IT News
FNB Named South Africa’s Best Digital Bank
Sourced from Htxt.Africa First National Bank (FNB) has been voted as the best digital bank in the 2020 SITEisfaction survey. The bank is said to have “dominated overall customer satisfaction metrics on both the Best Mobile Banking and Best Internet Banking categories”. Conducted for 9 consecutive years, the survey benchmarks Internet banking, app and customer experience against that of competitors as well as against previous years’ performance. “Our consistent approach to digital banking has provided customers with an innovative, contextual and agile banking experience. Our banking processes have evolved into one that can operate through challenging market conditions with changing consumer perceptions, sentiment and dynamics. Through this we have delivered platforms that have been pivotal ...
Mobile Data Traffic in Africa to Grow 12 Times by 2025
Sourced from Getty Images. Mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to grow by 12 times the current figures with total traffic increasing from 0.33 Exabytes (EB) per month to 4EB by 2025. At the same time, average traffic per individual smartphone is expected to reach 7.1GB over this period 5-year period as well. In Sub-Saharan Africa, LTE accounted for around 11% of subscriptions in 2019. Over the forecast period, mobile broadband subscriptions are predicted to have a massive increase, reaching 72% of mobile subscriptions. LTE share will reach around 30% by the end of the forecast period, and LTE subscriptions are set to triple, increasing from 90 million in 2019 to 270 million in 2025. In terms of 5G penetration, discernable volumes of subscriptions are expected by 2022, ex...
Facebook Commits to African SMBs Through Virtual Programmes
Sourced from Dialogue Pakistan Facebook has announced that all its Economic Impact Programmes are officially available, and will be offered virtually, in an attempt to equip small African businesses with digital marketing skills to help them stay open, connect with and acquire new customers to survive challenges presented by Coronavirus. Facebook’s Economic Impact Programmes include: Boost with Facebook – currently implemented in 11 African countries, targeting over 41,000 small businesses. SheMeansBusiness – available in Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal reaching 7,500 participants. Digify Pro – offered in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa with 230 participants. Aspiring Entrepreneurs Programme – which works with 360 participants in Nigeria. These programmes will include 90 minute long...
Segway to Stop Production of its Iconic Two-Wheeled Scooter
Sourced from Tech Spot. Known as the Segway Human Transporter, these two-wheeled personal electrical scooters were once thought to be a world-changing innovation. Tech luminary Steve Jobs once thought the scooter would be as big of a deal as the PC. Unfortunately, the self-balancing scooter never really gained the traction that was expected after its 2001 launch. The electric-powered scooter relied on a series of tilt and gyroscopic sensors to maintain its balance as riders zipped along at a top speed of up to 16 km per hour. Now, Fast Company on Tuesday reported that the brand’s current owner is retiring the Segway personal transporter line as we know it. Manufacturing at its plant in Bedford, New Hampshire, will cease on July 15, the publication says. With the cease of manufacture, a tot...
Unique Health Platform Could Benefit 800 Million Mobile Subscribers in Africa
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. “With this platform, we have the possibility of reaching between 600 million and 800 million mobile subscribers in Africa,” says Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), during the virtual launch of the Africa Communication and Information Platform for Health and Economic Action (ACIP) on 23 June 2020. ACIP is a mobile-based tool for two-way information and communication between citizens and governments. It furnishes national and regional COVID task forces with user-generated survey data and actionable health and economic insights that will enable authorities to better analyze pandemic-related problems and implement appropriate responses. Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC says the platform offers a “unique opp...
MTN to Launch its 5G Network Next Week
Sourced from Business Tech MTN South Africa will finally launch its 5G network next week, 30 June 2020, becoming the first of the telecommunications group’s 22 operations to launch the next-generation broadband technology. The pan-African telecom is hosting a live event on its YouTube channel that same day. The event will be hosted by CEO Godfrey Motsa, chief consumer officer Mapula Bodibe and chief technology & information officer Giovanni Chiarelli. [embedded content] At the beginning of the month, MTN began announcing that it would launch 5G networks in major cities across South Africa. The exact locations for these launches have been confidential. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_3b3.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_3b3.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Initially, MTN had been ...
