Microsoft dealt a blow to its partner Nokia late last week when it said current Windows Phone devices would not get upgraded to the latest version of the operating system. In the process, the US software giant may have shot itself in the foot. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop could be forgiven for thinking
It had all the hallmarks of an Apple keynote. No one knew exactly what Microsoft would be announcing in Los Angeles, but the excitement among gadget junkies about a potentially game-changing product from the US software giant was palpable. What
Events of the past week have shown that it’s become more urgent than ever that government sell its stake in Telkom . If it continues as a significant shareholder, it risks further undermining one of SA’s most important companies and inflicting long-term damage on SA’s economy. The opportune
Government first raised the idea of a deal between Telkom and Korea’s KT Corp. So, last week’s decision by cabinet not to support the transaction comes as a surprise and a setback for the JSE-listed company and raises serious concerns for shareholders and
In the escalating smartphone wars, the battle for supremacy is being waged between Apple and Samsung Electronics. In the first quarter of 2012, it’s estimated the two companies consumed all of the industry’s profits and 74% of its revenues. Where does this leave BlackBerry’s Research in Motion, Nokia
Extraordinary events took place behind the scenes in SA’s cellphone industry in the past week. Alan Knott-Craig played his first hand as Cell C CEO, slashing prepaid voice prices, and Vodacom reacted almost immediately with new rates of its own. But then the bigger operator botched its counter attack by
Telkom is inching closer to a deal to sell 20% of its equity to Korea’s KT Corp. Though the foreign direct investment in SA’s economy should be welcomed, there are potential pitfalls government must be careful to avoid. Last week, Telkom announced to
First National Bank this week lifted the lid on a new payment mechanism that uses the GPS feature in modern smartphones. It won’t result in the much-hyped cashless society, but it could greatly reduce South Africans’ reliance on cash over time. The new payment feature, which is included in an update to
The Australian government is investing A$40bn (R325bn) in taking high-speed fibre-optic broadband infrastructure into more than 90% of that country’s homes. The project has the potential to transform Australia’s economy. Should SA try to emulate it? The land of kangaroos, gum trees, sheep and Shane Warne
Last week’s national policy colloquium, organised by the department of communications, drew a degree of cynicism from the telecoms industry. The view among many industry players is that it’s the same old rhetoric with no action. Will this time be different? The industry can be forgiven for suffering from “colloquium fatigue”. Politicians
