tech news
Realising Abundant Connectivity through Open Access Fibre
The concept of open access (OA) business model is here to stay. It provides the most effective way of driving competition between internet service providers (ISPs) while giving customers the freedom of choice at affordable rates. Under an open access model, the fibre network operator (FNO) provides an infrastructure that can be used by any number of licensed ISPs. This creates a clear distinction between the responsibilities of both parties. The roll-out and maintenance of the physical infrastructure, for example, the fibre cables, are the domain of the FNO. The ISPs, in turn, are responsible for the value-added services offered on top of that, i.e. the internet access sold to the customer. It is also why many operators in smaller towns are still clinging to a traditional approach that see...
How Tech Companies have Managed to Stay Relevant during COVID-19
COVID-19 has redefined what we previously deemed as normal in all aspects of our lives. It has thrusted digital transformation to the forefront of the business arena and shown that if you cannot innovate and adapt to this new norm, then the end is imminent. How consumers engage with businesses has also changed dramatically over the last few months, with technology and digital processes being more prevalent than ever. Companies that have been innovative, have made their products and services readily available, and could easily adapt to digital transformation stood a better chance of succeeding. Technology companies are a prime example of this, and they are well positioned to thrive in this new norm. Keeping up with the times The tech companies that continued to thrive throughout the pandemi...
Mobile in Africa Introduces the Best Tech for Every South African
With a wide array of global tech competitors making a name in the South African market, big brands are losing their foothold and market share to younger, more agile and much more affordable brands. High-end, high-price isn’t necessarily what South Africans are after in the current economic climate, so it is the responsibility of tech brands and distributors to be innovative and globally savvy to meet the needs of all South Africans. Mobile in Africa, the official distribution partner of Xiaomi, has made it their mandate to keep up with tech trends and provide a diversity of IoT products catering to every budget. Mobile in Africa’s devotion to bringing top tech and the pinnacle of new, exciting and affordable technology to every South African has seen the addition of more and more impressiv...
MultiChoice South Africa Appoints New CEO
Image sourced from The Vanguard Nigeria MultiChoice Group has appointed Nyiko Shiburi as the new CEO of its South African (MCSA) operations – effective from 1 December 2020. Until now, Shiburi has been the Regional Director of MultiChoice Africa: Southern Region — a role that spans nine countries. “Nyiko is an extremely experienced leader and has successfully navigated the complexity of multiple territories and businesses, working with deeply skilled teams within the organisation as well as a multitude of stakeholders in our ecosystem,” says MultiChoice Group CEO, Calvo Mawela. As the new CEO of MCSA, Shiburi will be expected to further drive the growth and momentum of the South African business. Fhulufhelo Badugela will assume the role of Regional Director of MultiChoice Africa: Sout...
Stripe to Acquire Nigeria’s Paystack
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. Stripe has revealed that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Paystack, a payments collection company based in Lagos, Nigeria. According to an official statement, Paystack works with more than 60,000 businesses in Nigeria and Ghana to securely collect online and offline payments. It also processes more than half of all online transactions in Nigeria and has plans to expand across the continent, having recently started a pilot with businesses in South Africa. Stripe and Paystack have been working closely together for some time. In 2018, Stripe led Paystack’s Series A financing round and has provided ongoing guidance as the company rapidly scaled. “In just five years, Paystack has done what many companies could not achieve in decades. Their tech-firs...
Twitter Suffered Worldwide Outage
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter has reportedly suffered a global outage which lasted about an hour and a half. According to Bloomberg, the social media platform said it saw “no evidence of a security breach or hack, but was investigating internal causes for the problems”. Twitter has been down for many of you and we’re working to get it back up and running for everyone. We had some trouble with our internal systems and don’t have any evidence of a security breach or hack. — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) October 15, 2020 /* custom css */ .tdi_3_818.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_818.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Twitter was said to be looking into an “irregularity” with its APIs, “the technology that lets different software systems interact with e...
