Author: Staff Writer
Jaguar Land Rover is partnering with Tata Technologies, the global engineering, product development and digital services company, to accelerate the digital transformation of Jaguar Land Rover’s industrial strategy. The first phase will include UK core production facilities, with solutions subsequently deployed to other global locations. Tata Technologies will deliver end-to-end integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to transform Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, finance and purchasing modules by bringing data and knowledge from multiple departments into one single source. The intuitive new user interface of Tata Technologies award-winning software will drive stability in operations, improving visibility both between teams…
As online shopping continues to grow in the country, customers are spoilt for choice on how and where they shop. Trends show that many South Africans are increasingly choosing to shop both in-store and online, or often simultaneously, before making a purchase. iVend Retail found 90.8% of South African consumers shop on mobile devices while in a physical store, while a Shopify study reported that 59% of consumers are likely to browse online and buy in-store, and 54% are likely to look at a product in-store and buy online. As online shopping continues to grow in South Africa – with…
PayShap, South Africa’s first low value, interbank, real-time digital payments service, has been launched in the country. It is currently available at four participating banks in South Africa, namely Absa, FNB, Nedbank and Standard Bank with more banks expected to go live in the coming months. “Widely anticipated in the market and global payments community since its journey kicked off in 2017, we are extremely pleased to announce that PayShap is officially live,” says Mpho Sadiki, Head of Real-time Payments at BankservAfrica. With no waiting periods, South African bank account holders can now easily pay and receive money (up to…
Cybersecurity in Africa: The digital landscape is overflowing with an ever-evolving array of solutions and services created to make lives easier, offices smoother and engagements richer. Smartphones, applications, social media, artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and multiple other tools have all become part and parcel of daily life on the African continent, transforming how people connect, collaborate and engage. Unfortunately, they have also opened up cyber windows that let in the attacks and the threats that compromise organisations and individuals. For Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA, it has become critical for organisations to invest in training…
MTN Group announced the appointment of Marcin Waligora, Executive: Software Engineering with effect from 27 March 2023. With more than 20 years of progressive experience, exceptional technical skills, and solid business acumen, Marcin joins MTN Group from Citigroup in Tampa, USA. “As Executive: Software Engineering, Marcin will be responsible for defining, developing and executing our Software Engineering strategic programme to accelerate the PACE of Ambition 2025, and maintaining the long-term growth for delivering the software engineering on front-end customer experience layer systems, partnerships and integration points. He will also help achieve business agility, at scale, impacting a multiplier effect by…
MTN GlobalConnect, a digital wholesale and infrastructure services company and an operating company in the MTN Group, announced today that it has signed $90.8 million or R1.6 billion in fixed external infrastructure deals. MTN GlobalConnect has subsidiaries in five African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia and Kenya). The MTN subsidiary made further progress to drive its fibreco ambitions and continued to scale its fixed connectivity and wholesale mobility services. MTN group announced that MTN Global Connect’s external revenue grew by 19.3% YoY to $344.4 million or R6.2 billion, with mobility revenue up by 19.1%. MTN GlobalConnect is driving MTN’s fibreco…
MTN Group today announced that the loss of power utility Eskom (SA) has cost the local company R695 million in EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) in the 2022 financial year. The company said in South Africa, the extent of persistent power outages (load shedding) worsened in the second quarter, exacerbating the negative impact on network availability and pressures on the business. “We continued to implement our comprehensive network resilience plan to mitigate these impacts,” MTN said in a statement. “Our investment in this regard, which included dealing with vandalism and additional security on sites, put additional pressure…
MTN is making great efforts in shedding off its image as a pure mobile operator, with investments in FinTech, fibre, subsea cables, etc, fast tracking the company’s evolution from a ‘telco to a techno’. MTN today reported a strong 2022 financial performance, including an expansion in return on equity to 23.4% and a 10% increase in the dividend to 330 cents per share, in a challenging macroeconomic environment of elevated inflation across our 19 markets. In the year to 31 December 2022, total subscribers rose 6% to 289 million, with data subscribers growing by more than 12% to 137 million and Mobile Money…
