SA’s fourth mobile operator, Telkom’s 8ta, has announced it is extending its 10GB, 3GB and 120GB data promotions until the end of March 2013. The prices of the promotions will remain the same throughout the extension period. The products only work on 8ta’s own network and do not extend to the network of its roaming partner

Mobiflock, a mobile safety and security company, has launched a parental control service for smartphones and tablets. The service, which has been in beta development for the past six months, allows for Web and application-level blocks on Android smartphones and tablets and parental control services for Android

ZTE Mzanzi has accused its partner, China’s ZTE, of “throwing it under a bus” when it terminated agreements with the local, black-controlled company. It’s also accused it of colluding with competitor Huawei. TechCentral broke the news on Thursday

Smartphones and ordinary mobile phones have rapidly swelled the number of Internet users in SA in the past year. Consequently, Internet access is finally reaching the mass market in SA. This is the key finding of the Internet Access in SA 2012 study, conducted by World Wide Worx

22seven is no longer in beta. It will offer users a 30-day free trial, after which the service will cost R70/month. There is no contractual commitment and users can opt out at any time. CEO Christo Davel says mobile applications are inevitable, but won’t commit to a timeline for their launch

Cell C, now headed by former Vodacom Group CEO Alan Knott-Craig, is hiring a number of past and present Vodacom executives to flesh out its management team. Three of Cell C’s top positions are to be filled in coming months. Cell C has lured Vodacom Mozambique

Relations between Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer ZTE and local partner ZTE Mzanzi appear to have broken down irretrievably. TechCentral has established that ZTE has cancelled its partnership agreement with Mzanzi, in which it has a 40% stake, prompting the latter to file a court papers

First National Bank has outlined in detail its new geo-payment service Geopay after news of the feature in its smartphone app leaked on Monday. It allows consumers to make payment to anyone nearby them who has a compatible mobile device, even to customers of other banks. Though the initial focus is on person-to-person

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

Public protector Thuli Madonsela has agreed to consider the DA’s request for a probe into the Gauteng e-tolling contracts, the party said on Wednesday. “Madonsela has responded to my request for an investigation into the Gauteng e-toll contracts, including a possible link with arms deal corruption