MTN Named ‘Most Valuable African Brand’
MTN Group has been named the ‘Most Valuable African Brand’ by Brand Finance Africa. The ranking ascribes a brand value of $3,3 billion to MTN. Brand value is said to be the net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market. In its survey, Brand Finance said that “over the last year, Africa’s largest mobile operator has celebrated solid profits and impressive subscriber growth.” The survey assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the enterprise value of all brands in its survey, compared to their values on 1 January 2020. It categorised the telecoms sector as ‘limited impact’, which it said meant “minimal brand value loss or potential brand value growth”. This was due to the increasingly important role that mobile operators have played in keeping peop...
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro won’t Ship with Earbuds or Wall Chargers
Apple has revealed that its iPhone 12 series will ship without earbuds or wall chargers. This, according to the tech giant, is part of its strategy to reduce climate impact across its entire business. “Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations and, by 2030, plans to have net-zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles,” reads an official blog post. “This means that every Apple device sold, from material collection, component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will be 100% carbon neutral.” Apple goes on to say that the iPhone 12 Pro models were designed with the environment in mind – and for the first time, it’s removing the p...
How Solar Street Lights Bring Positive Change in the Environment
The provision of street lights is a useful public infrastructure that facilitates smooth navigation in the absence of natural light. One way of containing the ill effects of climate change is by switching over to energy-efficient LED solar lights. These absorb solar energy when the sun is out and convert it into usable electrical energy. Doing so repeatedly each day enables a solar street light to shed power during the nights. The light-emitting diode (LED) makes these lamps a practical alternative as they work on minimal current and last longer. As sunlight disappears, the energy conversion process comes to a halt, and the LED lamp relies on its battery for power supply. A viable alternative to traditional street lights is the solar-powered ones as the latter are environment-friendly. By ...
Africa Tech Festival 2020 Speakers Announced
AfricaCom and AfricaTech are anchor events of the new Africa Tech Festival, which will take place – online – from 10-12 November this year. Acknowledged as the world’s largest Africa-focused digital infrastructure and emerging tech event, the Africa Tech Festival has always attracted a stellar line-up of critical thinkers, analysts, futurists, keynote and inspirational speakers. 2020 will more than deliver on that reputation, with a stimulating array of visionary industry presenters, raconteurs and even some sporting greats. The Africa Tech Festival kicks off with an opening keynote address by Abe Wakama, founder and CEO of African Innovator Group, who will chair the keynote sessions on Tuesday 10th November. Below are just some of the more than 200 speakers who will be joining...
Sony could Record PS4 and 5 Users Voice Chats
Sourced from Bloomberg PlayStation users were surprised to discover that Sony’s latest 8.0 update could give the tech company permission to record voice chats – for moderation purposes. Not only did sony break every ps4 due to how bad the update was, they’re even recording us #PS4 pic.twitter.com/006eQznRdf — Mini (@_Minii17) October 14, 2020 According to The Verge, the update’s initial release notes “contained no mention of voice recordings”. But they have since been modified to bring clarity to the situation. “Following this update, users are seeing a notification about Party Safety and that voice chats in parties may be recorded. Voice chat recording for moderation is a feature that will be available on PS5 when it launches and will enable users to record their voice chats on PS5 ...
Uber Launches Medication Delivery Service in South Africa
Sourced from CNet. Uber South Africa and Medicare have partnered to launch an over-the-counter medication delivery service. “We strongly believe in reinventing pharmacy, and thanks to this partnership with Uber Eats this is made possible,” says Tim Knapp, CEO of Medicare. “Getting the medication South Africans need, when they need it, without the risk of leaving their home is just the beginning as we continue to explore how best we can bring access, convenience and reliability in our everyday needs.” According to Uber, the medication available will include both schedule 1 and 2 medicine. And consumers will be required to present their IDs on collection. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_93c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_93c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “Seeing how quickly locals...
