East Africa
vivo Launches the Y12s Smartphone in Kenya
vivo has officially introduced its new budget smartphone – the vivo Y12s – to the Kenyan market. The vivo Y12s packs a slew of new features including a 5000mAh battery supporting 10W fast charging and 5W reverse charging, a 6.51-Inch Large Display and a Side-Mounted Fingerprint Scanner. It comes standard with a vertical AI Dual camera module offering a 13MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a 2MP Bokeh lens with an f/2.4 aperture. For selfies and videos, there is an 8MP shooter at the front. The Y12s’s screen design adopts a water drop Halo FullView Display delivering an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio to offer a more immersive experience. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_341.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_341.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The ...
Nokia and Airtel Partner to Lay 5G Foundations in Kenya
Sourced from Comms MEA Nokia and Airtel Kenya have joined forces in a three-year deal to modernize Nairobi with high speed 4G and 5G-ready hardware. Deployment, which began in June, will cover hundreds of sites and include upgrading existing 2G, 3G and 4G radio access network (RAN) coverage in urban, semi-urban, highways, tourist spots and central business districts in Nairobi and the rest of Kenya. Nokia’s future-proofed network infrastructure will also offer Airtel Kenya the option to smoothly transition to 5G when necessary. The upgraded network will deliver enhanced connectivity to customers of Airtel Kenya and access to new, high-speed data services. “We are in the midst of rolling out our network to enhance coverage along with modernization of our data network that will help us to de...
Safaricom could Reduce M-Pesa Transaction Fees
Image sourced from TechWeez Safaricom could reduce M-Pesa transaction fees, according to Business Daily who also suggested that the telco is considering this move in an effort to “retain the higher business volumes that followed the imposition of free M-Pesa for deals of up to Sh1,000”. Safaricom CEO, Peter Ndegwa confirmed this, saying “We intend to reduce our transaction costs over time. How quickly we do that is something we want to judge but certainly, we haven’t made a decision yet at this stage.” Kenyan Senators Call for Safaricom to Split Senators in Kenya believe that Safaricom should split into two firms – Mobile Services and M-PESA. According to The Star, a split would see the mobile telephony service is regulated by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) and t...
O-CITY Drives Contactless Bus Payment Initiative in Kenya
O-CITY is driving contactless payments across bus services in Nairobi, Kenya. The pilot initiatve, designed to reduce the use of cash in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was launched in partnership with transport savings and credit specialists, NikoDigi, and Kenyan payments firm, Tracom, to accelerate the deployment of cashless fare collection. Used by 70% of the population in Kenya, Matatu buses are a dominant transport mode across the country whereby passengers traditionally pay in cash. O-CITY’s automated fare collection platform leverages the M-Pesa mobile wallet, which is used by 90% of the population in Kenya. Passengers enter a code on their phone and a debit is made on their wallet, which can be instantly seen by drivers to grant access to ride. The platform removes unnecessary t...
Kenyan Senators Call for Safaricom to Split
Senators in Kenya believe that Safaricom should split into two firms – Mobile Services and M-PESA. According to The Star, a split would see the mobile telephony service is regulated by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) and the M-Pesa division regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). A recent report by TechWeez revealed that senators believe there should be a level playing ground for the likes of Telkom and Airtel Kenya who operate at the mercy of Safaricom as they owe it billions of shillings. “The market is not competitive any more. The other operators should be allowed to operate, by giving the dominant operator its right, but also allowing the others to operate, and allow innovation in the country,” says Senator Petronilla Were of the ICT committee. Senator Iru...
Huawei Watch Fit to Launch in Kenya
Huawei recently unveiled its newest wearable – the WATCH FIT. It is the first Huawei sports smartwatch to feature a rounded rectangular watch face design combining a dazzling 1.64-inch AMOLED display, which lends itself to displaying “more content and better interactive experience”. And it is expected to launch in Kenya soon, joining the likes of the Huawei GT2 and Huawei GT2 pro. Country Head of Huawei Kenya, Jim Zhujie says “with the wide variety of smart devices surrounding us today, we live in a connected digital era. Apart from the smartphones, which act as a nexus point, one of the most popular smart devices seen with people are in fact smart wearables”. “Modern smart wearables have woven themselves ever so deep into our daily lives, serving primarily as an extension of o...
vivo Launches the Y20 Mid-range Smartphone in Kenya
vivo has officially launched its latest mid-range smartphone – the vivo Y20 – in Kenya. The device comes with advanced features for performance, a premium design, as well as an AI triple camera. “We are strengthening our Y-series family with the latest addition of Y20 packed with loads of features in the camera, big battery, huge storage, eye-popping colours and ultra-game mode for a complete smartphone experience for users in the mid-range price segment,” says vivo Kenya Brand Manager, James Irungu. “As an evolving youth-centric brand, we are continuously innovating to deliver stylish smartphones infused with trendsetting technologies at the most competitive price points locally. Keeping in mind user’s day-to-day lives, Y20 has been designed to be user-friendly, support various multimedia...
