Making waves in the headlines this week was MTN South Africa. The mobile operator has allegedly filed criminal charges against a group of striking Communication Workers Union (CWU) members, who on 27 June 2015 allegedly attacked an MTN retail outlet.
Also making the headlines this week was social media giant Facebook. Facebook has opened up its first African office in South Africa.
IT News Africa conducted an array of interviews. These interviews can be found below. The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a great weekend. The top tech stories for the week can be found below.
News
Kenya: Schools in Nairobi get free internet
Wananchi Group, owner of Pay Tv company Zuku, is installing free, unlimited, high-speed fixed internet to over 2,000 public and private schools in Nairobi County. Read More.
Airtel rakes in USD 1.3 bln from tower sale in Africa
Bharti Airtel has revealed that it has raised USD 1.3 billion with the sale of various mobile towers in five African countries. According to the company, the total proceeds from the transactions will be utilised to reduce the debt of the company. Read More.
Huawei unveils P8 smartphone in South Africa
Huawei unveiled its latest device, the P8 Smartphone, on the 2nd of July 2015, at the Johannesburg Country Club. According to the company, Johannesburg is the latest stop in a worldwide tour that has included stops in Bangkok, Singapore, New York and London. Read More.
Winners of the African EduWeek Awards revealed
The SpellAfrica Initiative from Nigeria and technology company Edit Microsystems are just some of the winners announced at the inaugural African EduWeek Awards. Read More.
Huawei launches Digital inCloud centre in Africa
Huawei has revealed the launch of their Digital inCloud Eastern and Southern Africa regional center at the 5th Annual VAS Africa summit. The event attracted over 70 carriers and Service Providers (SPs)/ Content Providers (CPs) in the region. Read More.
Nigeria: Telecoms contribute NGN 1.34 bln to economy in Q1
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that the telecommunication sector contributed NGN 1.34 billion to the Nigerian economy in the first quarter of the year. Read More.
MTN SA files charges against attackers
MTN South Africa has filed criminal charges against a group of striking Communication Workers Union (CWU) members, who on 27 June 2015 allegedly attacked an MTN retail outlet. The attackers allegedly assaulted and intimidated staff in the process. Read More.
Facebook opens office in Africa
Social Media giant, Facebook, has opened its first office in Africa to further the company’s commitment to help businesses connect with people and grow locally and regionally. Read More.
Microsoft, Paycorp enter mPOS partnership
ZipZap, the mobile POS (mPOS) solution from Paycorp, has partnered with Microsoft Mobile to offer businesses and retailers a mobile solution that enables them to accept payments from customers wherever they are, transacting anywhere, anytime. Read More.
Opinions
Calculating the real cost of IT
The initial cost of a company laptop represents less than 30 percent of the total cost of owning and using it. The remaining 70 percent is often ignored by companies because these costs form part of the ‘background’ cost of IT. This is according to OutSystems SA director, Craig Terblanche. Read More.
How to tell if your Smartphone is the real deal
Counterfeit goods have become an increasingly worrying problem in Africa. Not only is the clothing industry suffering under the scourge of counterfeit goods, but the Electronics industry has also been under fire. Read More.
Securing the cloud: The factors that need to be considered
Security has typically been, and continues to be, one of the major areas of concern for organisations contemplating a move into the cloud, and for good reason. Security breaches can have far-reaching consequences that could cripple a business, and legislative compliance issues add further complications. However, security challenges, particularly regarding the public cloud, have led to a misconception that a private cloud is the most secure offering. Read More.
Organisations need to support the BYOD trend
Organisations in Africa and globally are faced with the challenge of dealing with a highly mobile, tech-savvy workforce that demands to use devices of their choice. Read More.
Is Augmented Reality the key to a new digital future?
The concept of Augmented Reality (AR) has existed for many years now – and commentators have remained rigidly sceptical about whether it will truly materialise in our everyday lives. Read More.
Business Connexion CEO discusses harnessing technology to leverage IoT
The internet of things is driving the need for organisations to transform into digital businesses and this is disrupting business operations like never before. Read More.
Event Gallery
In Pictures: Innovation Dinner Johannesburg & Cape Town
IT leaders convened at The Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg & The Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town for the latest Innovation Dinner Series, which were held on the 15th & 18th of June 2015. View the Gallery.
In Pictures: CIO Roadmap 2015
Leading technology players including Performanta, Websense, Btitehouse, Cosign, K2, Complexus, Business Connexion and Trivector presented their solutions at CIO Roadmap on 24 June 2015 in Sandton, Johannesburg. View the Gallery.
Interviews
Video Interview: Ebi Atawodi discusses Uber in Nigeria
Ebi Atawodi, GM for Uber Nigeria, discusses her presentation at Mondato Summit 2015 as well as how Uber has taken off in Nigeria. Watch the Interview.
Video Interview: Software defines quality of service – Paul Muller VP HP Software
In the video, Muller recaps on his presentation at the HP Software Performance Tour 2015, which was held in Johannesburg. Watch the Interview.
Video Interview: Digitisation and the impact it has on enterprises – Sukhi Gill CT HP
In the interview Gill discusses his keynote session at the HP Software Performance Tour 2015, which covered digitisation of the industry and the impact it has on enterprises. Watch the Interview.
Gadgets and Gaming
Review: Payday 2 – Crimewave Edition
The original Payday 2 was launched on the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 in August 2013; however, developer Overkill Software and publisher 505 Games have finally brought Payday 2 to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in the form of the Crimewave Edition. While Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is every bit as addictive as the original… it still suffers from some of the same old issues seen in the original title. Read More.
BlackBerry Leap Review
BlackBerry has launched its latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Leap, in Nigeria and South Africa. However, does the latest device from BlackBerry stand out in the crowd, or is it just another generic smartphone? IT News Africa has spent some time with the device, and our full review can be found below. Read More.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review
To say that the Witcher 3 is a typical Role-Playing-Game (RPG) is an understatement. The Witcher 3 is a genre re-defining game that has changed the expectations of gamers for years to come. For those who have never experienced a Witcher title, now is the time to play one of the greatest titles to grace the world of gaming. Read More.
Borderlands – The Handsome Collection Review
The Borderlands series is possibly one of the most colourful, crazy and hilarious game series to grace the First-Person Shooter genre. Since it inception in 2009, it’s spawned three titles which have provided gamers with hours of fun, humour and fast-paced action. Recently Borderlands: The Handsome Collection has been released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which contains Borderlands 2 with all its released DLC. Read More.
Farming Simulator 2015 Review
Most console titles tend to focus on modern warfare, tactical espionage, or a mix of the two; however, there are few titles on the market that focus on farming and agriculture. To change this, developer Giants Software and publisher Focus Home Interactive have now introduced Farming Simulator 2015 to home consoles. Read More.
Sony reveals the 1TB PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 owners will know that a 500GB hard drive is just not enough in this technology driven day and age. PlayStation 4 titles are growing in size, with some titles taking up at least 50GB of space – once installed. Read More.
Darryl Linington
