tech news
Plumbing and IOT in South Africa
Officially, South Africa is a country with a water-scarce rating. This is not a surprise for anyone that lives in Cape Town. Drought conditions have been endured for a long time, moving the city towards countless moments when water is simply not available. Farmers often struggle because of water scarcity and low yield. Water stands out as a finite resource. It now finally gets attention at a global state. The UN has numerous sustainability goals and water is on the top of the list. Unfortunately, often leaks appeared and countless water pipe breakages impacted water levels and water supply. According to fixitrightplumbing.com.au, numerous preventable leaks weaken infrastructures and the real problem is that sustainability is very low. In the entire plumbing industry, we see spe...
LCA could Retract Vodacom’s Operating Licence
Vodacom has revealed that the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) could revoke its license to operate in the country. According to TechCentral, the LCA has imposed a R134-million fine for ‘allegedly flouting its licence conditions and for allegedly being in breach of local legislation governing companies’. In an official response, Vodacom says that it plans on lodging an urgent high court interdict – while assuring local customers that business will continue as usual. “In the same application, Vodacom will be challenging the lawfulness of the LCA’s decision, set out in a notice dated 8 October 2020, revoking its unified licence,” it said. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_441.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_441.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Vodacom Lesotho MD, Philip Amoateng sa...
Use of Digital Payments is Growing Rapidly in South Africa
Sourced from Htxt.Africa The accelerating rate at which retail merchants are enabling consumers to pay digitally at point of sale is said to be fueling the growth of digital payments in South Africa. This is according to FNB, which revealed that its Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay functionality on the FNB APP recorded the highest month-on-month usage growth in August 2020 since launch. The Bank states that month-on-month transaction volumes on Scan-to-Pay – which allows users to scan a QR Code to make secure payments at a physical point of sale or on an online merchant website – grew by 36% in August while values increased by 39%. Similarly, month-on-month usage of Tap-to-Pay functionality – which allows users to pay for goods by simply tapping their smartphone to pay at a point of sale – incre...
DStv Launches ‘Add Movies’
DStv has launched ‘Add movies’ – a new movie offering that allows Compact Plus, Compact, Family and Access customers to sign up for DStv’s dedicated movie channels previously only available to Premium subscribers. This offering is available on M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2 and fliekNet for an additional R99 per month. The entertainment company says that Add Movies “gives subscribers more choice and control to structure their entertainment needs, including the flexibility to add on this service from month-to-month”. While Yolisa Phahle, CEO of General Entertainment & Connected Video at MultiChoice Group says that Add Movies was developed in response to customers’ appetite and interests. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_1e0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_1e0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 ...
Cell C and Facebook Launch Public WiFi Hotspots in SA
Image sourced from Town Press Cell C and Facebook have partnered with the Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM) in the Western Cape of South Africa to launch express public access hotspots – part of a plan to roll out Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. The move is said to be part of an ongoing initiative by Cell C to deploy free WiFi hotspots to marginalised communities, students and anyone in need of free, reliable connectivity. The Saldanha Bay Municipality is the second Municipality to make its infrastructure available to the Programme, after The City of Cape Town. “We are currently rolling out to all the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges in the metro, and looking for new opportunities that are aligned to the Municipal Model,” says Schalk Visser, Cell C’s CT...
MTN Liberia to Introduce New Voice and Data Surcharge
Lonestar Cell MTN has introduced a mobile voice and data surcharge – these charges are expected to abide by government regulations and directives. In an official statement, the telco says it “wishes to notify the public that in accordance with LTA-Order 0016-02-25-19 issued by the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), a surcharge on mobile voice on-net (Lonestar to Lonestar calls) and mobile data services has been introduced”. The surcharges are as follows: On-net (Lonestar-to-Lonestar) voice calls: US$0.008/min (or 0.8 cents/min) Data (per MB) US$0.00065/MB (or US$0.065 cents/MB) “Lonestar Cell MTN understands that these are tough economic times, but we assure you that we still have many products to allow our customers to communicate affordably. We remain com...
