IT News Africa
Airtel Nigeria Awarded “Best in Test” – An Interview with Hakan Ekmen of umlaut
Hakan Ekmen, CEO of Telecommunications for umlaut. Hakan Ekmen, CEO of Telecommunications at umlaut – an international, full-service, cross-industry, end-to-end company that offers advisory and fulfilment services to clients all over the world – chats with ITNA about umlaut’s recently published telecommunications report in Nigeria and the company’s future plans in Africa. Here’s what transpired: umlaut is well known in the Telecommunications industry, but that’s only part of the story. Can you please tell us a little bit more about umlaut? umlaut is a technology-driven and future-oriented company, providing services to numerous sectors and industries, like automotive, energy, aviation, rail and telecommunications. We transfer our expertise and knowledge across the industries. Our own value...
Safaricom’s eSIM – What is it and How to Get It
Image sourced from Techweez. The much-rumoured eSIMs developed by Safaricom have officially been released in Kenya. All your biashara and personal lines can now be managed on one device. Better yet, you don’t have to switch physical SIM cards! Switch to #SafaricomEsim at a Safaricom shop near you. Available on select devices. #TwendeTukiuke pic.twitter.com/Nm3FtJnHj5 — Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) June 8, 2021 What is an eSIM? eSIM or embedded SIM is built into your phone. It is a tiny device, much smaller than even the smallest available micro SIMs. The smallest “nano” SIM is 8.8 mm by 12.3 mm, whereas an eSIM is 2.5 mm by 2.3 mm with a thickness of 0.2 mm. Since eSIMs are installed directly on your device’s motherboard, they are re-writable, which opens many more customization options f...
Undiscovered Software Bug Triggered Massive Internet Outages Worldwide
Image sourced from Newsweek. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_b0c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_b0c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } A massive internet-wide outage struck the web on Tuesday. Several major websites were impacted by the outage that originated at Fastly, a key content delivery network that supports many major companies and sites online. Websites affected included huge internet cornerstones like Reddit, Twitch, Amazon, PayPal, Spotify and CNN amongst many others. Many websites weren’t taken off the internet completely but were affected in other ways. PayPal users complained that payments weren’t being processed, Twitter users were unable to post certain emojis. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_cec.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_cec.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0;...
Why Digital Workplaces are the Future of Remote Work
According to Gartner, a global research and advisory company, the digital workplace is a business strategy for promoting employee effectiveness and engagement through a more consumer-like computing environment. Offices are now becoming location and device agnostic and moving to the cloud or following the sun to reduce project duration and increase responsiveness. ITC Infotech, a leading global technology services and solutions provider, led by Business and Technology Consulting, has invested in building a secure digital workplace solution over the years, for a differentiated offering with a proven value proposition. The adoption of the digital workplace by companies across the world is at a nascent stage, but very few understand the relevance of the digital workplace strategy. A digital wo...
Sony Announces New Truly Wireless Headphones in South Africa
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_cd5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_cd5.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Sony today announces the launch of WF-1000XM4 – its latest truly wireless model in the acclaimed 1000X series. The WF-1000XM4 headphones take industry-leading noise cancelling and audio quality to the next level. Made to fit every ear, offering a personalised experience suitable for every situation. Clearer Sound, Less Noice The WF-1000XM4 provides industry-leading noise cancellation. The newly designed Integrated Processor V1 provides even better noise cancellation. Specially developed by Sony, the Integrated Processor V1 takes the noise cancellation performance of Sony’s acclaimed QN1e chip and goes even further. Improved noise-cancelling performance and Bluetooth ‘System on Ch...
Bolt Kenya Goes Green With New Electric Motorbikes, Scooters
Image sourced from Techweez. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_66b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_66b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } On-demand transportation service Bolt, once known as Taxify, has unveiled a series of new branded electric scooters, and e-motorbikes. The company is pushing for greener, more environmentally-minded transport as it hurls itself into Kenya’s food delivery market. This new initiative is geared towards reducing Bolt’s environmental footprint, write Techweez. It likewise will also fulfil the demand for lighter, smarter modes of transport that are less expensive to maintain. The new move will eliminate challenges like fluctuating fuel prices, the most significant operating cost for drivers. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6cc.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_...
