tech news
Safaricom makes Changes to Executive Team
Safaricom has announced a number of changes to its executive team which includes the merge of its information technology and network departments. According to a memo sent to staff by Peter Ndegwa, the telco’s current CEO, Morten Bangsgaard will head the new department. Bangsgaard’s appointment takes effect on January 1, 2021. He has more than 26 years of experience in various technology roles in the telecommunications industry, reports Business Daily. Rita Okuthe will leave her position as Safaricom’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer at the end of November 2020 – the company has not yet named her successor. Safaricom Appoints New Board Chairman Safaricom has appointed Michael Joseph (the telco’s former CEO) as new board chairman, he succeeds Nicholas Ng’ang’a who has ret...
Insult added to Injury as DDoS Extortion Attacker Impersonates well-known Threat Actors
Extortion and robbery while wearing a disguise are not new crimes in human history, but a threat actor has recently taken this into the online arena on the global stage, using distributed denial of service (DDoS) as the weapon, while pretending to be someone else. This is as reported in a recent threat advisory released by NETSCOUT’s ASERT division (ATLAS Security Engineering & Response Team), which is tasked with providing threat intelligence trends and research. Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited Africa, says, “We have seen DDoS ransom attacks before – for example in October last year, South African banks were hit by a wave of ransom-driven DDoS attacks, as were other targets in other countries around the same time. However, with...
Pick n Pay Launches South Africa’s Newest MVNO
Pick n Pay has officially launched PnP Mobile – South Africa’s newest Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). The service will use MTN’s mobile network infrastructure to offer customers prepaid, SIM-based access to services including airtime, data, and SMS. Smart Shoppers will earn data rewards in addition to loyalty points when shopping at any Pick n Pay store countrywide – including Express, Clothing and Liquor stores. They will also be able to earn up to 2.5GB in free data rewards each month. For every R10 spent in-store, customers will instantly earn 5MB in data. To qualify for this reward, customers will need to link their Smart Shopper card and top up their PnP Mobile SIM card with at least R50 over a 30-day period. Customers will be able to register their new SIM c...
Sony Launches New Soundbar to the African Market
Sony has introduced its newest soundbar – the HT-G700 – to the African market. The HT-G700 is a 3.1ch Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbar that couples immersive cinematic surround sound with clear dialogue. It includes Immersive Audio Enhancement, meaning that it provides an upgraded surround experience- seamlessly enveloping listeners with up to 7.1.2 channel surround sound. The soundbar has three front speakers, combined with Sony’s signal processing, which enables sound placements that can envelop listeners in all directions. This new signal processing is also advanced to deliver surround sound to a wider area. Furthermore, the finely tuned S-Force PRO for HT-G700 uplifts sound to fit a wider TV screen height (over 55 inch). Plus, by selecting the Immersive AE (Audio Enhancement)...
Liquid Telecom Joins Forces with Zayo to Expand Network Coverage
Liquid Telecoms has partnered with Zayo, a global communications infrastructure provider. The companies are expected to expand network operations in North America and Europe in addition to their African operations. “We have long been committed to building Africa’s digital future, and know that for African companies to be competitive, they have to be a part of the global digital economy. This strategic partnership will assist many of our African customers who are looking to extend into operations beyond Africa, as well as those customers who already have operations in Europe and the US,” says Liquid Telecom’s Group CEO, Nic Rudnick. This partnership will see both companies adding value for their customers by utilising each other’s network reach. It will also al...
Infobip to Acquire OpenMarket in $300 Million Deal
Infobip has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Amdocs to acquire OpenMarket – a mobile messaging solutions company – in a deal worth approximately $300 million. The transaction is expected to close following regulatory approvals. Infobip has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OpenMarket in a deal worth approximately $300 million.Click To Tweet According to Infobip, this acquisition brings together complementary regional footprints, merging OpenMarket’s scale in the US with Infobip’s strengths outside the US to process “more than 14 billion monthly customer interactions across the full range of communication channels, in more than 190 countries around the globe”. “This transaction marks a significant leap ...
