tech news
How Mobile Technology could Provide Food Security for Rural African Communities
Climate change combined with unsustainable farming practices has exhausted African soil — leaving much of the ground unfarmable. In the future, a major reduction in crop yield and productivity is likely to be seen as a consequence of the extreme weather conditions and unviable farming techniques. In fact, the production of maize could decrease by as much as 10%, even if no climate adaptation actions are taken. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_560.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_560.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } According to the African Development Bank (ADB), this is not only unsustainable but unaffordable as the continent spends close to $65 billion importing food — a number that is expected to grow exponentially within the next decade. In addition to the growing lack...
Telkom Introduces New Data-Inclusive Prepaid Plan
Image sourced from Bandwidth Blog Telkom South Africa has introduced a new tariff plan – Thola More – that will include data and extra SMS and calling benefits upon recharging. The telco revealed that this new plan will replace its voice-focused offering – SIM Sonke. Telkom Thola More is a prepaid tariff plan that offers prepaid customers additional free benefits including data, SMSs and Telkom-to-Telkom voice call minutes when they recharge their account with R5 airtime or more. The benefits apply to new and existing customers who migrate to the tariff plan. “Essentially, customers be will rewarded with free all-network data, on-net minutes and SMSs as specified in the product offer, every time they recharge with R5 or more,” explains Andrew Dawson, Executive of Mobile Products and S...
Free Healthcare Webinar: Patient Journey and the Digital Twins
Delivering high-quality care for patients starts by connecting data from admissions to discharge. By transforming live data into actionable metrics, the healthcare sector can make more insightful decisions to streamline and digitise workflow throughout the patient journey. On 14 April 2021, Zebra — a leading healthcare technology solutions provider — will introduce MotionWorks™ Healthcare and virtually demonstrate how to streamline workflows and significantly reduce costs in healthcare facilities as well as identify patterns to enable intelligent predictions. Under the theme “Patient Journey and the Digital Twins” this free and innovative webinar will empower the healthcare sector with technology solutions that enable them to instantly connect, collaborate and communicate with colle...
Telkom South Africa Awarded Mobile Communication Services Contract by National Treasury
Telkom has been appointed as one of the official service providers, under the RT15-2021 Transversal contract, to provide government institutions with Mobile Communication Services for the period commencing 1 April 2021 and ending 31 March 2026. The Transversal Contract RT15-2021 is a 5-year tender that offers the successful mobile service providers the opportunity to service the South African government with all its mobile and enterprise solutions including hardware and software as well as accessories. “We couldn’t be prouder to be selected as a worthy partner by the National Treasury to back our country by being its enabler in excellent and secure communications and empower the National Treasury in fulfilling its social and economic duties efficiently; all the while also contributing to t...
Huawei Mate40 Pro Officially Launches in South Africa
Huawei’s newest flagship smartphone – the Mate40 Pro – is officially available in South Africa. The device incorporates Kirin 9000, the world’s first 5nm 5G SoC; Ultra Vision Cine Camera technology and user-friendly AI. The Mate40 Pro comes with the Huawei 88° Horizon Display, an ultra-curved display featuring an 88-degree arc. The practically invisible edges allow for a wider perspective that lends itself to a more immersive visual experience. The streamlined display fills the frontal view of the device, and extends beyond the edges, sitting flush with the mid-frame to produce a more comfortable hold. The smartphone sports the highly advanced 5nm Kirin 9000 flagship SoC, which packs more than 15.3 billion transistors. The cutting edge 5nm Kirin 9000 is manufactured with one of the industr...
5 Things to Do After a Ransomware Attack
In South Africa, 42% of ransomware victims pay the ransom to restore access to their data. Yet for 19% of those, paying the ransom did not guarantee the return of stolen data. However, as public awareness of potential cyber threats grows there is the reason for optimism in the fight against ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware which criminals use to extort money. It holds data to ransom using encryption or by locking users out of their device. According to a report from Kaspersky, whether they paid or not, only 24% of victims were able to restore all their encrypted or blocked files following an attack. 61% lost at least some files, 32% lost a significant amount, and 29% lost a small number of files. Meanwhile, 11% who did experience such an incident lost almost all their data. “Thi...
