tech news
First Digital Helps Clients Deliver Projects Seamlessly during COVID-19
South Africa’s working culture ‘cage’ was well and truly rattled earlier this year when, due to the COVID-19 hard lockdown, companies were faced with little choice but to adapt to remote working… or suffer the consequences. “Suddenly, working from home became the only option to maintain a revenue stream,” explains Niel Steyn, division business owner – innovation at First Technology Digital, South Africa’s preferred partner for digital transformation, software consultancy and management consulting solutions and a First Technology Group company. “One of my favourite figures of speech is ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’, and during the pandemic, finding the silver linings within the chaos and fear was arguably even more critical than during regular day-to-day life.” “Looking at the situation...
Sony Launches the FX6 Full-frame Camera in Africa
Sony Africa has officially introduced the FX6 (model ILME-FX6V) camera, the latest addition to Sony’s Cinema Line. “The new FX6 is the latest example of Sony’s drive to continuously push the boundaries of imaging technology based on the needs of our customers,” says Murat Gebeceli, Head of Digital Imaging at Sony MEA. “With the advancement of our Cinema Line, we are dedicated to enabling the extraordinary skills and talent of today’s content creators and cinematographers. The FX6 leverages technology from Sony’s industry-leading VENICE cinema camera and marries it with the best of Sony’s innovative Alpha mirrorless camera technology.” The new camera features a 10.2 MP full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor that delivers a 15+ stop wide dynamic range with high sensitivity and low n...
Apple Unveils Top 10 Best Apps of 2020
Apple has revealed its ‘Best of 2020’ app chart which ranks its most important apps of the year. According to the tech giant, these apps have proved to be essential for making life easier, healthier, and more connected in 2020. “This year, more than ever before, some of our most creative and connected moments happened in apps. This was thanks to the amazing work of developers who introduced fresh, helpful app experiences throughout the year,” says Apple Fellow, Phil Schiller. “Around the world, we saw remarkable efforts from so many developers, and these Best of 2020 winners are outstanding examples of that innovation. From helping us stay fit and mindful, to keeping our children’s education on track, to helping fight hunger, their impact was meaningful to so many of us.” Here are Apple’s ...
PayFast Records Single R299 950 Purchase on Black Friday
The number of new shoppers introduced to eCommerce over lockdown boosted Black Friday weekend total online transaction volumes by 50%, compared to 2019. This is according to data released by online payment gateway PayFast. The company processed a 283% increase in total payment volumes on Black Friday alone compared to a normal busy day such as payday. “This year’s Black Friday spend surpassed the volumes we’ve seen in previous years. The rapid adoption of eCommerce over the course of 2020 has meant that we’ve seen more people shopping online, especially amid fears of a COVID-19 resurgence,” says Jonathan Smit, Founder of PayFast. The highest transaction for the day was R299 950 and online shoppers spent more per basket at R1 243, compared to the 2020 average basket value of R803. “Alongsid...
EIDO Healthcare to Exhibit at HISA 2020
For nearly 20 years, EIDO Healthcare has been providing resources and support to enrich doctor-patient communication and help health professionals reduce the risk of litigation. Over that time we have developed several products and have others in the pipeline. Our products are designed to support health professionals in both obtaining and recording informed consent from patients. Our products are currently used extensively both internationally, throughout the UK, Australia and Canada and locally in South Africa. In South Africa, our products are used by leading medical aids, hospital groups and specialist surgeons. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d76.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d76.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Healthcare Innovation Summit Africa 2020 Technology is transformi...
Huawei Partners with Zapper to Introduce Huawei Pay
Huawei has joined forces with Zapper to introduce Huawei Pay – its new mobile payment service. “We are proud to launch Huawei Pay in South Africa in partnership with Zapper,” says Likun Zhao, VP at Huawei Consumer Business Group for Southern Africa. Huawei Pay users will be able to add their bank cards to the app and then pay in stores simply by scanning the Zapper QR Payment Code on the bill when they check out. “All local debit and credit cards from all local banks are supported. It’s a simple and convenient payment solution that we know will make the lives of South African consumers easier.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_c54.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_c54.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Brett White, CEO of Zapper, adds, “Huawei is a favourite among a large portion of smar...
