Information Regulator establishes enforcement committee

The Information Regulator has established an Enforcement Committee to tackle matters related to the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act... 

Telkom triggers legal and structural separation of Openserve

Telecommunications firm Telkom Group has approved the legal and structural separation of wholesale network infrastructure provider Openserve, effective September 1. This is in line with the group’s... 

Seacom continuing with five-year strategy implementation after successful year

As telecommunications and network enterprise solutions provider Seacom celebrates its thirteenth birthday, the company continues to implement the ambitious five-year strategy, adopted last year,... 

South Africa’s domain registry transitioning to attain ‘next level of excellence’

The ZA Central Registry (ZACR), which celebrated its thirty-fourth birthday at the end of July, is marking a new era as it transitions to the ZA Registry Consortium (ZARC). South Africa’s first... 

Public Works pursues aggressive cost savings in leases, property portfolio

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is taking a strong stance to control expenses and obtain the greatest efficiencies out of the properties it leases for government... 

Smartphone shipments continue to decline

The latest International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows that worldwide smartphone shipments continue to decline amid global uncertainty and softening demand.... 

Firms combine forces to mitigate global chip shortage

Global chip manufacturer Intel and semiconductor manufacturer MediaTek have partnered to manufacture chips and mitigate the current global chip shortage. The strategic partnership will see MediaTek... 

Nongeographic number portability has been ‘overwhelmingly efficient’ since March launch – association

Six months since the March implementation of nongeographic number portability, the process has been overwhelmingly efficient, Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) says. The association... 

Google, other online intermediation platforms fingered in provisional market inquiry report

The Competition Commission has published its provisional report after the conclusion of a 14-month Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry. The release of the provisional findings and... 

Vodacom to invest over R1bn into its KZN network

Telecommunications group Vodacom is investing more than R1-billion into its mobile network in KwaZulu-Natal in 2022. The company aims to improve regional coverage reach and quality, capacity and... 

Call for broader embracing of mobile-device subscription model to mitigate e-waste

A move towards subscription-based models for smartphones and embracing a circular economy through refurbishment can mitigate and reduce the e-waste currently being experienced from the disposal of... 

Liquid launches Africa’s first Cyber Security Fusion Centre

Pan-African technology group Liquid Cyber Security has launched its first Cyber Security Fusion Centre in Johannesburg. The fusion centre, one of six planned across Africa, provides 24/7 managed... 

WRC, Unicef formalise partnership

The Water Research Commission (WRC) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising a partnership in the... 

Department working 'around the clock' to clear water-use licence backlog

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is working “around-the-clock” to reduce the timeframe for the issuing of water-use licences. The department aims to finalise water-use licence... 

Vodacom injecting R500m into Western Cape network to increase capacity and uptime

Telecommunications group Vodacom aims to spend more than R500-million in the Western Cape to grow coverage reach, increase capacity and improve network uptime across the province this year. The... 

Zutari exits joint-CEO era after riding out Covid pandemic

As engineering design and advisory services company Zutari emerges from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic stronger, it has ended the joint-CEO leadership structure that enabled the company to... 

First-quarter household resilience index 2.4% above pre-Covid levels but interest rate hikes worrying

The Altron FinTech Household Resilience Index (AFHRI) is in “stable territory” with a consistent improvement, during the first quarter of 2022, in the disposable income of South African households... 

Africa’s digital economy poised for exponential growth

As the global digital economy develops at twice the global gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, with over 50% of the global GDP expected to be digitalised by the end of 2022, Africa’s digital... 

Huawei earmarks R100 for SMEs over next three years

Information and communication technology (ICT) giant Huawei is preparing for the launch of its third data centre availability zone, three years ahead of schedule, as part of Huawei Cloud’s... 

NEC XON helps Africa’s mobile network operators develop new 5G models

Open RAN can support the gradual commercial deployment of fifth-generation (5G), connectivity expansion and coverage with the infrastructure and services to support it in Africa. This was one of... 

Vodacom invests R460m in Limpopo network to boost coverage

Telecommunications group Vodacom’s Limpopo Region has invested more than R460-million into its network across the province to increase coverage and meet the demand for online access. Some... 

