tech news
Rain Announces Appointment of New CEO
Image sourced from MyBroadband Rain has announced the appointment of Brandon Leigh as its newest CEO – effective from 1 March 2021. Leigh will be taking over from the telco’s current CEO, Willem Roos, who will move to a non-executive role from 1 March 2021. “Willem joined rain in January 2018 and played a key role in taking rain from a start-up business to an established player in the telecommunications industry in South Africa,” says Paul Harris, Rain chairman. “When Willem joined, we agreed to a three-year tenure, and so it is natural that Brandon, as an original founder, resumes the CEO role. Brandon has been the visionary behind rain and the ideal person to continue growing the business.” Harris adds, “We also have a six-month handover period ensuring a smooth transition.” According to...
Silver Peak SD-WAN Capabilities Facilitate your SASE Journey
There are many acronyms in the world of IT, and SASE – the Secure Access Service Edge – is one of the latest that is gaining traction. It comes from a Gartner report published a year ago, and has been gathering strength ever since. The report is entitled ‘The Future of Network Security is in the Cloud’, and in it, the global research and advisory firm introduces the term to describe the need for the combination of wide-area network (WAN) transformation together with security transformation at the edge, to enable enterprises to realise all the benefits of moving applications and workloads to the cloud. This is according to a recent Silver Peak blog written by Derek Granath, Silver Peak VP of product marketing, who explains that SASE (pronounced ‘sassy’) involves a certain amount of ne...
Vodacom and Rain Partnership Constitutes a Merger, According to Telkom
Telkom has approached the Competition Tribunal to declare the suite of spectrum arrangements between Vodacom and Rain as a merger – something that it believes should have been notifiable in terms of the Competition Act. The Telco says that the merger is notifiable because “the multiple agreements between Vodacom and Rain grant Vodacom use and control over the deployment of Rain’s spectrum, including the planning, rollout, maintenance and service of its radio access network”. According to Telkom’s Group Executive for Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, Siyabonga Mahlangu, Vodacom’s ability to control Rain’s spectrum entrenches its position as a dominant player in a highly concentrated market. “It is important that the effects of spectrum arrangements on competition are scrutin...
Facebook Reveals New Messenger Design
Facebook has revealed a new look for Messenger including a new logo and default chat colour, as well as new chat themes. “We’re also adding features like selfie stickers and vanish mode, which are coming soon,” says the social giant in a blog post. “The new-look reflects a shift to the future of messaging – a more dynamic, fun and integrated way to hang out with your favourite people, on your favourite apps and devices” Facebook Adds New Shopping Tab to App As part of Facebook’s plan to create a place for users to discover businesses and shop for products, it is testing a dedicated shopping tab within the main app. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to online shopping has rapidly accelerated, with an estimated 85% of people worldwide now shopping online,” says the social platfor...
Why Reskilling is Critical in a Post-Pandemic World
The world is changing at a rapid speed as new regulations come into play, customer expectations change, and global competition grows – and that’s without considering how COVID-19 is compelling everyone to use digital technology rather than physical processes when they can. As the pandemic forces organisations to put digital transformation on steroids, it is important that they don’t allow their workforces to fall behind. The silver lining amid the devastation of COVID-19 is a new working model. Yet business leaders are asking their people to show extraordinary levels of resilience and flexibility as we all try to come to grips with the changing environment. People and organisations accustomed to face-to-face interaction and manual processes have needed to master digital tools in double-qui...
Telkom to Launch Local Streaming Platform
Telkom is expected to launch a new streaming platform called TelkomONE in November 2020. The video service will host a variety of local South Africa content including music, education and series. “TelkomONE is a proudly local and South African service and naturally, we want to host and showcase outstanding content by content producers from our very own shores, including filmmakers, videographers, writers and directors on the platform,” says Wanda Mkhize, Executive of Smart Home & Content at Telkom. TelkomONE will be available on Web, App and Streaming Box and comes in daily, weekly and monthly subscription packages over and above a free section with a wide range of TV channels available to customers from most major networks. Mkhize goes on to say that the telco is looking for fresh cre...