10 Cybersecurity Tips from Google
Google has revealed its top cybersecurity tips for online users as part of its “Do Your Part #BeCyberSmart” campaign, reports TechWeez. “We have intensified efforts to raise awareness about internet insecurities and empower audiences with tools and resources to help them stay safe online — particularly kids because they are the most vulnerable,” says Google Country Director for Kenya, Agnes Gathaiya. Here are Google’s 10 safety tips to keep in mind when you’re online: Always have up-to-date software across your desktop, mobile operating system and web browser Use a password manager which will create unique and strong passwords Be wary of requests for personal information to avoid phishing attempts Enable 2 step verification Set up a security key for extra protection. This is a physica...
Telkom Reintroduces Pawa Combo Bundles in Kenya
Telkom Kenya has revamped its Pawa bundles to include SMS and mobile data at more affordable price points. “It is worth noting that SMS and WhatsApp communication are popular among the young audiences who have been actively at home following the prolonged closure of educational institutions due to the current pandemic,” says Telkom’s Marketing Director, Eric Achola. The bundles will now be available as follows: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f6f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f6f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Pawa 10- 30 minutes (Telkom to Telkom)+50MB WhatsApp (valid for 24hrs) Pawa 20- 5 minutes (Across networks)+100SMS+100MB (Valid for 24hrs) Pawa 20 Extra- 100 minutes (Telkom to Telkom)+100SMS+100MB (Valid for 24hrs) Pawa 50- 600 minutes (Telkom to Telkom)+200SMS(across net...
Nokia Introduces the 8.3 5G Smartphone to Kenya
HMD Global, the home of Nokia, has announced the availability of its 8.3 5G smartphones in Kenya. The Nokia 8.3 5G has been designed to support multiple and evolving 5G network deployments, with support for both standalone and non-standalone 5G combinations – which operators are rolling out around the globe. Being the first smartphone to use the Qualcomm 5G RF Front end module solution, as part of its Qualcomm Modular Platform, the Nokia 8.3 5G condenses more than 40 different RF components into a single module, making it not only a global device but also a “future-proof smartphone” which is ready for the next step in 5G. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4f8.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_4f8.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The device comes with a powerful PureView quad camera with...
Cellulant Appoints New Country Manager
Cellulant has appointed Faith Nkatha as its new Country Manager for Kenya. In this role, she is expected to lead operations and scale Cellulant’s payment ecosystem within the country. Nkatha joins Cellulant from Oracle where she led their public sector Digital Transformation efforts. Prior to this, she was the Director for Strategy, Monitoring, and Transformation at Sidian Bank. “We are excited that Faith has accepted to join our leadership team and confident that she will lead Cellulant Kenya’s next chapter of growth and success,” says Ken Njoroge, co-Founder and CEO of Cellulant. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_949.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_949.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “We have all been impressed by her strong track record of digital transformation and vast expe...
OPPO to Introduce A93 Smartphone in Kenya
OPPO is set to introduce the A93 mid-range smartphone in Kenya. The device is equipped with a rear-quad-camera array, selfie lens and an AMOLED screen. Here’s a closer look at the A93’s Key Specifications Specs Weight 164g Dual SIM Yes Screen AMOLED6.43″1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) OS Android 10ColorOS 7.2 Chipset Mediatek Helio P95 (12 nm) GPU PowerVR GM9446 Memory 128 GB RAM 8 GB Main camera Quad48 MP (wide)8 MP (ultrawide)2 MP (depth)2 MP (monochrome) Selfie 16 MP2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)PUNCHHOLE USB Type C Fingerprint reader In-display Battery and charging 4000 mAh18W fast charging Colours Metallic White or Matte Black colour options Price KES 33000 Availability and pricing The OPPO A93 will be available on 26 October for K33 000. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_5f3.td-a-rec-i...
