All the latest technology news from South Africa and around the world.
“Today, tomorrow, goodbye.” This tagline, a cheeky version of Absa’s slogan, “today, tomorrow, together”, used by trade union Solidarity in its Stop Absa campaign this week, reflects the sweeping changes at the country’s second largest bank. Hundreds of staff were given retrenchment notices this week or asked to reapply for their positions, while some were given immediate marching
Johannesburg-listed MTN Group is in crisis management mode trying to limit reputational damage after Turkcell filed an explosive lawsuit in the Washington federal court on Thursday morning (SA time), implicating government officials and executives from Africa’s largest mobile phone operator in a bribery and sophisticated weapons scandal
Silicon Valley has led the world in innovation and entrepreneurship because of its culture of information sharing and mentoring. No other region in the world is like it. But things are changing. In my travels to countries like India, China, and Chile, I’ve witnessed a noticeable evolution in entrepreneurial culture over the past five years.
However, trade experts question whether it can live up to this position as investors begin to increasingly look towards other African markets. In 2003, SA became part of the Ibsa grouping (India, Brazil and South Africa), and seven years later it joined the bloc of countries now known as Brics(Brazil, Russia, India, China and SA)
Absa on Thursday denied claims that it was firing 3000 staff members. “Absa confirms that there is no mass retrenchment being undertaken within the company,” spokesman Ajith Bridgraj said in a statement. “Absa has and will continue to evolve its systems and processes, which sometimes lead to very limited job losses
He says government needs to move faster on issuing access to new radio frequency spectrum and ensure it goes to those best suited to use it. He says Cell C’s size makes it more agile than its competitors in a market that is going to become marked by low margins from, and high quantities of, data consumption. Knott-Craig is set
Fixed-line operator Telkom plans to launch a fibre-to-the-home trial network in two separate parts of the country soon, Bashier Sallie, MD of wholesale and networks, tells TechCentral. The company hasn’t yet decided where the trials will take place or when exactly they’ll go live.
The Independent Communications Authority of SA has been lauded by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa) for its new regulatory framework governing the licence fees for radio frequency spectrum, which comes into force on 1 April. Ispa regulatory affairs director
Alan Knott-Craig, who takes the helm at mobile operator Cell C next Monday, hinted strongly on Wednesday that the operator will begin offering Apple’s iPhone to its subscribers within the next few months. Until now, the iPhone has only been available through MTN and Vodacom
South Africans using Apple and Google Android-based smartphones can look forward to being able to accept credit- and cheque-card payments using their mobile phones from early next month, thanks to a Cape Town-based start-up that is launching a new service called CheqOut next month. CheqOut founder Bradley Elliott says the service will also support