Meta is in the early stages of building a decentralised, standalone dedicated app for people to post text-based updates to rival Elon Musk’s Twitter, reported the Platformer. “We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates,” the company told Platformer exclusively in an email. “We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” Details about the project are scant. The product is still in its earliest stages, sources said, and there is no time frame for it being released. But legal and regulatory teams have already started to…
Clickatell, the Chat Commerce and business messaging firm, has launched their Chat 2 Pay feature for South Africa’s Telkom. Telkom’s millions of customers can now make payments in WhatsApp, the country’s largest chat channel. Responding to the growing demand for fast, digital, self-help services, Telkom now deploys to its customers the Chat 2 Pay pay-by-link capability in WhatsApp, providing them with the convenience of safe and effortless mobile payments. Telkom post-paid and prepaid customers can pay their phone and xDSL/fibre bills, and buy airtime, data and SMS bundles by simply sending “Hi” on WhatsApp to 0811 601 700. Currently, Telkom’s…
Kaspersky experts have discovered cybercriminals launched more than 7 million attacks on children gamers exploiting popular game titles in 2022, a 57% increase compared to 2021. Kaspersky’s latest report The Dark Side of Kids’ Virtual Gaming Worlds explores the risks for young players in online gaming and analyses threats related to the most popular online games for 3-16-year-old children. Phishing pages used by cybercriminals to target young players mostly mimicked global titles including Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Apex Legends games. To reach parents’ devices, cybercriminals purposely create fake game sites evoking children’s interest to follow phishing pages and download malicious…
SAP Africa today released a new report ‘Africa’s Tech Skills Scarcity Revealed‘ which seeks to unveil the specific challenges and opportunities for African organisations seeking greater tech skills availability. Cathy Smith, Managing Director at SAP Africa, says there is an urgent need to invest in skills development and training to ensure Africa can capitalise on its youth dividend. “More than half of the world’s population growth between now and 2050 will take place in Africa, where 1.3-billion people are expected to be born by mid-century. With the correct investment in skills development, Africa’s economy could transition away from its reliance…
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted written questions to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) requesting a detailed breakdown on where $145 million or R2.7 billion received from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has been allocated. In a DFFE portfolio committee meeting where the second quarter performance report was presented, it was revealed that $145 million was raised under the climate change, air quality and sustainable development program. “What remained conspicuous by its absence though was transparency over where this $145 million had been allocated and what mechanisms have been put in place to ensure parliamentary and…
The earning potential available to millions of women mitigates against these barriers and provides them with the opportunity to share in Avon’s success. Beauty brand Avon launches its Global Progress for Women Report, shining a light on women’s lived experiences of equality and choice in the world of work and money. Report highlights inequalities that women believe are holding them back from reaching their full potential. South African women sampled in the survey scored higher on some metrics relating to obstacles that hamper entrepreneurship and access to flexible working opportunities. Over a third of women surveyed believe access to setting…
FinaMaze has announced the appointment of Grant Niven to its Advisory Board, effective February 2023. The ADGM-based innovative digital wealth management firm made the announcement in pursuant to progress in its growth and sustainability, as it continues to provide cutting-edge financial investment services within the Fintech space. Originally from Scotland, UK, Grant has worked in several executive roles over the last 24 years spanning the technology, consulting and financial services industry, in both Europe and the Middle East. Prior to recently founding Mingzulu, a strategy & venture funding advisory, focused on the Financial Sector, (including Fintechs), Grant held a role…
Thousands of young African prospective students will be able to access world-class courses in the most in-demand technology fields offered by a leading technology training provider, ALX. This announcement comes as developed economies face historic talent and labour shortages in key sectors, with players in the digital and tech industries increasingly looking to Africa as an emerging hotspot for skilled digital talent, addressing a global talent shortfall that is predicted to exceed 85 million people by 2030. To help boost this skills revolution, ALX, a division of African Leadership International (ALI), has launched four new and accessible tech programmes for…
Global technology brand HONOR today announced today the open sale of its newly smartphone HONOR X7a in South Africa markets. With a long-lasting battery, expandable storage and upgraded features, users can enjoy a smarter life with an HONOR mobile device. The exceptionally durable HONOR X7a boasts a massive long-lasting 6,000mAh battery, a 50MP Ultra-clear Quad Camera system, large storage with a capacity of 128GB[5] storage, in addition to its astonishing 6.74-inch HONOR FullView Display, providing users all-rounder experience when it comes to performance, photography, display and more at an affordable price point. HONOR X7a is available now at Telkom on 24-month…
