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All the latest technology news from South Africa and around the world.

Ousted communications director-general Mamodupi Mohlala has been locked out of her office at the department of communications despite being granted access to the building in Pretoria this morning. In the latest dramatic development, Mohlala has given the department half an hour — until about 12pm today, Monday — to open her office.

The Mobile TV Consortium has been granted a licence to test the Korean standard for mobile television, digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), in SA. The consortium, controlled by businessman Richard Moloko’s Moloko Investment Group and backed by high-profile shareholders including former Telkom chairman Shirley Lue Arnold, says it expects to have a service ready for pilot in about a month.

Investment in information technology will be a key focus area for US retailing giant Wal-Mart if it proceeds with its nonbinding offer to buy SA retail group Massmart in a R30bn deal. Massmart, which owns Makro and other discount stores, told shareholders on Monday morning that Wal-Mart Stores had made a preliminary, nonbinding proposal, which could lead to the world’s largest retailer acquiring the JSE-listed group for R148/share.

Sparks are expected to fly at the department of communications on Monday when ousted director-general Mamodupi Mohlala is set to return to work. Mohlala says she is determined to reclaim her old job after department of public service & administration apparently failed to find her an equivalent position in another government department.

Police and governments around the world need to collaborate more closely to develop the security legislation and training needed to combat a growing tide of cybercrime. That’s according to Microsoft’s global chief security advisor, Roger Halbheer.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has apologised for its statement criticising the functionality of SA’s satellite SumbandilaSAt. Last week, the DA’s shadow minister for science and technology, Marian Shinn, lambasted the department of science & technology for its proposed investment in SumbandilaSat’s builder, Sunspace, which was approved by cabinet earlier this year.

Falling mobile termination rates and slow recovery of the economy are dampening the growth of SA’s telecommunications market. That’s according to a new report from BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T). The report forecasts that the industry will grow only 5% over the next five years, with most of that growth coming from data services.

Arc Telecom, a start-up company established by former iBurst Business staff, is taking aim at the small and medium-sized business market with its converged telecom services. The company will offer its services from Thursday.

A judge in the North Gauteng High Court has overturned an interdict preventing Vodacom from disconnecting the customer lines it supplies to Gogga Tracking Solutions. In his ruling, Judge Neil Tuchten cites a number of irregularities in documents Gogga presented to the court and awards all legal costs to Vodacom. He criticises both Gogga and its legal counsel for their conduct during the case.

The sale of SA’s Dimension Data to Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) has received approval from the Competition Commission. The Commission has referred the deal to the Competition Tribunal and has recommended the deal go through without conditions.