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

Telkom’s proposed acquisition of Business Connexion – its second attempt to buy the listed IT services company – will create an information and communications technology (ICT) company that will “address the technology and communications needs of South African businesses nationally”. That’s according to the

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) vowed on Thursday to resist job losses at Telkom after the company announced plans to retrench a thousand workers. “We will defend job losses. We want Telkom to engage us on what are the issues,” CWU deputy president Clyde Mervin told reporters in Johannesburg. He said the union could

Seven years after it was forced by the competition authorities to abandon a deal to acquire listed IT services group Business Connexion, Telkom is back for another go. The telecommunications operator has offered BCX shareholders R6,60/share, a 20% premium over the share price at close of trade on 14 April when the company issued

An international cyber crime syndicate was exposed this week, with 12 people arrested on South African soil, officials said on Wednesday. Twelve people were arrested in Pretoria on Tuesday while another eight were arrested in the US and Canada, authorities from the three countries said in a joint statement. The arrests came after a joint

Dimension Data’s Internet Solutions (IS) has increased its shareholding in Wi-Fi provider AlwaysOn from 51% to 100% for an undisclosed sum, IS announced on Thursday. IS acquired its original 51% stake in AlwaysOn, which has hotspots in 1 400 locations in South Africa

Cosatu in Gauteng is worried about the extension of the e-tolling system to KwaZulu-Natal, the trade union federation said on Thursday. It proved that roads agency Sanral planned to roll-out the system to the entire country, the trade union federation’s Gauteng secretary, Dumisani Dakile, said in a statement. “The recent announcement that the

FGP, grouping led by radio personality Tim Modise has acquired a 30% shareholding in technology skills training company ICTWORX for an undisclosed sum. The IT training company has been involved in the provision of technical and engineering skills for the past six years and is a training partner for

The set-top boxes that South Africans will need to watch digital terrestrial television should be given away for free to poor people because, by the time the country has finally migrated from analogue to digital broadcasting, anyone who can afford a set-top box will already

After a lengthy pilot project, Standard Bank has commercially launched SnapScan, a smartphone-based payments system that removes the need for consumers to carry either cash or bank cards, allowing them to make payments using only their phones. Consumers from any bank, not only