technology news
Starlink Internet Service Available for Pre-Order in South Africa
Satellite internet service, Starlink is now available for pre-order in South Africa. The SpaceX subsidiary is offering a limited number of subscribers the chance to experience its high-speed, low-latency broadband beta service – said to be suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable. Starlink uses satellites that are over 60 times closer to Earth than traditional satellites, resulting in lower latency (the time it takes to send data from one point to the next) and the ability to support services typically not possible with traditional satellite internet. According to the company, during the beta phase, users can expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms in most locations over the next several months. There will...
Nutanix Appoints New Systems Engineering Director for Sub-Saharan Africa
Nutanix has appointed James Sturrock as Systems Engineering Director for Western Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa (WEURSSA). He will be responsible for all technical resources in the WEURSSA region as they engage with end-users and channel and OEM partners. Commenting on his appointment, Sturrock says “I am thrilled to be taking on this new challenge at what is such a transformative time for Nutanix and the industry as a whole. With such a talented team around me and an unrivalled technology portfolio, I look forward to playing my part in advancing Nutanix’s leadership in hybrid cloud infrastructure.” Having joined Nutanix in early 2015, Sturrock has held various roles within the Systems Engineering team and was quickly promoted from Engineer to Manager and now Director. During his tenur...
ProLabs and the ‘New 5G Backhaul Economy’
Marcel Fouché, Networking and Storage General Manager at Networks Unlimited Africa As we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding that economic and social survival is tied to the ability to work and play at a distance. If ever there was a time for a revolutionary new internet technology to take hold, now would seem to be that time. So says Raymond Hagen, Americas Product Manager at ProLabs, a global leader in optical networking infrastructure. He notes in a recent blog entry that: “Visionaries may state that 5G will offer access to new applications like artificial intelligence and smart city infrastructure that could define the next industrial revolution. Companies and countries failing to act now will find themselves left behind global and regional powers that a...
Nigerians Living in South Africa can now Verify their Remitano Accounts using their Nigerian Documents
The Remitano ecosystem is a community built on trust, this is why every Remitano user must complete their KYC to gain full access to the entire features of Remitano. Over time, we realized that a lot of our Nigerian users who have migrated and now live in South Africa are finding it difficult to verify their accounts due to the lack of proper South African documents. As a result of our pledge on continuous improvement, we are now allowing Nigerian traders in South Africa to verify their Remitano accounts using their Nigerian identification documents. South Africa based Nigerians can now use their Nigerian government-issued National Identity card, Driver’s license, international passport, or Voters card to verify their Remitano account despite they no longer live in Nigeria. This is p...
Remitano makes Money Transfer between South Africa and other Countries Easier and Faster with the New “Cash-out” Feature
Due to the ever-increasing volume of money transfers across the globe, Remitano, a global escrow-marketplace, has just launched a smart, free, and safe approach for international money transfers. This system will allow South Africans to send and receive Rands (ZAR) from other countries without incurring the high fees charged by most traditional banks and the regular payment platforms. Use the “Cash-out quickly” feature without KYC In its effort to make this amazing system available to everyone, users are not required to go through the hassle of completing their KYC before having access to the cash-out feature. A new user can simply create a Remitano account and immediately send money from South Africa to anywhere in the globe within seconds. The user will simply transfer the funds from the...
IBM Joins Forces with AFRALTI to Launch a Digital Training Programme in Kenya
Image sourced with Learn Bonds IBM has partnered with the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI) to launch the Open P-TECH for Africa programme. This programme is expected to provide 50,000 Kenyan youth aged 14 to 20 years with access to digital training about emerging tools and technologies designed to help them leapfrog to a better future. Open P-TECH is a free digital learning platform for students (grades 9-14), parents, and educators that supports learners in developing both soft skills and hard skills (including education on cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital thinking and more) to prepare them for jobs of the future. Currently, it has more than 224,000 registered members in 137 countries and is available in nine languages. /* custom c...
Bitcoin or Ethereum – Which Should You Buy in 2021?
