Southern Africa
Bolt Introduces New ‘Low-Cost’ Service in South Africa
Ride-hailing platform Bolt has launched a new low-cost category called Bolt Go – which is aiming to be the cheapest ride-hailing service in South Africa, with fares approximately 20% less than regular Bolt rides. The addition of the new low-cost category hopes to significantly lower the barriers to entry into the South African ride-hailing industry by empowering owners and drivers of hatchback cars to access the Bolt platform and earn an income. “Smaller hatchback cars are less expensive to purchase, have lower maintenance costs, and are more fuel-efficient to operate than Bolt’s regular larger sedan cars,” says Gareth Taylor, country manager for Bolt South Africa. “These lower operational costs also enable Bolt Go fares to be significantly more affordable.” The new more affordable service...
Rain Launches the First Standalone 5G Network in Africa
Image sourced from MyBroadband Rain has rolled-out Africa’s first commercial standalone 5G network – powered by Huawei. The South African data-only provider currently covers suburbs in Cape Town including Sea Point, Claremont, Goodwood, Bellville, Durbanville and the CBD. “Standalone 5G will further improve 5G network performance with increased uplink rate, lower latency, and improved reliability, ushering in high-end cloud VR and cloud gaming services, more diversified enterprise and home broadband services,” says Khaya Dlanga, Rain CMO. “Standalone 5G will demonstrate how 5G is powerful in realising South Africa’s 4IR future. Powered by Huawei’s global leading 5G solutions, our Standalone 5G will enable the industry’s digital transformation in the future, such as smart healthcare, smart ...
The Impact of EduTech in South Africa
COVID-19 has shone the spotlight on the importance of technology, especially within the realm of education. When schools around the country were forced to shut their doors, teachers and students needed to adapt to the prospect of continuing their learning online. While some thrived in these conditions, others struggled through. It became evident that not only is there a lack of practical resources available in South Africa’s less privileged communities, but also a lack of tech-related skills amongst South Africa’s youth. Ultimately, it is clear that the country has a way to go before overcoming many of the hurdles standing in the way of fully embracing the power of EduTech. However, the reality is that the use of technology in education, and all other aspects of daily life, is no longer op...
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...
Microsoft Unveils Two New Surface Devices in South Africa
Microsoft has introduced its newest additions to the Surface range – the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 – for both commercial and consumer customers. The devices will be available for consumers in retail from Incredible Connection stores and Vodacom from 29 July. The Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 are said to continue the brand’s tradition of best-in-class productivity, security, mobility and speed, and introduce new processors and modern connectivity options in a world of remote work and learning. “Rapid and continuous change define modern living and working – and the shift to remote working and education requires the right tools to stay productive and connected securely,” says Vithesh Reddy, Consumer and Channel Marketing Director at Microsoft South Africa. “Microsoft’s Sur...
Only 44% of South Africans are Optimistic about the Future of their Business
Sourced from Women in Tech Africa. To lay bare the scale of challenges small businesses are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand their ongoing challenges and areas for further support, Facebook published the Global State of Small Business Report. Compiled in partnership with the World Bank and the OECD, it surveyed over 30,000 small business owners and employees from around the world in over 50 countries. In South Africa, the survey reveals that despite the challenges, SMBs are optimistic, but that there is a long-term jobs crisis on our hands. Over 44% of operational SMBs on Facebook feel optimistic about the future of their business, with 42% of female-led SMBs on Facebook (and 66% of male-led SMBs) currently operational or engaging in revenue led activities. /* custom ...
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...
Vuma Expands ‘Free Fibre to Schools’ Programme in South Africa
Vuma has officially launched its Fibre to Schools programme in Limpopo, South Africa. As part of the initiative, primary and high schools located along Vuma’s existing fibre deployment route in Polokwane are provided with a free 1Gbps fibre line. Laerskool Pietersburg-Oos in Bendor has already benefited from the initiative, along with Adsum Academy, which received its fibre installations and connection with Capricom. Vuma says that it plans to connect more schools in the coming months. The launch follows the recent arrival of Vuma fibre-to-the-home services in Polokwane, with fibre connections already active in Bendor, Welgelegen, Fauna Park, Flora Park, Sterpark and Annadale with more areas to be added soon. “Fast fibre Internet is the key to ensuring uninterrupted, efficient e-learning e...
Networks Unlimited Africa Makes a Generous Donation to a School in Tembisa
“South African businesses have an ethical responsibility towards educating the country’s less-privileged children and should not lose this commitment when times are economically and socially difficult. It is even more important during these tough times to continue supporting the educational needs of society’s most vulnerable.” So says Anton Jacobsz, CEO at Networks Unlimited Africa, a leading value-added distributor within the Sub-Saharan Africa market. He was commenting after a recent donation of nearly R130,000 from the company’s annual golf day was made to its chosen beneficiary, Nokuphila School, in support of early childhood development. The 2020 golf day took place earlier this year, prior to the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an annual event which bring...
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...
60% of South African Organisations Fall Victim to Cybersecurity Incidents
Sourced from Forbes Six in ten (60%) organisations from South Africa experienced a public cloud security incident in the last year – including ransomware (25%), other malware (28%), exposed data (28%), compromised accounts (27%), and cryptojacking (26%) – according to The State of Cloud Security 2020 from Sophos. Globally, organisations running multi-cloud environments are greater than 50% more likely to suffer a cloud security incident than those running a single cloud. Europeans suffered the lowest percentage of security incidents in the cloud, an indicator that compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines are helping to protect organisations from being compromised. India, on the other hand, fared the worst, with 93% of organisations being hit by an attack in the ...
South Africa’s eCommerce Market to Reach $3.5 Billion in 2020, says Researchers
eCommerce has broken barriers as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic’s lockdown restrictions. Statista believes that the South African market will reach just over R62 billion this year, and show a compounded annual growth rate of 10% for the next four years. User penetration will be 37% this year and is expected to hit almost 51% by 2024. And even given the devasting impact of the national lockdown restrictions, which meant that online shoppers could order only “essential” items, 22% of a thousand South African adults surveyed in late April by Ipsos said they were using online shopping more frequently than in the month before, with 65% shopping less at a supermarket according to Nielsen figures released in early May. eCommerce and Consumer Trust “We’re seeing more and more people real...