Airtel and Ericsson Partner to Modernise Kenya’s 4G Network
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel has partnered with Ericsson to modernize its 4G network in Kenya. The telco signed a deal in August 2020 to enhance the quality of voice and data – this is expected to be done by leveraging Ericsson’s Radio System and Packet Core solutions. According to TechWeez, this project is also expected to make Kenya ready for 5G deployment. “Robust and secure communications are an essential component of a digital society in Kenya. We are firmly anchored to the strategy of delivering reliable connections across the country and are looking forward to expanding the high-quality mobile broadband services to our subscribers,” says Prasanta Das Sarma, CEO of Airtel Kenya. Fadi Pharaon, President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says, “Together with Airtel, we will imp...
Google to Warn Users if their Passwords are Hacked
Sourced from IOL. Google has revealed that it would notify Chrome users if their passwords have been compromised. In an official blog post, the tech company said that it would be improving password security on both Android and iOS devices. To find out whether your passwords have been compromised, Chrome will send users a copy of their usernames and Passwords using a special form of encryption – this lets Google check them against lists of credentials known to be compromised, but “Google cannot derive your username or password from this encrypted copy”. “We notify you when you have compromised passwords on websites, but it can be time-consuming to go find the relevant form to change your password. To help, we’re adding support for “.well-known/change-password” URLs that let Chrome take user...
5 Innovation Driven Predictions in Science and Technology
1. Capturing and transforming CO2 to mitigate climate change In the next five years, we will be able to capture CO2 from the air and transform it from the scourge of the environment into something useful. The goal is to make CO2 capture and reuse efficient enough to scale globally so we can significantly reduce the level of the harmful CO2 in the atmosphere and, ultimately, slow climate change. 2. Modelling Mother Nature to feed a growing citizenry while reducing carbon emissions In the next five years, we will replicate nature’s ability to convert nitrogen in the soil into nitrate-rich fertilizer, feeding the growing world while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizers. We’ll come up with an innovative solution to enable nitrogen fixation at a sustainable scale and help feed the w...
MTN Joins Forces with the Telecom Infra Project
MTN Group has teamed up with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to support the evolution of its communication transport infrastructure – something the telco hopes will become a platform for ‘future revenue growth and profitability’. “Our partnership with TIP will drive the specific requirements of our network to meet our subscriber demands, setting us apart on our network scalability and adaptability,” says Charles Molapisi, MTN Group CIO. Through the partnership, communication transport capacity will be deployed to support traffic growth over the next three years. In addition, it aims to provide support for new services as part of the evolution of 5G and new enterprise services. It will also reduce the time to market through more focused agile service provisioning. “Through the use of open p...
Jumia Unveils New Mobile Gaming Service
Jumia and Mondia have joined forces to launch a mobile gaming service – accessible from the JumiaPay App. In its first phase, the gaming portal is available in five African countries including Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya and Ghana with plans to expand the service to Jumia customers in Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire over the next few months. “The gaming industry is expected to grow at a CGAR of 12% until 2025 and with more than 200 million Africans who are below the age of 35, the continent has tremendous potential in the mobile gaming segment,” says Amadeo Rahmann, CEO of Mondia. Sami Louali, EVP Financial Services at Jumia Group, says, “We have always been at the forefront of providing our consumers with the latest and best products and services. With the launch of this new category on Jumi...
Apple Announces 5G iPhone Launch Date
Apple has revealed that its newest iPhones will debut at a product launch event on 13 October. The company is expected to showcase “four redesigned iPhones with 5G wireless capability, upgraded cameras, faster processors and a wider range of screen sizes”, according to Bloomberg. The lastest devices were notably absent from the tech company’s annual product launch in September – leaving many wondering if we were to see a new iPhone at all this year. But now it seems that the October launch could allow Apple to avoid a gap between the event and handsets reaching store shelves – as the iPhone maker will have more stores reopened by that point, according to Jon Prosser, a reliable Apple insider. Apple Might Ditch the Charger and EarPods When Shipping 5G iPhones Apple may no longer include a p...
