Tension has arisen in the technology industry this week. Apple and Ericsson have locked horns once again. Ericsson has taken its legal battle with Apple to Europe to ramp up pressure on the iPhone-maker to pay royalties, on standard-essential patents, on what it insists will be a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) basis.
Shifting the focus to Africa, Google’s Consumer Barometer has revealed the internet usage stats for Kenya. Also making the headlines this week was WorldRemit’s founder and CEO, Ismail Ahmed. Ahmed has called on regulators to block Western Union’s MoneyGram acquisition.
Be sure not to miss the upcoming CIO Roadmap 2015, which will feature cutting-edge demos, engaging keynotes, lively panel discussions, noted local and international speakers, along with an amazing technology exhibition area. The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a wonderful weekend. The top stories of the week can be found below:
News
Google Consumer Barometer reveals internet usage stats for Kenya
According to a survey, conducted by the Google Consumer Barometer, 89 percent of people located within Kenya go online to visit social networks, which include the likes of Facebook, Twitter, as well as Instagram. Read More.
Nigeria regulator says innovation key to telecom growth
Innovation is key to Nigeria’s continued growth in the telecommunications sector, the country’s regulator said this week. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said in a report that the industry’s growth “was a result of innovation in the industry.” Read More.
Morocco has over 10 million internet users
Morocco has passed an Internet milestone, exceeding the 10 million subscriber mark through the end of March, the country’s telecommunications regulator said. Read More.
Safaricom sees substantial rise in net profit
Kenyan operator Safaricom reported that it had seen a 38 percent increase in the company’s net profit through the end of the last fiscal year through March 31. The operator says its net profit came in at KES 31.9 billion for the year, up from KES 23.04 billion the previous year. Read More.
South Africa: Telkom set to drive ICT innovation and growth
Telkom has announced an investment of over R100 million in enterprise and supplier development with the launch of its FutureMakers programme. Read More.
Egyptian cabinet to decide on WhatsApp voice ban
In a sign of what many critics are calling expected censorship, Egypt’s Cabinet has set May 10 2015 as a deadline in order to determine whether to continue to allow the WhatsApp voice application from being used in Egypt. The issue is likely to find controversy in a fractured country where political turmoil has persisted for nearly five years. Read More.
WorldRemit calls on regulators to block Western Union’s MoneyGram acquisition
WorldRemit founder and CEO, Ismail Ahmed, has commented on the potential acquisition of MoneyGram by its largest competitor – Western Union. Read More.
Eaton Towers plans $350m expansion in Egypt
In an effort to boost its expansion across Africa, starting with Egypt, telecommunications tower company Eaton Towers announced it has raised some $350 million in that effort. The move will allow the company to push out its towers in order to deliver better connectivity across the continent. Read More.
Opinions
Is 2015 the year of a data dystopia?
Over the last two years alone, it’s become increasingly evident that the world runs on data. Indeed the publicity of the Sony and iCloud hacks and Government data breaches have had such a wide reaching effect that data privacy and security has become a genuine concern. Read More.
Rethink security to beat tomorrow’s threats
The transformation of enterprise IT can seem like one of the biggest challenges for security professionals as there is a whole new skill set required today to protect data. Read More.
Top Features
Intel Solutions Summit 2015: Intel sets sights on African Market
During an exclusive media briefing at the Intel Solutions Summit 2015 (ISS 2015) Intel’s Christian Morales, VP and General Manager for Europe, Middle East, Africa revealed that Intel is not only looking to expand in South Africa, but the company is also looking at potentially opening an office within Rwanda. Morales added that: “Intel is placing a large focus on the African continent.” Read More.
What if African nations operated as one big innovation ecosystem?
Since innovation rarely succeeds in isolation, innovation ecosystems must be aligned with business and education ecosystems that can support and perpetuate parallel innovation. So this means that for an innovation ecosystem to function, its players must include innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, academia, venture capitalists, investors, as well as training consultants, legal consultants, business and professional development experts, and marketing gurus amongst others. All of this needs to be underpinned by strong government policies, ethical practices and African cultural understanding. Read More.
In Pictures: Intel Solutions Summit 2015 – Abu Dhabi
The Intel Solutions Summit 2015 (ISS 2015), which was held at the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit in Abu Dhabi, showcased an impressive amount of technology under one roof. Not only was the Oculus Rift on show, but Intel showcased one of it’s upcoming, as well as most promising devices, the Intel Compute Stick. Read More.
ISS 2015: Intel Compute Stick has great potential in Africa
Smartphones and tablets have boomed in Africa; however, the standard desktop PC has been left behind. At the Intel Solutions Summit 2015, Intel unveiled its latest innovation – the Intel Compute Stick. Read More.
Top List
Top 50 tracking apps for smartphones
In Africa, smartphone adoption has boomed over the past few years. According to a study conducted by GeoPoll and World Wide Worx, Internet browsing via phones now stands at 40 per cent across key African markets, with 51% of respondents in Ghana and 47% in Nigeria reporting that they use their phones to access the internet. South Africa lags behind at 40%, and Kenya (34%) and Uganda (29%) are slowest on the uptake. Read More.
Gadgets and Gaming
PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup May 2015
The PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup for May 2015 has been revealed. This month, PlayStation has offered up the likes of Ether One on the PlayStation 4 as well as Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition. Read More.
Taking an in-depth look at Intel’s Compute Stick
At the Intel Solutions Summit 2015 (ISS 2015), which was held at the Yas Marina Formula One Circuit in Abu Dhabi, Intel gave IT News Africa an exclusive first look at its latest innovation – the Intel Compute Stick. Read More.
Mobicel Air Smartphone Review
Africa has seen quite a few low to mid-range smartphones hit the market recently. The latest device to land in Africa is the Mobicel Air. Retailing for a recommended retail price (RRP) of R3500 (USD $289, according to current exchange rate), the Mobicel Air comes packed with some great features, as well as a surprisingly impressive processor. Read More.
Mortal Kombat X Review
Mortal Kombat has changed quite a bit over the past few years. The original title graced the traditional arcade; however, the franchise slowly moved away from the arcade and took a much larger step into the living rooms of console and PC gamers. From the moment Mortal Kombat moved away from from the arcade, the franchise has produced some great titles, but equally some rather unimpressive spinoffs. Read the Review.
HTC One M9 Review
Back in July 2014, IT News Africa reviewed the HTC One M8. The device scored rather high during the review process. Fast forward to 2015, and we have now set our sights the latest smartphone offering from HTC – the HTC One M9. Read the Review.
Darryl Linington