South African businesses take tentative steps into metaverse

The next evolution of the Internet is emerging and, while expected to develop slowly in South Africa, the so-called metaverse could provide business with a new avenue of growth. The metaverse is... 

Leakproof oxyfuel system launched at compressed gas safety conference

A partnership between industry peers has resulted in the launch – and shortly, the distribution worldwide – of a new triple-patented oxyfuel system, described as a revolutionary step forward for... 

Use of digital payments still low among South African small businesses

Post the Covid-19 pandemic and with digital technologies growing, the world is fast moving towards the digital space, and small businesses not participating risk being left behind, amid the... 

MTN ‘crowd sources’ generators from small businesses amid deepening power crisis

Telecommunications group MTN South Africa (SA) is exploring practical and innovative solutions to the power crisis and seeking out partners with generators as it works to maintain customer... 

Reunert intent on capturing bigger share of renewable-energy market in SA and beyond

JSE-listed industrial group Reunert has set its sights on capturing a critical market in South Africa and beyond: renewable energy. The group, during its investor day showcase on June 28,... 

TCTA, Gold One partner to solve Eastern Basin AMD pumping crisis

The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) and Gold One Group subsidiary Newshelf have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to improve the availability and reliability of the Eastern Basin Acid... 

5G fastest growing mobile technology – report

Fifth-generation (5G) technology is scaling faster than any previous mobile technology generations, with predictions that it will account for 60% of global mobile network data traffic by 2027. The... 

Nokia, Docomo and NTT partner to bring 6G vision to life

A joint collaboration has started work on defining and developing the key technologies to shape the next generation of wireless connectivity technology: sixth-generation (6G). Technology giant... 

Vodacom’s #CodeLikeAGirl programme trains 4 000 in five years

The number of young girls trained under information and communication technology (ICT) group Vodacom’s #CodeLikeAGirl programme is expected to reach 4 000 by the end of the financial year. Starting... 

Vodacom secures best-quality network ranking

Telecommunications group Vodacom has secured the top position in rankings by independent crowdsourced data company Tutela. Tutela conducted research into the mobile network experiences of South... 

Coalition mobilises $25bn to connect the unconnected

The newly launched Partner2Connect (P2C) coalition has secured over 400 connectivity pledges, representing an estimated combined financial value of $25.05-billion, with more pledges still coming... 

Vantage Data Centers, SolarAfrica enter power purchase agreement

Hyperscale data centre campuses provider Vantage Data Centers has secured 87 MWp of solar energy for its Johannesburg (JNB1) data centre campus through a 20-year power purchase agreement with solar... 

MTN SA targets 25% 5G coverage by year-end

Telecommunications group MTN South Africa (SA) aims to have 25% of South Africa’s population covered by fifth-generation (5G) connectivity by the end of 2022, as it ramps up its deployment. MTN... 

Prudent to ‘pause’ and strengthen Wireless Open Access Network business case – Icasa

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is still committed to pursuing a Wireless Open Access Network (Woan); however, it has to be done properly, says Icasa chairperson Dr... 

Carbon capture, use and storage identified in new Sanedi assessment as having huge potential to slash emissions

The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) has published the first technical assessment on possible pathways to introduce clean coal technology, as well as options for carbon... 

Vodacom achieves Level 1 BBBEE for fourth consecutive year

Telecommunications giant Vodacom South Africa has achieved Level 1 broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) contributor statues for a fourth consecutive year. Parent company Vodacom Group,... 

Innovation key to expanding connectivity in Africa – study

Greater innovation from telecommunications and technology companies is vital to drive the expansion of Internet connectivity across Africa, new research for blockchain-based mobile network operator... 

Connectivity rolled out to 256 TVET campuses, more targeted by year-end

South African Broadband Education Networks (Saben) has increased bandwidth for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges from 10 Mb/s up to 200 Mb/s using FortiGate devices... 

Smartphone shipments to be 3.5% lower in 2022, following three quarters of decline

Weaker demand and global uncertainty are hampering the growth of global smartphone shipments, leading to a significantly reduced forecast for 2022 from the previous projection of 1.6% growth. The...