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ITNewsAfrica’s top ten stories of the week
This week has seen intense media scrutiny over spying allegations between nations, over Edward Snowden’s quest for asylum, over Zimbabwe’s forthcoming election and changes within South Africa’s socio-economic and political landscape.
For businesses in Africa, the role of big data and big data analytics, along with the development of business intelligence, remains a topic of much discussion.
We have drafted a list of the top stories of the week, those stories that have made an impression with readers.
We hope you enjoy!
1. Uganda wins for Africa at Imagine Cup
On Thursday 11 June Microsoft announced the winners of the 11th annual Microsoft Imagine Cup, the world’s premier competition for student technologists, developers and aspiring entrepreneurs to create innovative projects and ultimately bring those ideas to market.
2. Vodafone announces Africa expansion strategy
Vodafone announced the expansion in Africa of Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE), the business unit providing communications services for Vodafone’s 1,700 largest multinational customers throughout Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
3. Ghana: Alcatel-Lucent, Surfline 4G LTE rollout
On Tuesday 9 July Alcatel-Lucent and Surfline Communications Ltd. announced what they claim is “the first commercial deployment of a 4G LTE network in Ghana and, more general, in Western and Central Africa”.
4. Africa well represented at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup
On Monday 8 July competing nations started to arrive in St. Petersburg, Russia, as Microsoft’s bi-annual Imagine Cup officially kicked off. The competition saw teams from different nations compete against each other in app development, program development and designing games for Windows and Xbox.
On Wednesday 10 July Codemasters announced that the Drift Pack, new downloadable content for GRID 2, is now available for the Xbox 360 and Windows PC.
6. Zambia rolls out “internetless” Facebook
Mobile service operator Airtel Zambia announced on Tuesday 9 July that they will be rolling out a service which will allow users to access their Facebook accounts on their mobile phones without the need to have an active internet connection in place.
7. South Africa: Telkom Mobile announces new pre-paid tariffs
In South Africa, Telkom Mobile on Thursday 11 July announced the launch of SIM-SONKE pre-paid tariff. The product is designed as a low-tariff offering for improved access to mobile connectivity for those living in high-density communities in urban areas.
8. Zambia: mobile service providers face legal action
The Times of Zambia reported that ICT authorities have taken legal action against mobile phone service providers over alleged poor service delivery to customers.
9. South Africa: govt reshuffle ushers in DoC’s 4th Minister under Zuma
On Tuesday 09 July 2013 South African President Jacob Zuma announced a cabinet reshuffle, resulting in the end of Dina Pule’s tenure as Communications Minister and the appointment of her replacement, Minister Yunus Carrim.
10. The growing influence of the Cloud
The growth and popularity of cloud with the consumer in recent months has meant companies are finding the need to respond to an ever-increasing demand for their services. These new service offerings, therefore, need to be a priority for those particular companies, as customers look to take advantage of all the benefits that the platform has to offer.
* Image via Shutterstock
Chris Tredger, Online Editor
