Author: Staff Writer
Telviva CTO Antony Russell says that when one walks into the Mobile World Congress (MWC) you expect to be surrounded by glitz and glamour, to encounter startups and multinationals, to interact with science fiction and talk about the future. “MWC 2022 did not disappoint on this front. We touched the future and returned to South Africa with a spring in our step, pleasantly moved by the reception we received as South Africans pioneering in the unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) space,” he says. Russell says that all the innovation on display was premised on connectivity. In other words, how 5G…
The COVID-19 pandemic, without a question, forced the world into the digital realm. It also widened the divide between the haves and the have nots, which was particularly evident in both the workplace and the classroom. The digital world offers many advantages, the most significant of which is increased access to information. We are depriving citizens of education and job opportunities if we do not ensure universal access and digital literacy, and it is time that we realise that internet access – and the digital skills that come with it – is a basic human right. As technology continues to…
MTN Group today announced senior leadership appointments to operating companies in Nigeria, Iran and Sudan, all of them internal candidates, as it focuses on executing growth strategy, de-leverage faster and reveal value in our fintech and fibre businesses. The appointments are effective 1 April 2022. “A vital enabler of our strategy is having the best talent, culture and future-fit skills,” says MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the depth of talent within the Group, as well as the strength of our succession planning.” Following the recent appointment of MTN Nigeria Chief Operating Officer Mazen Mroue as…
South Africa’s automotive group Motus has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets and its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 1 April 2022. Motus will retain its primary listing on the JSE Limited and its issued share capital will be unaffected by its secondary listing on A2X. Motus was listed on the JSE in November 2018, following its unbundling from Imperial. Employing over 17 000 people globally, Motus is a diversified non-manufacturing business in the automotive sector with unrivalled scale in South Africa, a selected international presence primarily in the United Kingdom and Australia, as…
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, the Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) today announced the completion of prototypes for a common platform enabling international settlements using multiple central bank digital currencies (mCBDCs). The project, codenamed ‘Project Dunbar’ explores how a common platform for multi-CBDCs) could enable cheaper, faster and safer cross-border payments. SARB said in a statement that Project Dunbar proved that financial institutions could use CBDCs issued by participating central banks to transact directly with each other on a shared platform. “This has the…
The first businesses in the Middle East and Africa region have started to experience the seamless ease of Mastercard’s Track Instant Pay solution, in partnership with leading pan-African FinTech enablement partner, Ukheshe Technologies. Track Instant Pay is a next-generation virtual card solution that uses machine learning and straight-through processing to enable instant payment of supplier invoices – the first of its kind. “It safely and intelligently authorises immediate payments to a supplier once a supplier submits an invoice,” says Paul Selibas, President: Channel Solutions at Ukheshe. “First, it analyses received invoices using sophisticated machine learning to identify those likely to…
CSquared, an open-access wholesale broadband infrastructure company, lands Google’s Equiano, a subsea internet cable running through Portugal to South Africa, in Togo. This makes Togo the first landing point of Google’s Equiano in Africa. Equiano is expected to land in South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria and St Helena later in the year, connecting the continent with Europe. Togo currently ranks as the sixth-best country in Africa regarding ease of doing business and Equiano, once switched on, will offer 20 times more bandwidth than any other cable currently serving West Africa, helping the country attract even more investments and further boosting its vibrant…
In celebration of the new Polo with IQ.DRIVE, Volkswagen is taking things to the next level while embracing the future of mobility. The People’s Car brand has launched South Africa’s first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) brand campaign, with a future-focused commercial incorporating Volkswagen’s first collections of NFTs. “Our new Polo NFT campaign and Mzansiverse commercial is testament to Volkswagen’s eye on the future, not only in the innovation of our vehicles but in embracing the passions of our fans and driving evolution in how we engage with them,” said Bridget Harpur, Head of Marketing for the Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand. Inspired…
The over 10 million unemployed South Africans benefitting from the R350 COVID-19 relief grant will now have greater accessibility as the Shoprite Group has stepped in to make grant payments available at its 1 286 supermarkets across South Africa. Following the extension of the grant for another 12 months, customers can now access it at the till point in any Shoprite, Checkers, Usave and selected OK Foods supermarkets nationally. This enables customers to receive their grants, buy essential groceries and pay their bills in a single location. To collect the grant from any Shoprite, Checkers, Usave or selected OK Foods,…
MTN Group announced today that MTN SA has secured high-demand-spectrum to support its 4G and 5G expansion drive. During the main phase of the auction, which started on 10 March 2022 and finished after 58 rounds of bidding, MTN SA acquired a total of 100MHz across the 800MHz, 2 600MHz and 3 500MHz frequency bands. The company said it will pay a total of R5.2 billion for the spectrum. This compares favourably with global benchmark averages of approximately $0.083MHz-POP – according to Coleago Consulting – for spectrum in similar auctions, said MTN. MTN SA secured the following spectrum bands in…