Mobile and Telecoms
Telecom26 Provides Connectivity To HIV and COVID-19 Testing Programmes Across Africa
Telecom26 has partnered with SystemOne to enable real-time test result communication, timely containment and treatment actions for infectious disease programmes in Ghana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The testing programmes are being implemented in conjunction with each country’s Ministry of Health and build upon SystemOne’s existing work across Africa tackling numerous diseases including TB, HIV, Ebola and now COVID-19. However, unreliable bandwidth and patchy connectivity are problems encountered by eHealth programmes across these countries. The traditional route is to buy local SIMs to provide device connectivity. Unfortunately, this limits users to one mobile network operator (MNO) – and adds juggling multiple SIMs across devices to find the strongest local network to a long list of headach...
Vodacom Introduces Data Bundles for the Google Play Store
Vodacom and Google have introduced new Play Store data bundles that will allow customers to browse, download and update their favourite apps, without the anxiety of additional data costs. This collaboration is said to make Vodacom the world’s first mobile network operator to implement such a service. “Vodacom prides itself on being a leading digital telco that strives to offer innovative services, solutions and continuous value for all our customers. We’re extremely proud to be the first telco in the world to offer Google Play Store bundles, enabling our customers to connect to the apps they love on the Google Play Store on the Vodacom network,” says Zunaid Mahomed, Vodacom’s Group Digital and Fixed Officer. “As we continue our pricing transformation journey, we have set our sights on redu...
UK Bans Huawei 5G Technology
Sourced from Getty Images. The UK government has decided to ban local mobile network providers from buying or using new Huawei 5G equipment. According to the BBC, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden this ban would delay the UK’s 5G rollout by a year. “This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the UK telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run,” he added. This decision comes after the UK’s national intelligence agency (GCHQ) flagged new security fears over the Chinese technology company. A report from the GCHQ is said to rule that new US sanctions on Huawei have had a ‘serve’ impact and will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control. UK to Phase Out ...
Cell C Introduces New 30-Day Data-Bundles
Image sourced from Town Press Cell C has dropped the price for its 30-Day data bundles and has introduced new bundles too. This new range of options from as low as R5 for 15MB to R95 for 1GB in anytime data plus 1GB nite data. The South African telecom provider also notes that customers stand to gain an extra 1GB of anytime data when they purchase the R95 bundle from the Cell C App resulting in a total of 3GB worth of data. The new pricing structure can be seen below: PRICE DATA NITE DATA R10 40MB R15 80MB R35 150MB R49 325MB R80 800MB R95 1GB 1GB “At this time it is more vital than ever that South Africans are able to stay connected with one another,” says Cell C’s COO, Simo Mkhize. “As a consumer-centric organisation, Cell C has always had the needs of its customers at the forefront of o...
Telkom Unveils Online Education Solution for Learners
Image sourced from My Broadband Most classrooms in South Africa have over 50 learners and one dedicated teacher having to give enough attention to each child. This is impossible in most cases resulting in some children being left behind. 2020 has added additional strain to this already tenuous situation with teachers and parents now having to help learners to catch-up on teaching time lost during the lockdown period. With this in mind, Telkom has unveiled an online education solution for learners through the Lightbulb Education platform that can be used seamlessly between school and home. Lightbulb Education focuses on the goals of the learner and creates a path to achieve this goal through a personalised learning journey. Allan Mushabe, CEO and founder of Lightbulb Education, says that te...
Why Dedicated Networks are Critical for Industrial Connectivity
With Industry 4.0, the manufacturing and logistics industries are in the midst of digital transformations to increase automation and efficiency. There is a lot to be gained with Industry 4.0, but it all begins with having the connectivity to support it. As manufacturers address modernization, automation and digitalization, dedicated networks offer a way to support multiple use cases, retain control of network resource allocation and ensure that critical data remains on-site. The process of integrating the networks of one or more manufacturing site can be triggered by a need to replace legacy networks or the increasing mobility requirements of their operations. A unified platform is required which integrates voice, data, video and IoT. Digitalization Driving Demand Industries are now ...