Absa Confirms Client Data Breach
Image sourced from Wikiwand Absa bank has confirmed a data breach which exposed the personal information of a number of clients. The FSP has also pinned the leak on one of its employees who “acted unlawfully”. “Absa advises that an employee has unlawfully made selected customer data available to a small number of external parties,” says Absa to MyBroadband. “The leaked data relates to a small portion of Absa South Africa’s customer base to date, although investigations continue.” In an email to clients, the banks says “we regret to notify you that Absa has identified an isolated internal data leak whereby personal information of a limited number of Absa customers was shared with parties external to the bank”. “Unfortunately, some of your personal information formed part of this data w...
TMCEL Joins Forces with Ericsson to Expand its Network in Mozambique
Mahomed Rafique Jusob Mahomed, Chairman of the Board at TMCEL and Todd Ashton, Vice President and Head of Ericsson South and East Africa TMCEL has partnered with Ericsson in a five-year deal which aims to expand and modernize its network and digital services ecosystem in Mozambique. This collaboration will see the telco adopt Ericsson’s Business Support Systems (BSS) and Mobile Money software innovations, features and services. As a result of the agreement, TMCEL can deliver an improved customer experience to its mobile subscribers. The BSS solution will facilitate TMCEL’s shift to customer-centric business operations and digital engagement. Additionally, Ericsson’s Dynamic Activation (EDA) will address all of TMCEL’s service activation needs with a single, flexible platform. The deal also...
MTN Introduces eSIM Support for Apple and Samsung Devices
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN has introduced its newly improved eSIM solution – capable of supporting a number of Apple and Samsung devices. “The digital journey of MTN customers takes another leap forward with the addition of embedded SIM (eSIM) connections on selected smartphones this month and the inclusion of eSIM connections for selected Apple smartwatches from 15 December 2020,” reads a statement from MTN. According to MyBroadband, this product is a “market-first in South Africa, as it allows people to store multiple profiles on a single device, effectively having two or more numbers, and switch between them at ease”. Here is a list of all compatible devices: iPhone XS iPhone XS Max iPhone XR iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone SE 2 iPad 7 iPa...
UK to Restrict Huawei 5G Equipment in 2021
The UK is expected to ban the installation of Huawei’s 5G equipment in September 2021, according to Bloomberg. “The restriction is part of a 250 million-pound ($333 million) package of measures brought in to diversify Britain’s wireless supply chain announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.” “The stricter rules may also help fend off a challenge from lawmakers in the ruling Conservative Party seeking tighter restrictions on the Chinese network equipment maker.” According to the BBC, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden believes this ban would delay the UK’s 5G rollout by a year. “This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the UK telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run,” he added. This de...
Nokia and Airtel Partner to Lay 5G Foundations in Kenya
Sourced from Comms MEA Nokia and Airtel Kenya have joined forces in a three-year deal to modernize Nairobi with high speed 4G and 5G-ready hardware. Deployment, which began in June, will cover hundreds of sites and include upgrading existing 2G, 3G and 4G radio access network (RAN) coverage in urban, semi-urban, highways, tourist spots and central business districts in Nairobi and the rest of Kenya. Nokia’s future-proofed network infrastructure will also offer Airtel Kenya the option to smoothly transition to 5G when necessary. The upgraded network will deliver enhanced connectivity to customers of Airtel Kenya and access to new, high-speed data services. “We are in the midst of rolling out our network to enhance coverage along with modernization of our data network that will help us to de...
Safaricom could Reduce M-Pesa Transaction Fees
Image sourced from TechWeez Safaricom could reduce M-Pesa transaction fees, according to Business Daily who also suggested that the telco is considering this move in an effort to “retain the higher business volumes that followed the imposition of free M-Pesa for deals of up to Sh1,000”. Safaricom CEO, Peter Ndegwa confirmed this, saying “We intend to reduce our transaction costs over time. How quickly we do that is something we want to judge but certainly, we haven’t made a decision yet at this stage.” Kenyan Senators Call for Safaricom to Split Senators in Kenya believe that Safaricom should split into two firms – Mobile Services and M-PESA. According to The Star, a split would see the mobile telephony service is regulated by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) and t...
