Police and governments around the world need to collaborate more closely to develop the security legislation and training needed to combat a growing tide of cybercrime. That’s according to Microsoft’s global chief security advisor, Roger Halbheer.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has apologised for its statement criticising the functionality of SA’s satellite SumbandilaSAt. Last week, the DA’s shadow minister for science and technology, Marian Shinn, lambasted the department of science & technology for its proposed investment in SumbandilaSat’s builder, Sunspace, which was approved by cabinet earlier this year.

Falling mobile termination rates and slow recovery of the economy are dampening the growth of SA’s telecommunications market. That’s according to a new report from BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T). The report forecasts that the industry will grow only 5% over the next five years, with most of that growth coming from data services.

Arc Telecom, a start-up company established by former iBurst Business staff, is taking aim at the small and medium-sized business market with its converged telecom services. The company will offer its services from Thursday.

A judge in the North Gauteng High Court has overturned an interdict preventing Vodacom from disconnecting the customer lines it supplies to Gogga Tracking Solutions. In his ruling, Judge Neil Tuchten cites a number of irregularities in documents Gogga presented to the court and awards all legal costs to Vodacom. He criticises both Gogga and its legal counsel for their conduct during the case.

The sale of SA’s Dimension Data to Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) has received approval from the Competition Commission. The Commission has referred the deal to the Competition Tribunal and has recommended the deal go through without conditions.

Datatec subsidiary Logicalis has acquired Singapore-based unified communications business Touchbase for an undisclosed amount. JSE- and London-listed Datatec says Touchbase has annual revenues of around US$8m. Touchbase will be integrated into Logicalis’s Singapore operation.

Mamodupi Mohlala, the recently reinstated director-general of communications, has dismissed as premature an announcement in the Government Gazette that she has accepted a position with the public service sector education & training authority (Pseta).

JSE-listed Allied Technologies (Altech) has threatened to take government to court if it decides to implement a Brazilian digital television standard instead of the European DVB-T standard. The company, which manufactures television decoders through its Altech UEC subsidiary, claims that local broadcasters and manufacturers have already invested R700m in preparing for digital migration on the assumption that SA would adopt the DVB-T standard.

Vodacom has quietly sold its 24% stake in Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) Holdings to the company’s other shareholders. The cellular operator hopes its disposal of its shareholding in iBurst’s parent company will clear the way for it to successfully bid for radio frequency spectrum in the 2,6GHz and 3,5GHz ranges.