Apple Announces iPhone 12 Line, Including Mini and Pro Models
During a pre-recorded launch event on Tuesday, Apple announced the latest additions to their smartphone line, the iPhone 12. In addition to the standard and Pro models, a new Mini version of the popular device was introduced. Some of the biggest upgrades over the previous models come in the iPhone 12’s screen. Apple has transitioned from LCD to OLED (organic light-emitting diode), which ups the brightness and HDR capabilities. They’ve also coated the screen in a “ceramic shield” for the first time, a feature that increases durability (“four times better drop performance”) and water resistance. As per usual with these upgrades, the iPhone 12 is smaller and lighter than previous models without decreasing screen size. The standard version has a 6.1-inch screen, while the Mini model covers 5.4...
Samsung Unveils its ‘Most Affordable’ 5G Smartphone
Samsung has unveiled the new Galaxy A42 5G smartphone – its newest and ‘most affordable’ 5G smartphone. This device is the latest addition to Samsung’s A Series line-up and it includes a Quad Camera, Infinity-U Display, Long Lasting Battery as well as 5G connectivity. “We’re excited to bring to market our latest 5G smartphone within the A-Series line-up. The Galaxy A42 5G delivers premium features and innovation, powered ready for super-fast 5G network connectivity; it is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver next-generation connectivity to more people,” says James Kitto, VP of Sales at Samsung UK and Ireland. Here’s a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G’s key specifications: Display 6.6″ HD+ sAMOLED Infinity-U Display Cameras Rear 48MP AF (F1.8) + 8MP FF (F2.2) + /* custom css */...
Women Closing the Internet Access Gender Gap in Ghana
Almost as many women as men use the internet in Ghana, according to a new survey from the World Wide Web Foundation. The study finds men are only 6% more likely to be online than women. This is in sharp contrast to the large gender gap found globally where men are 21% more likely to be online than women, rising to 52% in the world’s least developed countries. In Uganda, which also featured in the study, men were 43% more likely to be online than women. The survey shows that Ghana has made significant progress towards closing the gender gap in internet access, with 29% of women now online, up from fewer than 20% in 2016, according to a previous report from the Web Foundation and the Media Foundation for West Africa. However, the report warns that women using the internet in Ghana still expe...
Mastercard’s Girls4Tech Programme Reaches 1 Million Milestone
Mastercard has revealed that its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programme, Girls4Tech, has reached its initial goal of educating one million girls. The programme has a new and inspiring ambition to reach five million girls by 2025. The programme, which launched in 2014, offers activities and curriculum built on global science and math standards. Starting as a hands-on, in-person session run by employee volunteers, the programme has expanded into new topics such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. “Our goal is to build foundational STEM knowledge and develop critical 21st-century skills girls need for their studies and career success. Our programme sparks their curiosity in STEM and teaches them real-world applications of those skills,” say...
Xiaomi Introduces 2 New Smartphones in South Africa
Xiaomi has introduced two new smartphones to the South African market – the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9. Here’s a closer look at the latest additions to the Xiaomi Redmi Note series Featuring an impressive quad-camera setup in the rear, the Redmi Note 9 Pro’s 64MP main lens captures crisp, ultra-high resolution images in all lighting conditions while its 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens enables stunning large group images without compromise. A 5MP macro lens and 2MP depth sensor round out the rear camera, letting users take stunning close-up shots with fantastic bokeh. On the front, the device sports a 16MP in-display camera for high-quality selfies. Its new slow-motion selfie mode captures hilarious slow-motion videos. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_1d1.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_1d1...
Liquid Telecoms Appoints New CEO
Liquid Telecom has appointed Deon Geyser as its new CEO – effective 1 January 2021. Geyser holds a master’s degree in engineering management as well as bachelor’s degrees in Electronic Engineering and IT from the University of Johannesburg. Prior to joining LTSA, and in his 18-year career, he has held senior management positions at Siemens and Millicom International Cellular (Tigo). His most recent position being that of Head of Southern Africa and Vodafone Africa for Nokia since 2014. “We are delighted to welcome Deon to Liquid Telecom South Africa,” says Group COO, Ahmad Mokhles. “He is a proven leader and his strong knowledge of both the local market and the continent, extensive management experience in both the public and private sector and the track records in digital transformat...
