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Massive Undersea Mudslide Caused Internet Problems Across Africa
Image sourced from Medium. A recent study conducted by Professor Peter J. Talling and a team from the Departments of Earth Sciences and Geography, from the University of Durham in the UK, co-led by Angola Cables and supported by the Vodafone Group, British Telecom, NERC Environmental and others, has delivered important findings presenting valuable insights for the routing and protection of future subsea cables. In January 2020, the South Atlantic 3/West Africa (SAT-3/Wasc) cable, linking Africa to Portugal and Spain was hit by a breakdown in Gabon, whilst the West Africa Cable System (Wacs) that connects South Africa to the United Kingdom saw an outage off the coast of the DRC Congo. In March, the WACS cable experienced a further break affecting international bandwidth. Whilst many I...
Vodacom Tanzania and Mdundo Partner to Launch New Premium Music Bundle
From left: DJ Bike, Nguvu Kamando (Head of VAS, Vodacom), DJ Feruuh, Martin Nielsen, DJ Summer, Prisna Nichaulous (Music Manager, Mdundo), Michael Okeje (Head of Growth, Mdundo). Image sourced from TechCabal. Vodacom Tanzania has announced a new partnership with African music distributing and streaming service Mdundo. Together the companies are launching a new music bundle for the telecom’s subscribers. As reported by TechCabal, this new bundle will give Vodacom Tanzania subscribers access to Mdundo’s premium service as well as a bevy of curated mixes from some of Tanzania’s top DJs. “Instead of struggling and moving from one platform to another, we as a digital valuing company, saw the importance of creating one bundle which will include all music genres, that’s why we also decided to par...
9 out of 10 Kenyan SMEs Use M-Pesa for Payments, via New Survey
Image sourced from WeeTracker /* custom css */ .tdi_4_9b7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_9b7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } A new survey conducted by Amethyst Consultants on SME perceptions of banking products in Kenya showed that up to 95% of SMEs (9 out of 10 companies) in the country use M-Pesa, Vodafone’s mobile money service, according to Business Daily Africa. The survey, commissioned by SNDBX, took place between the months of March and April 2021 and included 131 small to medium enterprises (SMEs) across 17 “key sectors”. “The survey highlighted that SMEs continue to be resilient through the pandemic season and a third [of SMEs] are looking forward to a better future in 2021,” says Amethyst Consultants Founding Director, Sharon Mbugua. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_7f1.t...
Innovative Tech Critical in Vaccinating South Africa’s Rural and Remote Areas
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_9b2.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_9b2.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } As South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme ramps up, with a target to vaccinate 41-million people by the end of March next year, health NGO Right to Care is deploying teams to vaccinate South Africans living in hard-to-reach places in remote parts of the country. Dr Ntombi Sigwebela, chief of party for vaccinations at health NGO Right to Care, says that “No-one should be left out of the vaccine programme, including people living in far-flung areas. There is an urgency to vaccinate as variants may emerge and spread. We need to achieve herd or population immunity to break the chain of transmission as quickly as possible.” Right to Care is supporting the National Department of...
MTN Plans to Build New ICT Centre in Ghana
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita has made a three-day visit to Ghana and launched major projects that the operator aims to achieve by 2022, Ecofin reported. It intends to improve and expand network infrastructure to bring quality telecom services to rural areas and supporting Ghana’s QR code project and other digital initiatives such as combating cyber-attacks and developing women’s participation in ICT, he said. Mupita also revealed MTN’s intention to build an ICT centre in Ghana and finalise the opening of 30% of MTN Ghana’s capital to local investors by the end of the year. MTN plans to open up 30% of the capital MobileMoney by January 2022, too. Since March, the company has initiated a strategic repositioning to attract third-party capita...
Huawei’s New Band 6 Smartwatch is Launching in SA – Here’s the Details
Image sourced from Huawei. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_411.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_411.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Huawei’s Band 6 smartwatch is coming to South Africa, according to the Chinese telecom retail megacorp. This new iteration of the company’s Band series of smartwatches comes will an all-new set of improvements and features. Boasting a sleek, rounded Apple Watch-like design, the Band 6 seems to be Huawei’s next very competitive answer to the already uber-competitive smartwatch market. New Features /* custom css */ .tdi_3_126.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_126.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The Band 6 has an increased display area from previous generations of devices. Its 1.47-inch AMOLED FullView Screen is touted as having a 148% larger...