Even though things have changed, women still earn much less than men and are underrepresented in the workforce. In fact, just 25% of top management in the public and private sectors are women, according to a South Africa Women in Business Trends report, and according to UASA, South Africa had a median gender pay gap of between 23% and 35%. The reality is, however, that while businesses may talk about inclusion and diversity, their responsibilities do not end there. There has been a global trend of women in managerial positions resigning in the past several months. In the United States,…
The Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (NPC) (“ISPA”) today sounded a word of caution around Fibre Network Operators (FNOs) forcing fibre upgrades on consumers. While upgrades advertising ‘more for the same price’, for example, are indeed good news for most consumers, FNOs shouldn’t assume forced upgrades make sense for everyone. In today’s challenging economic climate, not all consumers want (or need) a faster service. Some consumers would prefer to experience the same speed service they previously enjoyed and to simply pay less for it. Oftentimes, the faster FNO service comes at the cost of margins ISPs operate on. FNOs…
Fast-growing internet service provider (ISP), RocketNet is shaking things up with the appointment of industry heavyweights to take customer service delivery and internet support to the next level. “We have invested heavily into infrastructure and technology over the past few years to bring the best of what the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) industry has to offer. We have a strong team and a positive culture, which has been core to growing our market share. As we expand, we will continue to attract top talent who share our values and are uncompromisingly customer-centric,” says Simon Swanepoel, CEO of RocketNet. RocketNet recently appointed Lee-Roy…
Huawei has convened the 5G Business Success Summit at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC). Peng Song, President of Huawei’s ICT Strategy & Marketing, delivered a keynote speech titled “Diverse Paths to 5G Monetization, Accelerating 5G Business Success”. In his speech, he noted that the achievements made by 5G in its first three years are equivalent to those that 4G made in its first five years, and that leading operators are already celebrating the success of the first round of 5G development, which has instilled a sense of certainty and confidence in the industry. 5G will thus sustain this success…
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023, Huawei for RuralLink — Green, Simplified, and Evolvable Solution for Rural Connectivity took home GLOMO’s ‘Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets’ award from GSMA, proving that Huawei’s continuous innovation in scenario-based coverage solutions for remote areas has been well recognized by the industry. Around 40% of the world’s population still have no access to mobile Internet, and among those, hundreds of millions of people living in very remote areas are not even covered by mobile broadband networks. This has set the stage for Huawei to explore innovations that are able to…
Bob Chen, Vice President of Huawei Enterprise BG mentioned that Huawei’s sales revenue is expected to reach CNY636.9 billion in 2022, and enterprise business has maintained rapid growth. Huawei Enterprise BG is committed to facilitating digital transformation for industries such as finance, government, transportation, and energy. So far, it has developed more than 100 solutions for a wide range of industry scenarios. In the financial industry, Huawei has worked with customers and partners to support financial institutions to build sustainable digital ecosystems. Jason Cao, CEO of Huawei Global Digital Finance, highlighted that mobile and intelligent financial services are more and…
Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), today announces a series of updates to Sage Intacct. From simplifying and automating bill processing to increasing visibility, businesses globally will benefit from smoother processes and increased productivity as part of Sage Intacct 2023 Release 1.“ Sage continues to expand the reach of the Sage Intacct solution – with new innovative capabilities we deliver for our customers and relative to what global regions it is available,” said Dan Miller, EVP Sage Intacct. “Midsize business requires speed and agility, in the finance and accounting workflow…
LightWare LiDAR, a South African-founded global leader in microLiDAR sensor technology, has announced the formal appointment of Nadia Nilsen, current interim CEO, into the position. LightWare develops innovative laser rangefinder products for machine perception applications, giving “eyes to machines” by designing and manufacturing the world’s smallest and lightest precision LiDAR systems for use in drones, robotic machines, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and other applications. “There are very exciting global opportunities that the LightWare team is capitalising on. As pioneers in LiDAR technology, we will continue to set the pace in terms of microLiDAR sensors,” says Nilsen. Nilsen has been with…