What was the president thinking? Last Sunday, Jacob Zuma sent shockwaves through South Africa’s technology industry by dumping his hardworking communications minister, Yunus Carrim – arguably the most competent person to fill the portfolio since the 1990s – and splitting the ministry in
At a recent public lecture, held at the University of Johannesburg, I was inspired by the impact that the Bloodhound SSC project has had on science, mathematics and engineering in schools around the world. The project, whose aim is to set a new world land speed record at supersonic speed
Last week was one of the most interesting in the history of telecommunications in South Africa. Telkom made its second bid in seven years for Business Connexion (BCX), while Vodacom and Neotel came to an agreement on a R7bn acquisition, which, if approved, will finally give the mobile operator a compelling offering in the enterprise
News that Parkhurst residents have embarked on a project to deliver high-speed fibre access to homes and businesses in their neighbourhood represents a watershed moment that could lead to a broader roll-out of fibre to the home (FTTH) in South Africa. In areas like Parkhurst in Johannesburg, where housing is fairly dense by South
A lot of people think Gareth Cliff is an idiot. I’m not talking about his usual detractors — mother grundies and religious nuts. I’m talking about many of his 2m fans, the listeners of the breakfast show he used to host on 5FM. Why on earth would he leave such a job to start an Internet radio station? Their argument makes sense, at least
This week, remarkable news emerged from an upmarket Johannesburg suburb. The community of Parkhurst, through its residents’ association, announced it had issued a request for proposals from telecommunications service providers to connect all houses and businesses in
There is a certain irony in the fact that at the same time that our cellphone companies are announcing dramatic cuts to both their data and call rates in what appears to be a price war, we are also confronted by announcements on proposed tie-ups that, if concluded, will reduce competition in the sector. The irony is no coincidence. Cell C’s effort to win market
Cell C this week signalled it will not back down an inch as the price war between South Africa’s mobile operators intensifies. The mobile operator, South Africa’s third largest after Vodacom and MTN, upped the stakes with its bigger rivals by cutting its prepaid rate from 99c to 66c/minute (billed per second) on a promotional basis
As a journalist, I am au fait with computer keyboards. My fingers glide across the keys as I write, but there are a few buttons that I never touch. These evolutionary leftovers from a previous era of computing seem to offer no purpose today. Granted, these keys don’t appear on all modern keyboards, and regions also differ, but if
Naspers was the darling of the JSE in 2013, contributing a full 4,2% of the total market performance of 18% last year. But we believe that, although it may be a great business, Naspers does not represent a good investment. Investors seem to be pricing the share for perfection, and then some. Eager to gain access to the Chinese market, via
