April 2015 has kicked off with a strong start. According to BCX and Telkom, the current merger is progressing smoothly. Switching over to Kenya, internet access within the country has shown positive growth. Also unveiled this week was the PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup for April 2015.
If you missed out on the IT News Africa’s Principles of IT Leadership Seminar, you can view the photo gallery here. Additionally, you can register for our upcoming Strategy Seminar titled, “Selling to CIO” here. The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a fantastic Easter weekend. Here are our top stories of the week:
News
ZTE selects Mitsumi as distribution partner for Africa
ZTE Corporation has selected Mitsumi Distribution as its strategic distribution partner for the continent. The agreement is expected to cover Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Namibia, Tunisia, Cameroon, Madagascar, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Botswana. Read More.
East Africa: Cross-border mobile money transfers planned
East African Communities will, by the end of 2015, be able to transfer money via mobile phones across borders if full implementation of the One Area Network Agreement (OANA) succeeds. Read More.
Togo: Huawei awarded public sector fibre contract
Togo’s Government has revealed plans to connect 500 public buildings, which include: hospitals, universities, airports, and ministries to fibre. Read More.
Gilat Satcom unveils satellite service for rural Africa
Gilat Satcom has unveiled the launch of its ‘Village Island’ portfolio, which according to the company enables rural villages and remote communities in Africa where ARPUs are low to take control of their digital futures. Read More.
Kenya: Internet access continues to record positive growth
According to report by the Communications Authority of Kenya, the number of internet users in the country has grown to reach 26.1 million translating to 64.3 per 100 inhabitants with access to internet. The number of data/internet subscriptions grew by 10.8 percent to reach 16.4 million during the second quarter of the 2014/15 financial year, October to December 2014. Read More.
Business Connexion & Telkom merger still on track
Business Connexion (BCX) has revealed that Telkom has made an offer to acquire the entire share capital of BCX by way of a scheme of arrangement. Read More.
Opinions
Why Mobile Money should matter to Government
Speaking at The Economist Conference in Johannesburg in late 2014, Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said, “There is a perception that financial inclusion efforts will necessarily lead to increased financial risk and hence have a negative effect on financial stability. Read More.
An effective digital strategy is key to competitiveness in tech
The world as we know it is being shaped and changed by a set of megatrends that leading analyst firm Gartner calls the “Nexus of Forces”. Social, mobile, cloud and big data have revolutionised the way people communicate, interact and live their lives. Read More.
Interviews
Andile Ngcaba Details Wi-Fi Forum SA
An inaugural conference of the Wi-Fi Forum of South Africa was held on 12 March 2015 in Johannesburg, officially establishing the Forum as an active player in the development of the country’s Wi-Fi sector. The association aims to represent the views of all stakeholders in the industry and serve as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking. Watch the interview here.
George Burgess discusses Gojimo Education App
George Burgess, one of the world’s youngest successful entrepreneurs at just 22 years old, has developed an education app that assists students in revising for their school exams. The app which has been dubbed “Gojimo” will be available in South Africa on the 2nd of April 2015. Watch the interview here.
Top Features
Top Tech Tips to lock down your social media account
With mobile devices becoming more prominent in our day-to-day lives, as tech-savvy Africans, we are constantly accessing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. While these platforms are secure in their own right, they can essentially place your personal information and private life at risk. Read More.
Top List
Top 10 Strategic Technologies for Education in 2015
Social and economic pressures are forcing senior education leaders to rethink business models and consider a range of new technologies, to bring down the cost of administering education institutions and scale the business, according to research from Gartner. Read More.
Gadgets and Gaming
Bloodborne Review
Back in good old days there were quite a few titles that offered up a massive challenge. Looking back at some of the most difficult retro games out there… Abe’s Oddysee, Ghouls and Ghosts, Contra, and Green Beret were by far some of the most challenging titles. However, fast forward to 2015, and quite a few new titles tend to hold your hand as well as offer up various tutorials to get you started. Thankfully, Bloodborne is not one of these titles. Read More.
PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup April 2015
The PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup for April 2015 is packed with another great selection of titles, which should not be missed. Not only do we get to step into the beautiful world of Never Alone on the PlayStation 4, but we also get to dive back into the world of Dishonored on the PlayStation 3. Read More.
Mortal Kombat X: Who’s Playable?
Mortal Kombat X is set to launch on 14 April 2015; however, the big question still remains… Who’s playable in the next installment of Mortal Kombat? Read More.
DJI Phantom Drone showcases the beauty of Africa
Technology is fast becoming an essential part of life. While some use technology to keep in contact, do business, or share the latest news on social media – Relais & Châteaux Africa has used it in order to showcase the true beauty of Africa. Read More.
Battlefield Hardline Review
The Battlefield franchise has never entirely swayed away from its traditional roots. Most of the titles have been developed by Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (DICE), and essentially have had a military focused theme – which goes along the lines of the world being on the brink of chaos and various military forces stepping in to diffuse the situation. Granted, the Battlefield franchise has moved from strength-to-strength, but unfortunately it was beginning to feel somewhat stale and stagnant… especially in the campaign department. Read More.
Review: New Nintendo 3DS XL
Since launch in 2011, the Nintendo 3DS has evolved quite a bit. The device has seen several redesigns, as well as the introduction of the Nintendo 2DS. However, Nintendo has not stopped there. Just recently, Nintendo launched its latest handheld gaming console, which has been dubbed the New Nintendo 3DS. However, what makes the New Nintendo 3DS different from the rest? Read More.
Darryl Linington
