Author: Staff Writer

Determined to play a pivotal role in meaningful fintech enablement Ukheshe is committed to driving the creation of an accessible and sustainable digital economy. This is particularly important in emerging markets as the increase in mobile penetration has created a new frontier of possibility for fintech innovation to empower businesses to provide their customers with the tools for economic independence beyond the formal banking system says Clayton Hayward, CEO of Ukheshe.  A notable highlight of 2022 has undoubtedly been the sense of accomplishment that shines through in everything we do, as we set up the business for ongoing success. We’ve…

MTN South Africa and MTN GlobalConnect, in partnership with the 2Africa consortium, which includes China Mobile International, Meta, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, center3, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, are pleased to land the 45 000km 2Africa cable in Yzerfontein and Duynefontein, South Africa. For MTN GlobalConnect, this landing is the first in a series of six across five countries: South Africa (*two), Sudan, Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria and Ghana, will allow MTN GlobalConnect to showcase, in a tangible manner, the importance of connectivity and creating cross border networks, that connect Africa to the rest of the world. The 2Africa cable connection will go…

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced the winner of TCS Sustainathon South Africa 2022, a problem-solving competition that empowers the youth to find creative solutions to real-world challenges. Ten finalists showcased their ideas at the grand finale held at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch. The ideas were based on the theme Zero Hunger, focusing on finding ways to ensure adequate nutrition and food security for children and all South Africans living in underprivileged communities. “TCS, along with its partners, believes that technology can play a pivotal role in solving the world’s most pressing problems. Through the TCS Sustainathon, we aim to…

Local automotive intelligence has found that criminals are now using sophisticated technology to target high-end and luxury vehicles featuring keyless or smart entry systems and emergency start capabilities. The rise in these crimes has partly been attributed to increased vehicle usage since businesses re-opened after the COVID-19-induced lockdown, as well as a new modus operandi on the part of criminals and syndicates, such as keyless access theft. While this phenomenon affects automotive brands across the board – as well as all makes of cars – Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) confirms that it has been proactively conducting extensive research and…

MTN SA has introduced its new Bonus Bonanza price plan for prepaid customers, effective immediately. The Bonus Bonanza price plan offers customers double bonus airtime value every time they recharge with R5 or more. The bonus airtime can be used for voice calls, data and SMS. Existing customers on any MTN prepaid plan can migrate to the new Bonus Bonanza price plan for free by dialling *136*4*1# or through the MTN App. New customers joining MTN from 9 December 2022 will by default be enrolled into the Bonus Bonanza price plan. All MTN customers benefit from personalised bundle offers via…

Business email compromise (BEC), where criminals steal money by simply ‘asking for it’, is on the rise. According to an Interpol report, BEC is one of the top five digital threats in Africa – and South Africa is the most likely target, shouldering 34% of the continent’s attacks. Ryan Mer, CEO of eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee (KYP) platform provider, says these attacks can take many forms, but are typically orchestrated through emails that appear to come from legitimate sources. “In many cases, criminals intercept email accounts or pose as known clients or suppliers of an organisation and request the…

MTN GlobalConnect is honoured to have been awarded Best Fibre Infrastructure Deployment – Africa, Best Regional Diversity and Inclusion programme, and Best Smart Africa Infrastructure Solution at the prestigious Telecom Review Awards hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. MTN’s GlobalConnect CEO, Frédéric Schepens, received the Africa CEO Merit leader of the year for operator’s award in recognition of his contribution to the Industry and visionary initiatives driven to unlock connectivity in Africa. Telecom Review Excellence Awards recognises industry leaders and businesses, celebrating innovation, vision, and excellence awarding the industry’s best companies, projects, and partnerships. The awards received are reflective of…

Huawei and OPPO have announced the signing of a global patent cross-licensing agreement, which covers cellular standard essential patents, including 5G. “After more than 20 years of continuous innovation, Huawei has developed multiple high-value patent portfolios in the global marketplace in domains like 5G, Wi-Fi, and audio/video codecs,” said Alan Fan, Head of Huawei’s Intellectual Property Department. “We are delighted to have reached a cross-licensing agreement with OPPO. The mutual recognition of intellectual property value between companies is a major step towards fostering a positive cycle of innovation and research in high-value standards: investing, receiving returns from investment, and then…

While e-commerce drove payments in LatAm, digital payments will drive African e-commerce  Like in LatAm, alternative payment methods in Africa are key to driving financial inclusion  EBANX, a fintech company that specializes in international payments in rising markets, released its annual Beyond Borders 2022/2023 report. For the first time, the bellwether research study on the latest megatrends and consumer behaviors tied to e-commerce, payments, and emerging global business opportunities includes a detailed analysis of African countries, in addition to Latin America.    “Africa is the next digital frontier,” said Paula Bellizia, President of Global Payments at EBANX. “While it’s still…

Eskom and Hyosung Heavy Industries, one of the appointed service providers for the Eskom Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project, yesterday marked the beginning of construction of the first energy storage facility under Eskom’s flagship BESS project. The sod-turning ceremony was held at the Elandskop BESS site, located within Msunduzi and Impendle Local Municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. Construction will take between seven and twelve months and the batteries on the site will be charged from the main grid via Eskom’s Elandskop substation. The facility will have a capacity of 8MW, equivalent to 32MWh of distributed electricity, enough to power a town…