owner through an email code or text code. If someone is unable to verify account ownership…
The South African Post Office (SAPO) has confirmed that the R350 COVID-19 Special grant recipients will be paid all monies owed to them. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Post Office said beneficiaries should also know that there is no deadline for them to collect their grant from its outlets. “The funds that are waiting for them do not expire and they can collect it later if it suits them,” said the SAPO. The Post Office has introduced a system to reduce waiting times for beneficiaries who collect their R350 COVID-19 Special grant. The system said the Post Office…
VaultGroup is changing the face of the local storage security industry by providing high-tech solutions to the local market, offering custom-built secure storage to customers in two specific verticals. VaultGroup has grown into a 40 plus person business. Six years ago, two Johannesburg-based entrepreneurs opened a small business with a big vision of stopping mobile phone store robberies in their tracks. Their solution, CellVault combines simplicity with a dash of technology: secure lockers with a built-in time-delay that would deter robbers who don’t have time to wait around. CellVault is an ultra-secure time lock mechanism designed primarily for high-value, low-volume…
Dropbox, one of the most popular cloud storage solutions in the world, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy DocSend, a secure document sharing and analytics company with more than 17,000 customers. Under the terms of the agreement, Dropbox will acquire DocSend for $165 million (R2.5 billion) in cash subject to customary purchase price adjustments and closing conditions. “Given the dramatic rise in remote work, there’s increased demand for digital tools that help people organize their content and seamlessly collaborate with each other,” Dropbox Co-Founder and CEO Drew Houston, said in a statement. “DocSend is…
Kia has revealed the first official images of the EV6 – its first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV). EV6 is also the first of Kia’s next-generation BEVs to be developed under a new design philosophy that embodies Kia’s shifting focus towards electrification. “EV6 is the embodiment of both our brand purpose, ‘Movement that inspires’, and our new design philosophy. It has been designed to inspire every journey by offering an instinctive and natural experience that improves the daily lives of our customers, and provide user ownership that is simple, intuitive and integrated,” said Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head…
BMW is the most searched for car brand in South Africa, the Toyota Hilux is the most desired car model and online vehicle searches have grown by an impressive 54,1%. These are just some of the interesting findings contained within the latest bi-annual AutoTrader Car Industry Report, titled #ReBound. The report covers the July 2020 to December 2020 period, and it includes interesting data that is valuable to the used and new car market in South Africa. According to George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, 2020 saw an unprecedented interruption to the local automotive industry. “2020 will be a year that will…