Both bitcoin and Ethereum are the two leading cryptocurrencies. This is why investors are getting attracted and a lot of them are making moves to buy bitcoin and Ethereum. It is an undisputed fact that two projects have great potential. Bitcoin is the first and largest decentralized virtual currency and has been in existence for over 11 years. Satoshi Nakamoto launched Bitcoin in 2009 to help alleviate the economic crisis that conventional banks caused across the globe. Since the creation of Bitcoin, it has helped make transactions easier, faster, and cheaper. Over the years, there have been different speculations by naysayers that the cryptocurrency market will crash soon, on the contrary, the crypto market has been waxing stronger as the years go by. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cr...
MTN to Sell R1,8 Billion Stake in Belgian Telco, BICS
Sourced from Business Tech MTN Group has announced its plans to sell its 20% stake in Belgacom International Carrier Services SA (BICS) to Proximus NV/SA for approximately R1,8 billion. The telco is expected to use this to pay down US dollar debt. BICS was classified as a non-current asset held for sale and this transaction has resulted in a remeasurement of its carrying value resulting in a reduction of R397 million for the year ended 31 December 2020. According to MTN, it will record a profit on disposal amounting to approximately R1,2 billion during the first half of 2021. The closing of the sale is dependent on customary regulatory approval. MTN Launches Supersonic AirFibre in South Africa MTN has launched its Supersonic AirFibre offering in South Africa. The product is said to overcom...
Citrix Appoints New VP for Partner Sales
Citrix has appointed Pilkku Aasma as its new Vice President of Partner Sales in the EMEA region. She follows Daren Finney, who was promoted to Chief Operating Officer for the Citrix channel organization worldwide. Both roles report to Bronwyn Hastings, Senior VP of the Worldwide Channel Sales and Ecosystem. Aasma joins Citrix after two decades in a wide range of multiple markets and leadership positions at Microsoft. Most recently she led the Small, Medium & Corporate Segment sales and marketing in Germany. Prior to that she had direct responsibility for Microsoft’s 40,000 partners in Germany and held various sales and operations leadership roles in Western Europe, and Central & Eastern Europe. “2020 was an exceptional year which tested the resilience and adaptability of both ...
Telkom Introduces Unlimited Voice Plans for South African Businesses
Telkom has introduced an unlimited voice plan offer for small businesses in South Africa. This product is expected to allow subscribers to save up to 30% on calls for just R199 per month. “Through the unlimited voice calls product, we are subsidising the Small & Medium Business customers who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is aimed at helping small businesses to get back up on their feet by reducing their operational costs. Voice calling is a critical inout into an SME’s business operation,” says Dumisani Bengu, CCO at Telkom Business. “The price point is set at R199, which we believe many small businesses will be able to afford in order to gain access to unlimited voice calls every month,” he adds. The offer will be available until the end of July 2021 but due...
6 Ways to Stay Safe Online this Safer Internet Day
Working remotely has been the new norm since its introduction last year. As such, employees must be stricter about keeping themselves safe when online. In light of Safer Internet Day (SID), businesses need to invest in the latest cybersecurity to be able to protect the online operations of their remote staff. “Moving into the technological space offers great opportunities and benefits to organisations, however, without proper cyber risk management and data security, all your assets are left vulnerable,” says Rian Schoeman, head of legal and chief privacy officer at LAWtrust. With this in mind, here are six ways to stay safe online: 1. Make sure your site is secure Secured websites are protected with a Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate. This certificate confirms that the site belon...
Bitcoin Surges to Record Price Post $1.5 Billion Telsa Investment
Bitcoin reached a new high of $47,000 after Tesla invested $1.5 billion into the cryptocurrency. The electric car manufacturer says that it will “begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment” for its products in the future. In a report, Telsa says “in January 2021, we updated our investment policy to provide us with more flexibility to further diversify and maximize returns on our cash that is not required to maintain adequate operating liquidity. As part of the policy, we may invest a portion of such cash in certain specified alternative reserve assets.” “Thereafter, we invested an aggregate $1.50 billion in bitcoin under this policy. Moreover, we expect to begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, subject to applicable laws and initially on a limit...