Telkom Launches Africa’s First Virtual Banking Card with Ukheshe
Image sourced from My Broadband /* custom css */ .tdi_4_066.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_066.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Telkom has launched Africa’s first Mastercard virtual card for use on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments. This move is expected to empower millions of South Africans – even those without a bank account – to access the digital economy and transact online. Telkom Pay /* custom css */ .tdi_3_64f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_64f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Launched in 2020, Telkom Pay is a digital payments wallet that enables its users to make and receive payments using WhatsApp on their mobile phone. With the addition of the Mastercard virtual (non-plastic) card to the wallet, users can now make ...
7 Most Important New Features Coming to iOS 15
Sourced from Macworld. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_6ce.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_6ce.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Apple has unveiled a bevy of brand new features coming with its iOS 15 update during is annual WWDC event, live-streamed yesterday. The new software features include upgrades to FaceTime, Maps, Weather App, Messages, Photos and more. Here are the 7 most important updates and new features shipping with iOS 15: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6cf.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_6cf.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 1. Spatial Audio is coming to FaceTime Apple announced its surround sound-like spatial audio feature last year for its AirPods Pro. Now the feature is coming to iPhone with the company’s new iOS 15 update and set to be launching with Apple’s ...
Gen-Z is SA’s Fastest Growing Group of Online Shoppers at 218%
Courtesy of Raw Pixel. Image sourced from Robosoft Technologies. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_211.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_211.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } By harnessing the power of social media, Gen Z is driving a new wave of the e-commerce boom in South Africa. Apps including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, which tailor content to the user’s interests and behaviour, have allowed this new generation of spenders to create a personalised shopping mall experience – online. Gen-Z Takes Shopping Online /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f0e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f0e.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } According to data sourced by online payment gateway PayFast, the fastest-growing group of local online shoppers in SA are the Gen Z’s, aged between 18 and 24. “Ou...
Cape Town Tech Startup Secures $14.5-Million More in Funding
“In emerging-market megacities, hundreds of millions of people use public transport to get where they need to go. Before WhereIsMyTransport, there was no central source of data for these networks, despite their size, scale, and importance,” reads a blurb on the startup’s official website. “WhereIsMyTransport helps people understand mobility in emerging-market megacities. We’re trusted by industry leaders like Google, the World Bank, and WSP.” Founded in Cape Town in 2015, the tech startup focusing on mobility creates data maps for formal and informal public transport networks in cities and uses this data and tech to improve the public transport experiences of commuters. WhereIsMyTransport hopes to make public commutes more reliable, predictable, safe, inclusive and more accessible to indiv...
Cybersecurity and Data Protection Laws Urgently Needed Across Africa
The pandemic has driven home the high value of personal data to the global economy, while also highlighting its vulnerability to abuse and attack. In response, governments around the world have been reviewing their data privacy and protection laws and regulations, including in South Africa and Ghana. Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky recently noted that cyberattacks are set to rise in African countries, especially in the key financial centres of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. The cybersecurity firm noted that rapidly evolving digital techniques had led to an increased risk of Advanced Persistent Threats and hacking-for-hire events in Africa. South Africa In South Africa, the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Act was signed into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in early June 2...
More & More iOS Users Could Be Leaving to Android – New Research
Image sourced from Stuff.com. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c5b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c5b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } New information has emerged from the court case between Fortnite developer and publisher Epic Games and Apple in May. Specifically, leaked internal company documents shown in court during the case reveal that Apple continued to lose iPhone users over several quarters between 2019 and 2020. Epic Games vs. Apple /* custom css */ .tdi_3_e9c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_e9c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Epic’s suit over Apple was about, what the games publisher believed was, anti-competitive policies in Apple’s infamously rigid App Store. The App Store does not allow app developers to sell directly to users. The games company publicl...