NuovoPay Partners with Angaza to Drive Smartphone Accessibility
NuovoPay, a solution pioneering in de-risking device financing for OEMs, telecom carriers and device financing institutions has now joined hands with Angaza, a leading provider of software technology designed specifically for last-mile distribution businesses. Growing Demand for Smartphones The global market for affordable smartphones is steadily expanding, with Africa observing a large spike in demand for smartphone devices in late 2020. Nearly 22.9 million smartphones shipped to Africa in Q3 2020 alone despite COVID-19 restrictions, according to research from Global Market Intelligence firm, IDC. The demand for affordable technology in Africa, most notably for smartphones, is colossal and can be largely attributed to growing e-learning needs. Smartphone technology is known to provi...
MTN MoMo Extends Partnership with Pick n Pay South Africa
MTN MoMo (Mobile Money) has revealed that its South African subscribers will now be able to cash-in and cash-out at Pick n Pay stores across the country, offering consumers a secure and cost-effective means of transacting that also alleviates the risks of managing cash. “We’re pleased to extend our relationship with Pick n Pay by offering quick and convenient cash-in and cash-out services to our 2,8 million MoMo subscribers through Pick n Pay stores,” says Felix Kamenga, Chief Officer of Mobile Financial Services at MTN SA. “Until now, MoMo customers have only able to cash-out through bank EFTs, at an MTN store or via a MoMo agent. Adding Pick n Pay to our offering will create greater convenience and accessibility for our customers – many of whom need to factor transport ...
South African National Treasury Awards Vodacom New Mobile Services Contract
The South African National Treasury has awarded Vodacom with a new mobile communication services contract. “Truly, we are excited to continue our partnership with government for another five years and we will deliver to accelerate its digitalisation programme through the new RT15-2021 transversal contract,” says Chief Officer for Vodacom Business, William Mzimba. “Through the previous contract, we successfully delivered significant financial benefits in costs savings, expedited and streamlined procurement of services and ushered unprecedented digitalisation of government departments, agencies, State-Owned Entities and municipalities” The RT15 served as a platform for Vodacom Business to support government and amplify their productivity while increasing efficiency. To achieve the expec...
Cell C Appointed as Preferred Service Provider to South African Government
Image sourced from Town Press Cell C has been appointed as one of the preferred service providers to the South African Government for the delivery of mobile communication services. This is for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026. The mobile communication services contract is known as RT15-2021 and was previously held exclusively by Vodacom for a five-year period. “This award marks a significant milestone for Cell C and is testament to our understanding of the needs of government and tailoring innovative solutions that matter to them, with extra value,” says Douglas Craigie Stevenson, CEO of Cell C. “It reflects the confidence in our brand and the tenacity of the company. I’m extremely proud of the effort our team put into Cell C’s proposal.” In awarding the tender the National Treasur...
LinkedIn is Testing ‘Social Audio Experience’ to Rival Clubhouse
Image sourced from Search Engine Journal LinkedIn is testing a ‘social audio experience’, according to TechCrunch. This feature would allow app users to “connect with their community” across its network. Different to Clubhouse or other rivals being built by Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn believes its audio networking feature will connect with users’ professional identity, “not just a social profile”. “We’re seeing nearly 50% growth in conversations on LinkedIn reflected in stories, video shares, and posts on the platform,” says LinkedIn Spokesperson, Suzi Owens. “We’re doing some early tests to create a unique audio experience connected to your professional identity. And, we’re looking at how we can bring audio to other parts of LinkedIn such as events and groups, to give our members ...
MTN South Africa Appointed as Mobile Provider to Government
MTN South Africa has been appointed by the National Treasury as the new mobile provider to the Government. The contract allows for all entities of state to “utilise the contract for mobile communication services, which will further assist with cost containment”. The scale of the government’s requirements is expected to allow MTN to develop systems, innovative pricing and products that will not add value to South Africa and also significantly improve on existing mobile telecommunications service delivery. “We are both humbled and honoured by the faith National Treasury has shown in MTN with this critical partnership over a five-year term. A huge team at MTN spent months analysing the state’s requirements and then developing the very best solutions to not only meet those expectations, but to...