Google and Telkom Launch Balloon-Powered Internet Service in Kenya
Image sourced from MIT Technology Review Google’s Loon Project and Telkom Kenya have announced that it’s balloon-powered mobile Internet service is now available and covers more than 50,000 sq.km of the country with a fleet of 35 balloons – specific areas include Iten, Eldoret, Baringo, Nakuru, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii, Bomet, Kericho and Narok. According to the companies, this is the first balloon-powered internet to launch in Africa and the first non-emergency commercial deployment in the world. The Loon service will work by beaming Internet connectivity from ground stations to balloons 20 km overhead. The balloons (floating base stations) are linked to the ground stations that have been connected to Telkom’s network. These ground stations utilise millimeter wave spectrum to send connecti...
MTN Ranked as South Africa’s Best Network during Lockdown
Image sourced from Pinterest. MTN has been named as the best mobile network in South Africa during lockdown – a title awarded by MyBroadband in their lastest insights report. The report is based on 278,890 speed tests which were performed by thousands of Speed Test App users across the country between 1 April and 30 June 2020. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 27.13Mbps and an average upload speed of 10.53Mbps. Telecoms and Lockdown During the lockdown, there was pressure on mobile networks to maintain good service levels amidst the increased demand for data. The higher data traffic, which increased by up to 50%, would typically result in a decrease in network speeds. However, this was not the case thanks to the temporary spectrum issued by ICASA ...
UK to Phase Out 5G Technology from Huawei
Image sourced from Onties British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to phase out the use of 5G network technology supplied by Huawei in as little as six months – this comes after the UK’s national intelligence agency, GCHQ, flagged new security fears over the Chinese technology company. A report from the GCHQ is said to rule that new US sanctions on Huawei have had a ‘serve’ impact and will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control. According to Bloomberg, UK officials have already set about drafting proposals to stop installing new Huawei equipment in the 5G network and to speed up the removal of technology that is already in place. In response to the news, a spokesperson from the tech company says that “Huawei is the m...
Vodacom Nigeria Appoints New MD
Vodacom Business Africa announced that it has appointed Valentine Chime as the new managing director for its Nigeria operations. Chime joins the Company from Aruwa Capital, a private equity company investing across West Africa. Prior to this, he was at Kaizen Venture Partners, a private equity company focused on distressed assets. He has held various C-suite positions in a number of portfolio companies in different sectors. As MD, Chime will drive the Company’s vision of becoming Africa’s leading cloud and digital service provider, bringing to market a very relevant suite of next-generation technology solutions in the fields of Edge AI, SD-WAN/NFV and Cloud. “Vodacom Business Africa is well-known and very respected in the industry, and I look forward to taking up this mission. COVID-19 has...
MTN Appoints New CEOs in Benin and Cameroon
Image sourced from Pinterest. MTN has appointed new CEOs for two of its West African operations, MTN Cameroon and MTN Benin. Stephen Blewett, the current CEO of MTN Benin, will take the helm at MTN Cameroon on 1 August 2020 when Uche Ofodile, the current CEO of MTN Liberia, will become the CEO of MTN Benin. “I would like to congratulate Stephen and Uche on their appointments,” says MTN Group president and CEO, Rob Shuter. “Both are renowned for harnessing the power of people to move businesses forward. This is evident in the significant improvements in employee engagement, as well as overall performance, at MTN’s operations in Benin and Liberia in the past few years.” Karl Toriola, VP for MTN’s West and Central Africa region, thanked Stephen and Uche for their commitment and contribution: ...
Liquid Telecoms Expands Reach to Rural Communities in Malawi
Pan-African telecoms company, Liquid Telecom has announced that it will provide VSAT connectivity services to mbora, a pioneering new social enterprise in Malawi that is providing free connectivity to people living and working in rural areas through community hubs. Each hub is serviced with broadband speeds of up to 36mbps, which in turn enables mbora and its content partners to digitally deliver their services to mbora users over a free internet connection. Liquid Telecom is using the latest High-Throughput-Satellite of its long-term partner Intelsat and providing an uncapped data service to mbora. mbora is aiming to build 150 hubs encircling Lake Malawi and to expand across the region and according to the companies, the first community hub is now live in a lakeshore village near Mangochi...
