Why you should care about blockchain
I’m often asked — by non-crypto-loving people, obviously – what blockchain actually does. Or whether it does anything at all. Or why the man in the street should even care. By Riccardo Spagni.
Browsing: Opinion
SA must be wary of big promises made about 4IR
Adaptive regulation is needed to ensure South Africa reaps the benefits of digitalisation that will integrate it more into the global economy. By Alison Gillwald.
Why DStv shouldn’t be forced to share World Cup rugby
There have been growing calls on social media for MultiChoice to share Springbok games in this year’s Rugby World Cup with the SABC. This makes little sense if it’s forced on the company. By Duncan McLeod.
Icasa sports regulations pose a threat to constitutionalism
Icasa’s proposal to force sporting bodies to make “games of national interest” freely available to the SABC will have unintended consequences not only for sports but also for constitutionalism. By Martin van Staden.
Too late for local-loop unbundling in South Africa
In its policy paper published this week, national treasury devoted considerable space to the telecommunications sector. Though many of the proposals make sense, an anachronism stuck out. By Duncan McLeod.
SA caught up in 4IR hype – let’s get the basics right first
South Africa is caught up in the global hype of the so-called fourth Industrial Revolution. This is distracting it from the unfinished business of redressing inequality and creating the preconditions for an inclusive digital economy. By Alison Gillwald.
Central banks are ruining money: a defence of bitcoin (and gold)
Investors are being forced into bitcoin and gold by persistent monetary stimulus by global central banks, which has eroded the store-of-value characteristics from traditional financial markets. By Rob Price.
What’s needed to save Cell C
Regulators, including Icasa and the Competition Commission, will have to be pragmatic and lenient about a looming expanded tie-up between Cell C and MTN South Africa if the former isn’t going to go to the wall.
Start-ups should not fear being public policy upstarts
Public policy engagements have traditionally been seen as the realm of well-established businesses. Start-ups – and tech start-ups in particular – need to start engaging sooner because there may not be time to “figure it out later”. By Gwen Ngwenya.
DSL is headed for the scrapheap
Telkom’s copper-based digital subscriber line network is living on borrowed time. By Duncan McLeod.