tech news
Telkom Offers Free Data to New Subscribers in Kenya
Telkom Kenya will give new Telkom Line subscribers 1.5 GB of data over three months. The telco says that prepaid customers simply need to activate their SIM with a KES 20 top-up. According to TechWeez, customers will also benefit from cross-network calls at KES 2 valid for the first three months. “We welcome new subscribers to the Telkom family, to experience our voice and data propositions at an introductory offer, before they make an informed decision of their long-term bundle of choice,” says Telkom’s Director of Marketing, Eric Achola. Airtel Africa and Telkom Under Investigation by the Communications Authority of Kenya Airtel Africa and Telkom have been placed under scrutiny after allegedly violating the quality of services across their networks. According to Gadgets Africa, The ...
Scammers are Selling Fake COVID-19 Vaccines for up to $1,200
Underground scammers are selling fake COVID-19 vaccines. The majority of sellers originated in France, Germany, the UK, and the USA, and the prices per dose range from $250 to $1,200, with an average cost of about $500. Scammers and buyers usually get in contact via encrypted messaging apps like Wickr and Telegram, while payments are requested in the form of cryptocurrency, primarily Bitcoin. The majority of these underground sellers have made between 100-500 transactions. With the information available to Kaspersky experts, it’s impossible to tell how many doses of the vaccine being advertised online are actual doses (many medical facilities have found themselves with leftover doses) and how many advertisements are a scam. “You can find just about anything on the Darknet, so it’s not surp...
In the Eye of the Storm: New Record is Set by Ten Million DDoS Attacks in One Year
Not all record-breaking numbers are feats or achievements towards which we all aspire. For example, in 2006, American teenager Matt Suter was destined to become the holder of the record for the ‘farthest distance thrown by a tornado and survived’, when he was flung, in an unconscious state, for a distance of almost 400 metres (398.37 metres) by an F2 tornado (meaning wind speeds of 181 to 253 kilometres per hour), yet later regained consciousness almost without a scratch. “We’ve recently had a very thought-provoking record-breaking number released for 2020 in the cybersecurity arena, and it’s not pretty,” says Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited. “Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have crossed the 10 million mark dur...
Telkom Announces New ‘Closer Calling’ Plans
Telkom has introduced new closer calling plans for customers looking to ‘get more value for their money. The telco says that, starting in March 2021, copper landline customers will be able to align their calling plans to its SmartVoice plans. The new Closer Calling plans are available to new and existing customers and can be provisioned on Copper, Fibre and as a bolt-on to IPVoice (Internet Protocol Voice); replacing the stand-alone fixed-line as well as the old Closer Calling plans known as Weekend and Evening, Anytime, Anytime Extra, Anytime Plus and Unlimited Fixed Line. New Telkom Closer Calling plans: Closer Basic @ R199 Closer 100 @ R299 Closer 300 @ R399 Closer Unlimited @ R599 Closer Basic Bolt-on @ R40 Closer 100 Bolt-on @ R70 Closer 300 Bolt-on @ R130 Closer Unlimited Bolt-on @ R...
Microsoft to Enable End-to-End Encryption for Teams
Microsoft is set to enable end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Teams by the first half of this year. Jared Spataro, Corporate VP for Microsoft 365, says that this will address users’ security and compliance requirements. “Teams will support E2EE for one-to-one Microsoft Teams calls, providing an additional option for conducting sensitive online conversations.” He goes on to say that IT will have full discretion over who can use E2EE in the organization. E2EE for Microsoft Teams one-to-one ad hoc VoIP calls will be available to commercial customers. Microsoft Word to Introduce New Text Predictions Feature Microsoft is set to introduce text predictions for Word. This new feature is expected to help users write “more efficiently” by reducing spelling and grammar errors. /* custom css *...
WeThinkCode Expands Footprint in South Africa
Image sourced from WeThinkCode WeThinkCode is planning to expand its footprint across South Africa with the launch of a new campus in Durban. This is expected to give more South Africans the opportunity to join the digital world and help build the country’s technology skills capability. “We know that South Africa has a vast pool of untapped talent with the aptitude to be trained in technology. At the same time, our youth unemployment is among the highest in the world,” says WeThinkCode’s CEO, Nyari Samushonga. “Like any successful business, WeThinkCode is evolving and continually improving its operating model and this includes making our programmes accessible to more people. Geography plays an important role here as many candidates are unable to access our existing campuses. Hence ou...