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X could Face Supply Shortage
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X could be in short supply over the next few months – according to Xbox CFO, Tim Stuart. He believes that “we’ll continue to see supply shortages as we head into the post-holiday quarter, so Microsoft’s Q3, calendar Q1”. “We’re gonna have more demand than we do supply, and I’ll apologize in advance to people for that,” says Xbox Cheif, Phil Spencer. “I think we’re gonna live in that world for a few months that we’re going to have a lot more demand than we do supply.” This comes just after Microsoft announced that it’s local South African distributors could receive their Series X stock later than expected. “Due to some unforeseen logistical challenges, some stores in South Africa may receive their stock of the Series X | S on day of launch or possib...
How COVID-19 is Driving eCommerce in South Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a serious toll on shopper behaviour, not only from a decline in spending but also in how they shop. With social distancing restrictions, a possible second wave of infections, and adaptations to new lifestyles, the crisis is driving more traffic to South African eCommerce merchants than before. Recently, the GetApp SA Customer Experience Survey asked South Africans how the pandemic is changing the way they shop – here’s what they had to say: How has shopper behaviour changed during lockdown? During the various levels of lockdown, there have been varying degrees of social and merchandise restrictions as well as depreciating disposable income. Many people can’t shop as they did before and this has led to 42% of people saying that they have spent les...
WhatsApp is Working on “Read Later” Feature
WhatsApp is working on an “Archived Chats” replacement – called “Read Later”, reports WABetaInfo. Image sourced from WABetaInfo This new feature is expected to include improved “Archived Chats” functionality through “Vacation Mode” which will keep chats archived even when new messages are received. WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out Disappearing Message Feature WhatsApp has begun rolling out its new disappearing message feature, according to WABetaInfo. The feature is expected to allow users to send messages that disappear after a predetermined amount of time – this will also include media, like images and videos. Once activated, this feature won’t affect messages sent prior to the roll-out and users can turn disappearing messages on or off at any time in...
HBO Max Is Finally Available on Amazon Fire
After a confusing product launch, HBO Max is settling in as one of the premier platforms to come out of the streaming wars. The jewel of WarnerMedia’s crown still has a couple of I’s to dot and T’s to cross, but it’s quite a bit closer now that HBO Max… Please click the link below to read the full article. HBO Max Is Finally Available on Amazon Fire Wren Graves You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
FNB Expects 10% eCommerce Transaction Boost on Black Friday
FNB says that it is expecting a 10% increase in the total number of eCommerce transactions over Black Friday and Cyber Monday – as many consumers who participate in Black Friday may opt to shop online instead of going into brick and mortar stores. This is comparable to 2019 where Black Friday weekend transaction volumes on FNB POS (Point of Sale) devices grew by 32% compared to 2018, while eCommerce transactions grew over 30%. FNB also says that its merchants have also upped their game by investing in their platforms to ensure a seamless sales experience, regardless of the types of devices used by consumers when shopping. One such example is increased support for QR Code payments, where the customer opts to checkout through simply scanning the presented QR Code to pay. FNB Virtual Cr...
Mukuru Expands Reach in Southern Africa
Mukuru is expanding its footprint across Southern Africa. This comes after the remittance provider announced it has seen a 20-fold increase in monthly transactions within Zimbabwe. “As we grow our physical footprint in Southern Africa and bring our services to more people by way of booths and an entrepreneurial agent network, this growth is being complemented by the progressive digitisation of key steps in the Mukuru payments process,” says Andy Jury, CEO of Mukuru. “With more and more digital access points over USSD, WhatsApp and the Mukuru App, for instance, customers are becoming increasingly comfortable with things like self-sign up, including digital KYC and onboarding, which is not only raising our brand presence, but is shifting customers that much closer to financial inclusion and ...
