technology news
Facebook Launches a Paid Events Tool for South African Content Creators
Facebook has launched a Paid Online Events tool that will allow content creators in South Africa to earn extra money. Paid Online Events is available in 20 countries and is expanding to 24 additional countries in the coming weeks, with South Africa being the first country in Africa where the tool is launching. “Since launching Paid Online Events in August 2020, it has grown tremendously, providing creators and businesses with another valuable way to earn money on Facebook,” says Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Head of Strategic Media Partnerships for Sub-Saharan Africa. “Many conference organisers, musicians, trainers, theatre producers, creators and businesses are losing revenue during the pandemic due to social distancing measures. Paid online events will help them to reconnect with their fans, mo...
MTN Nigeria Acquires Additional 800MHz Spectrum
Nigeria has acquired additional 10MHz spectrum in the 800MHz band from Intercellular Nigeria Limited. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has already approved the transaction and assigned the frequency. According to the telco, this acquisition will significantly improve its customer experience. “Through this acquisition, we will be better positioned to support the deepening of broadband penetration in the country,” says Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria. “The added resources will also greatly impact our customers’ experience providing even better internet connectivity. It is our goal to keep finding ways to grant everyone access to modern connected life.” MTN Group Adds 29 Million Subscribers Despite a Challenging 2020 MTN added 29 million new subscribers in 2020, to reach a total ...
Netflix could Introduce New Test to Curb Password Sharing
Netflix is testing ways to curb password sharing for business and security reasons. As part of this test, users will be required to verify whether or not they are the owner of the account through an email code or text code. “If someone is unable to verify account ownership within a certain timeframe, they won’t be able to stream any Netflix content,” reports The Verge. According to Netflix’s terms, an account can only be shared with people of the same household, “the Netflix service and any content viewed through our service are for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.” A Netflix spokesperson told The Verge, “the test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so”. And up until ...
Tintri Drives Intelligent Infrastructure so You Can Get Ready to ‘Let Go of the Wheel’
The concept of self-driving cars is controversial and tends to polarise opinion. At the heart of it is the idea that a car will be capable of the same split-second decision-making as a human – or even better – with the ultimate goal of creating accident-free roads. For a vehicle to be autonomous, it needs to be continuously aware of its surroundings: firstly, by identifying and classifying information, and then by acting on the information through the computer control of the vehicle. And for this to happen, artificial intelligence (AI) is required, it is a critical technology in the goal of realising autonomous driving. “One of the main premises of self-driving cars is the idea that autonomy equals safety,” says Michael Donaldson, Tintri Product Manager at value-added distributor Net...
INTERVIEW: Unpacking ESET South Africa’s Approach to Innovation in 2021
After a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic upended the way we live, work and socialize, Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa, has revealed to IT News Africa the innovations and challenges expected to impact businesses in 2021. Here’s what transpired: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisations to adapt to a new, remote way of working; How has ESET risen to this challenge? With the interrupted electricity supply affecting our business throughout the years, we had made the decision some time back to ensure that all employees were mobile and as off the grid as possible. This meant equipping all employees with laptops and backup power and connectivity, both at work and at home. This meant that when COVID-19 hit, we were able to adapt quite quickly. We also took learnin...
5 Cybersecurity Tips for Startups
Sourced from International IDEA From 2020 being dubbed ‘the year of the side hustle’ to small businesses grappling to maintain continuity and profitability, despite these unprecedented times there has been a significant uprising in entrepreneurial activity the world over. Startups tend to be created by people who burn with an idea and want to put it into action as soon as possible. Money is usually tight, and expenses run high, what with product development, promotion, and all the rest of it. When managing priorities, emerging businesspeople often neglect matters related to information security. Many startups try to save on security, confident that a small company with limited resources holds no interest for cybercriminals. The truth is anyone can fall victim to cybercrime. Firstly, becaus...