Kaspersky Updates VPN Solution for Mac’s
Image sourced from Kaspersky Kaspersky has released its VPN Secure Connection to run natively on Macs powered by M1. This comes at a time when the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has significantly grown due to an increase in remote working. Understanding the need for privacy when exploring the web, Kaspersky says it is constantly updating its solutions to work smoothly with the most innovative platforms, by developing native support for the newest hardware. Apple’s powerful M1 system on chip (SoC) delivers improved performance and efficiency to Mac users. And with the VPN Secure Connection, users can enjoy best-in-class speed while transferring data over a secure VPN tunnel, keeping their online activity private, and hiding their IP address and location. They can conn...
Nigeria has the Least Affordable Internet, Global Report Shows
Nigeria has the least affordable internet in the world, according to the Digital Quality of Life Index by Surfshark which takes in to account the quality of digital wellbeing in 85 countries (essentially 81% of the global population). In Nigeria, people have to work for 27 minutes 55 seconds to afford 1GB of mobile internet while the global average is 10 minutes. To pay for the cheapest broadband Internet, Nigerians have to work for 33 hours 42 minutes. The overall affordability is measured by combining the affordability of the cheapest mobile and broadband plans available in Nigeria. And essentially, people in 75% of the researched countries have to work more than the global average to afford the Internet. “Any country’s digital advancement has a tangible relation to its economic pot...
How to Avoid Bitcoin Scams in South Africa
The bitcoin price surge in these recent months has drawn the interest of investors from different spheres. People want to buy bitcoin and quickly make money off it, which has left many people vulnerable to Ponzi schemes, quick money schemes, and other forms of scams. The hype around bitcoin has given most people the impression of a quick and easy return on their investments. The hype has caused an increase in its adoption, as well as an increase in scams and frauds by people who capitalize on that perception to steal other people’s money. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies being decentralized currencies are seen as the future of currency. It is created, stored, and distributed using blockchain which is a decentralized ledger, so unlike fiat currency, it is not regulated by the government. ...
Citrix Acquires SaaS Work Management Solutions Company, Wrike
Image sourced from The Business Journals Citrix has officially completed its acquisition of Wrike – a SaaS collaborative work management solutions company – for approximately $2.25 billion. Through the acquisition, Citrix is expected to deliver a comprehensive cloud-based work platform where employees and teams can securely access, collaborate and execute all work types in the “most efficient and effective way possible”. Delivering the Future of Work “For more than three decades, Citrix has been a leader in providing digital workspace infrastructure that empowers IT organizations to securely deliver the apps, content and business services employees need to do their jobs,” says David Henshall, President and CEO of Citrix. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_335.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.t...
Apple Expected to Unveil a Foldable iPhone
Image sourced from 9to5Mac Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo believes the tech company could launch its first foldable iPhone by 2023, but only if it can “solve the foldable mobile device’s key technology”. The iPhone is expected to be between 7.5-8-inches when unfolded, making it larger than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. According to 9to5Mac, a foldable form factor will be “the most radical change to the iPhone since the introduction of the iPhone X — when the company redesigned the entire phone with an edge-to-edge display without a Home button”. Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser believes “the foldable iPhone could cost less than rival offerings from the competition”. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_155.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_155.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } [embedded content] Apple s...
How to Go Live with 3 People on Instagram
Image sourced from Time Instagram has introduced Live Rooms, a new feature that gives users the ability to go live with up to three people. “Previously, you could go live with only one other person in a stream, but we’re now letting you “double-up” on your live broadcast,” says the social platform in a statement. Facebook-owned Instagram hopes that Live Room’s will open up more creative opportunities for users – for instance, start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists, host more engaging Q&As or tutorials, or just hang out. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_dd6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_dd6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Live Rooms also gives creators even more ways to build a business and earn money. “With Live Rooms, viewers can buy badges for ...
