Author: Staff Writer
DStv’s much-anticipated DStv Explora Ultra has officially launched, ushering in a new world of video entertainment for customers, with more choice and value. The new Explora Ultra will be available at participating retail stores from next week. As part of the new experience, Netflix will be available for the first time on the Explora Ultra decoder. The first generation Explora launched seven years ago with updated versions of the device released over the years culminating in the Explora 3B decoder. The Explora Ultra builds on its predecessor with exciting new features. DStv, Netflix Partnership As part of the partnership, the…
Black Friday is a major shopping event each year, where consumers have traditionally flocked to retail stores to capitalise on massive specials and pre-Christmas deals. However, with COVID-19 fears still high and social distancing protocols in place, South African consumer behaviour has shifted away from physical stores and into the digital world, with Google statistics indicating that 77% of South African shoppers say the pandemic has affected how they will shop for the holidays and 51% deciding to avoid retail stores on Black Friday this year. Today, consumers are Phygital (Physical + Digital = Phygital) as they purchase goods and…
FinChatBot, a creator of conversational AI solutions for the financial services industry, has attracted $1.6 million (R25 million) in investments. The investment was led by Saviu Ventures, a French investment holding company which focuses on African startups; Mauritius-based Compass Venture Capital and leading South African venture capital firm Kalon Venture Partners. Both Compass Venture Capital and Kalon Venture Established in 2016, FinChatBot’s solutions have become key conversation and customer service channels for most financial service providers in South Africa. It now services 20+ top-tier financial service providers including banks and insurers, helping to sell and service financial products with no…
There are significant business opportunities in the mobile broadband space in building an ecosystem of affordable mobile devices to support user migration to 4G and 5G cellular network technology. This was the message emerging from the 5th Huawei Africa Mobile Broadband Salon taking place at the online Africacom Africa Tech Festival from 9-12 November. Delegates heard that the ICT industry had never been more important to society, and that it was now at the forefront of social development and restoring economies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Connectivity is the foundation for digital transformation,” said Salon facilitator Mohamed Madkour, vice president,…
Five winning bidders have been announced for the controversial National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) tender to supply laptops to students. The five shortlisted bidders are Pinnacle, CEOS Technologies, MLO Distinctive Solutions, ANG Group and East Side Group. The winning bidder will be responsible for procuring 730 000 laptops to benefit 430 000 students in 26 universities and 300 000 students in 50 TVET colleges across the country. The tender has been cancelled twice due to corruption allegations. “The review of the end to end procurement process was performed by NSFAS external legal attorneys,” NSFAS said in a statement. “The…
Sun Exchange, South African renewable energy start-up, today announced its expansion into sub-Saharan Africa with the launch of the crowdsale for a multiphase 1.9 megawatt (MW) solar-plus-storage project for Nhimbe Fresh, one of Zimbabwe’s biggest fruit and tobacco producers. This will be the largest Sun Exchange solar installation to date and the first outside South Africa. The multiphase solar and battery project will power Nhimbe Fresh packhouses, cold store facilities, pump sites, and Churchill Farm. The introduction of continuous, reliable power, at a lower cost than running diesel generators, is forecast to reduce the Nhimbe Fresh facilities’ energy costs by…
Mondia, a Dubai-based tech firm, has announced the launch of its time-based entertainment platform Monsooq in South Africa. Monsooq is a first-of-its kind model where time is the currency and users pay only for the time they spend consuming content. Monsooq does not require contracts or subscriptions. Instead, new visitors to monsooq.com will receive 60 minutes’ worth of free access to content, after which pricing is just R2 per 30 minutes. This unique time-based model allows consumers to buy entertainment time just as they would cellular airtime and use that time to consume any content they choose, including movies, series,…
South Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association is warning the country’s 11 million gamers to minimise their chances of being targeted for vindictive hacking by being respectful online. The global gaming industry has exploded under lockdown when it was already the third most popular entertainment genre in the world after books and gambling. Unfortunately, more people playing games professionally or for leisure online has exposed the ease with which gaming consoles can be hacked, especially by fellow gamers with an axe to grind. Online games are played on PCs, mobile phones and dedicated gaming consoles. When it comes to the latter,…
Showmax has introduced a subscription-free streaming service in South Africa. Showmax Free features a hand-picked content slate that gives customers an opportunity to sample some of Showmax’s award-winning entertainment. At launch, titles on the service include local movies, series and sports shows. Users will be able stream movies and binge-watch the first few episodes of available series for free. Expect early episodes and some full seasons of many of South Africa’s most-loved series, including telenovelas like International Emmy nominee The River; Gomora, recently named Most Popular Soapie at the 2020 Royalty Soapie Awards; record-breaking reality shows like the Showmax Originals…
Telkom and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) today announced a partnership to launch a new streaming channel, TelkomONE. The mobile operator channel will house the public broadcaster’s free-to-air radio and TV channels. The five-year partnership, a first-of-its-kind digital carriage agreement for the SABC, will showcase South Africa’s most-watched TV programmes and most listened to radio platforms, on one online platform. TelkomONE will stream live SABC’s television channels 1, 2, Sport and Education as well as all 19 SABC radio stations. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide South Africans with free access to watch their favourite SABC content,…