PnP Mobile Introduces Paperless RICA Process for South Africans
Pick n Pay’s Mobile Virtual Network (MVN) will now allow subscribers to RICA their SIM cards through a completely paperless process. “Pick n Pay and our partners, TymeBank, are making it possible for our PnP Mobile customers to enjoy a completely simplified mobile SIM card purchase and registration process. They will no longer need a physical copy of their residential address or identity document to complete registration,” says John Bradshaw, Retail Executive at Pick n Pay. The paperless RICA process is completed by using a TymeBank kiosk, available at 500 Pick n Pay stores across the country. Registration is completed in five simple steps: 1. purchase a SIM card 2. scan or type in SIM barcode 3. enter ID number and an alternative cellphone number 4. select a residential address in the sys...
Top 10 Cybersecurity Misperceptions
Between more sophisticated cybercriminals and immense pressure to ensure governance on compliance, 2021 is already shaping up to be a minefield. And as such, cybersecurity has risen to the top of most organisations’ agendas. With this in mind, research from Sophos shows the top 10 cybersecurity misperceptions: Misperception 1: We are not a target; we are too small and/or have no assets of value to an adversary. Many cyberattack victims assume they are too small, in a sector of no interest or lacking the kind of lucrative assets that would attract an adversary. The truth is, it doesn’t matter: if you have the processing power and a digital presence, you are a target. Misperception 2: We don’t need advanced security technologies installed everywhere. Some IT teams still believe ...
Safaricom Introduces New Video Streaming Platform
Image sourced from Techweez Safaricom has launched Baze – its new video streaming platform – in Kenya. This subscription-based mobile-first service is expected to offer a wide selection of local and regional short-form videos in entertainment, music, news and sports. The telco says it is placing the entertainment Kenyans want at their fingertips while providing local content creators with an additional platform to share their stories and monetize their content. “The new service will offer customers a wide variety of video content and provide content creators an additional platform to monetize their content. We are looking to get the best forms of monetisation for creators and to give users a worry free experience when using the platform” says Kenyan business person, Sylvia Mulinge. “As we ...
Lenovo Records Group Revenue Surge Past $60 Billion
Image sourced from GSMArena /* custom css */ .tdi_4_390.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_390.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Lenovo has announced its results for the Group as well as its fourth quarter and fiscal year, revealing growth across all parts of the business. The company says its results demonstrate the Group’s resilience and ability to achieve balanced, consistent, and sustainable growth. “Last quarter, we delivered our fastest-growing quarter in almost a decade and closed the fiscal year with the new milestone of passing $60 billion in revenue and significant growth in profit to a new record. These historic highs were achieved by leveraging our core competencies of a clear strategy, innovative products, operational excellence, and global-local model to meet the n...
Safaricom Subscribers to Receive Free Data For 90 Days
Image sourced from Techweez Safaricom Kenya has launched a campaign where subscribers can get free data every day for 90 days depending on their data usage profiles. According to Gadgets Africa, this offer is “aimed at empowering more customers to take their offline passions online as part of the country’s digital transformation agenda”. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, says “smartphones and the internet have become critical in our day to day lives, empowering us in different ways by connecting us to more opportunities. The 90-day free data campaign seeks to ensure that no customer is left behind by ensuring that all our customers can now access the internet, even at no cost”. Subscribers can redeem free daily data by dialling *544#. Safaricom to Pay $850 Million for Ethiopian Operatin...
Twitter Spaces Now Available on Mobile or Desktop
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c16.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c16.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Twitter users can now host Spaces online via mobile or desktop – after first launching it to iOS and Android users with 600 or more followers. The social media company says that its key focus areas are on infrastructure and listening UI that adapts to users’ screen size, setting reminders for scheduled spaces as well as accessibility and transcriptions. starting today, spaces will be available on https://t.co/RD57W4QZPz (mobile web, desktop web) our focus areas:– infrastructure and listening UI that adapts to your screen size– setting reminders for scheduled spaces – accessibility and transcriptions pic.twitter.com/Wb0DQktkhD — Spaces ...