Facebook Unveils Instagram Lite for Android
Facebook has launched Instagram Lite for Android. This app has been designed for users living in rural and remote communities who want a high-quality Instagram experience using minimal data. Instagram Lite has been made available in more than 170 countries around the world – but will be especially useful in regions that do not possess the most up-to-date mobile devices, robust internet networks, or affordable data plans needed for swift delivery of the data-rich videos and images found on Instagram. “Our teams build these lightweight versions of our apps for people with low connectivity or limited data plans because our basic premise is to leave no one behind,” says Tzach Hadar, Director of Product Management at Facebook Tel Aviv. “We wanted the Instagram experience to remain fast, hi...
Bolt Launches Eco-Friendly Ride Service in Kenya
Bolt has launched Bolt Green – a new eco-friendly ride offering – in Kenya. The service part of the company’s effort towards reducing its carbon footprint. “We continue to scale up our operations for the benefit of our customers and the communities in which we operate. Having electric and hybrid vehicles on our platform is a step towards ensuring environmentally conscious ways for people to move around in the city and reduce our ecological footprint,” says Ola Akinnusi, Country Manager for Bolt Kenya. “The new category also aims at expanding Bolts ride options thereby creating more economic opportunities for drivers and providing passengers with more options to choose from.” The service is currently only available in Nairobi, but Bolt plans to expand it across the country soon. /* custom c...
Register to Attend AJALA’s Artificial Intelligence and African Enterprises Webinar
Continuing the Artificial Intelligence & African enterprises series, ajala is pleased to invite you to attend the third session on Delivering Economic and Operational Gains set to take place on March 23, 2021, at 11:00 AM (WAT). The AI & African Enterprises series examines AI through an African lens, covering topics ranging from operations, to economics, and technology/deployment. The upcoming session will consider perspectives on productivity in Africa and the potential impact AI can on jobs, identity and regulations. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_3da.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_3da.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Previous sessions include Data Privacy, Data Security and Policy Considerations (November 2020) and Deployment and Integration: Managing AI Solutions ...
Huawei and MTN South Africa Launch a New and Secure Payment Solution
Huawei has joined forces with MTN South Africa to launch Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) – a ‘seamless and secure’ payment method that allows users to make purchases using their airtime. For contract customers, the amount will be added to their monthly mobile phone bill, while prepaid customers will have the amount deducted directly from their available airtime. This means you can still pay for all your favourite offerings from Huawei Mobile Services without having to share your credit card details. “MTN recently reached 100 million active data customers across 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This shows that our customers are increasingly adopting digital offerings and we are continuously looking to meet this demand with fresh offerings that will add value to our customers,” says ...
Twitter to ‘Overhaul’ TweetDeck, says Product Chief Kayvon Beykpour
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter Product Chief, Kayvon Beykpour has revealed that the company is actively working on an overhaul of TweetDeck, its account management platform. In an interview with The Verge, Beykpour says “we haven’t given TweetDeck a lot of love recently. That’s about to change; we’ve been working on a pretty big overhaul from the ground up of TweetDeck, and it’s something that we’re excited to share publicly sometime this year.” He goes on to say that this is a clear example of a Twitter-owned and operated platform that it will continue to invest in – as the company is also committed to “improve Twitter’s developer tools and repair its relationship with app makers”. According to Beykpour, Twitter has a lot of trust to earn back as it has made mistakes...
Only 49% of South Africans will take the COVID-19 Vaccine, Research Shows
Although COVID-19 infection rates seem to be declining and vaccines are slowly being rolled out in the country, most South Africans are wary of a third wave, further lockdowns and job losses. A survey by gig technology company, M4Jam asked South Africans about their main concerns as the country marked exactly one year since the first COVID-19 case in the country was diagnosed. Despite South Africa’s rejection of its first shipment of vaccines and widespread misinformation about the effectiveness of vaccinations, 49% of respondents (up from 32% in the January survey) said they would take the vaccine when it became available to them. 44% of respondents (down from 58% in the January survey) said they would adopt the approach of “wait and see” if the vaccine works for people they knew before m...