4 Things You Can Do To Make Your Smartphone Last Longer
Sourced from Cnet.com The last few months haven’t been an easy ride – from juggling new work-from-home routines and adopting stricter hygiene practices to balancing budgets. And while it might be months until things start becoming normal – one thing is for sure though, in these uncertain times, money is tight. So if you don’t want to buy a new smartphone in too much of a hurry, there are a few simple ways that you can prolong its lifespan. Here are four tips to make your phone last longer: 1. Get a good phone case and screen protector All it takes to bring a smartphone to an untimely end is a direct impact to the touchscreen from a fall from a metre or two above the ground. Even if it’s possible to fix the screen, it will usually be expensive to do it. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_eae.td-a-rec-...
Why Data Management Needs to be a Priority as Cybercrime Explodes
Working from home has become the new normal, and everyone is online, possibly with less secure connections than required. There has also been a huge uptake of cloud-based services in order to support a mobile workforce. This means that digital transformation has seen rapid growth, but it also means that many (possibly distracted) people are now highly attractive targets for cybercriminals. New vulnerabilities mean new loopholes for these criminals to exploit exposed businesses, and the result has been a dramatic increase in cybercrime. As a result, data management is required to curb these increasing threats. Lack of awareness means easy pickings With the need for businesses to rapidly move to a mobile workforce, cloud services are the first port of call. However, the urgency with which th...
Former Google Exec Takes on CMO Role at Genesys
Contact centre solutions company, Genesys has appointed former Google and Microsoft marketing executive, Joyce Kim, as chief marketing officer (CMO). As CMO, Genesys says that Kim oversees worldwide marketing for the company and will report directly to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tony Bates. It’s said that she will play a pivotal role in elevating the company as the undisputed leader in personalized customer experience. Kim is to drive the overall marketing strategy and position the company for further growth by building on its market momentum as well as expanding its partner and developer ecosystem. She brings more than two decades of technology sector experience to Genesys, with expertise in data-driven digital marketing and executing go-to-market strategies for software solutions leve...
Microsoft Teams Now Available for Personal Use
Sourced from Tech Republic. Microsoft has launched the personal version of Microsoft Teams, as a part of a broader effort by Microsoft to remain relevant with its consumers after a series of moves away from consumer-friendly products. The company is adding new features to the existing Microsoft Teams app that might appeal to a set of people looking to do more than just chat. The Verge writes that this is not meant to be a way to begin to compete with the likes of WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, but simply a repositioning of Teams as more friendly to individuals and their families, and not just meant for corporations or businesses. Sourced from The Verge. Launched initially as a preview for iOS and Android, Microsoft Teams for personal use includes the basics of text chat and video calling,...
Vodacom Business and Microsoft Partner on Digital Education Platform
Vodacom Business and Microsoft South Africa have partnered to provide access to continuous, connected digital learning for South Africa’s education institutions, educators and learners through their Connected Digital Education initiative. This is in response to the growing need for affordable online learning solutions that meet the educational requirements of today’s learners through a secure combination of connectivity, collaboration, communication and educational tools and resources, while also considering the long-term need to transform education. The Connected Digital Education Platform is a trusted education platform that enables remote learning with affordable connectivity, ultimately turning the learning environment into a single, simple solution for the learner and giving them acce...
5 Steps to Protect Yourself and Employees from Android-Based Cyber Threats
Sourced from International IDEA While nearly 9 in 10 companies not only allow but actually rely on their employees to access critical business apps using their personal devices, according to a recent Fortinet Threat Landscape Report, Android-based malware now represents 14% of all cyber threats. In addition to direct attacks, the number of compromised web sites, email phishing campaigns, and malicious access points continue to grow exponentially, infecting unsuspecting users – regardless of their devices –with spyware, malware, compromised applications, and even ransomware. And whenever a personal device of any of your employees becomes compromised, they can represent an increased risk to your organisation as well. In addition to deploying mobile device management software a...
