Author: Staff Writer

Telecoms startup NoPBX has activated over 1,000 new PBX-over-GSM switchboards since its commercial launch in October 2020. “The launch of our smartphone-based cloud PBX system has proved especially timeous as SMEs push back against the Coronavirus slump by adopting new, more effective and more affordable technologies to do business better,” says NoPBX co-founder Anton Potgieter. The pandemic forced SMEs to rapidly explore new digital solutions that would enable them to stay in business and to operate leaner businesses as the economy contracted. “Developed in South Africa, NoPBX enables users to start making business calls on their new business phone number…

Vodacom Financial and Digital Services has officially launched its much anticipated VodaPay super app. Available to customers on any mobile network, VodaPay launches with significant partners and discounts including exclusive R1 deals on multiple products on the app. The VodaPay super app is available for download from Apple and Android app stores. VodaPay delivers a digital shopping, lifestyle and financial platform for both consumers and businesses. It is backed by Alipay technology that powers over 1.2 billion users and almost 100 million merchant partners, using state of the art technology including artificial intelligence (AI). This is the first partnership of…

MTN Mobile Money app (MTN MoMo) which is powered by uBank, has expanded into the digital health service space with the innovative, professional, and broadly accessible Nurse & Video-Dr Consult pre-paid solution. This pre-paid digital healthcare solution, starting from R370, is easily accessed via the MoMo app and is specifically targeted at helping the elderly with no medical aid to get the professional advice and medication they need. It is also aimed at providing an affordable alternative for those who have run out of medical aid savings, while the general population gains access to an array of medical solutions that…

Liquid Intelligent Technologies, through its innovation and partnerships arm Liquid Labs, is launching three online courses on legal technology, targeted at supporting career development amongst students, budding entrepreneurs, and lawyers. This has been possible through a partnership with Africa Legal, an organisation that connects legal professionals across the African continent. Liquid Labs aspires to make relevant tech training programmes accessible to students and professionals to bridge the affordability and digital divide, the main deterrents to increased access. The courses will offer targeted training for lawyers and the business community to enable working people to upskill and embrace the opportunities of…

Walmart-owned Massmart, one of South Africa’s biggest retail groups, has launched mobile shopping mini apps in partnership with  Vodacom’s new VodaPay super app. Massmart, which owns Builders, Game and Makro, said the mini apps serve as the cornerstone of the shopping proposition in the VodaPay Super App. This launch follows Massmart’s announcement earlier this year regarding e-commerce as a Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) strategic growth vector. “This is an important step in our e-commerce strategy which is underpinned by a mobile first approach which in this case will provide access to 43 million customers, 21 million mobile devices and…

The DA has called on the IEC to investigate the ANC for spreading misinformation in an attempt to mislead voters about the distribution of electricity in the City of Johannesburg. The ANC in the region released a statement today claiming that the City of Johannesburg administration signed a Power Purchase Agreement with Eskom “which will enable the City’s process to takeover Eskom supplied areas to City Power”.  The statement by the ANC claims that “[the] signed agreement ensures that the electricity bought in bulk from Eskom allows the City’s electricity distributor, City Power, safe and reliable distribution of electricity to the residents…

iStore announced that customers now get up to R15 000 cash back into their pockets when trading in to upgrade their cellular contract to iPhone 13 on Vodacom, MTN or Telkom. Contract pricing for iPhone 13 range is now available nationwide in-store and online from 8 October 2021, starting at R699 pm. Up to R15 000 cash back for trade in – For the first time, customers get up to R15 000* cash back – into their account – when trading in their current iPhone to upgrade their cellular contract at iStore. Customers can take their current iPhone to iStore for evaluation and get up to…

MTN is introducing MyMTN Home Uncapped Fixed LTE to South Africans that is aimed at delivering more value for money and providing greater choice to customers as part of this year’s summer campaign. The growth in demand for flexible data solutions and consumers’ increasing need to remain connected to loved ones has inspired MTN to introduce its MyMTN Home Uncapped Fixed LTE. MTN wants to ensure customers get more value and options, allowing more people uncapped access to the digital world from the comfort of their own home, whether it is for work, entertainment, news or education. “We are excited…

The Loeries, Africa and the Middle East’s premiere creative festival, has released its inaugural research into gender representation in advertising across the African continent. Advertising plays an important role in shaping societal identity which is why the research is designed to deliver the insights needed to ensure stronger positive representation of both men and women in advertising across the continent. Facebook partnered with the Loeries to support the creation and delivery of the report as part of its commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives. “If we want to eliminate harmful stereotypes in our industry, we need to stop thinking…

The digital economy necessitates a digital government. It’s not really a question of whether or not government should become digital, it’s only a matter of time. This was the core theme explored at Huawei’s e-Government Summit, which forms part of Huawei Connect 2021. South Africa’s government has attached great importance to digitalisation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), with a particular focus on driving transformation in the public sector. Public sector stakeholders joined Huawei to discuss how public and private sectors could work together to accelerate government’s journey to digital transformation. “Innovative technologies are increasingly being used in more industries…