Author: Chris Anu

Dominic Cull The slow pace of government machinery is likely to put a dampener on excitement about Starlink’s launch in South Africa, even if new rules around black economic empowerment are introduced. Speaking at the Wapaloza conference hosted by the Wireless Access Providers’ Association on Tuesday, Dominic Cull, a regulatory expert at communications sector legal advisory firm Ellipsis, said it will be at least two years before new regulations will be in place to allow for equity equivalents – and even that prediction is optimistic. “On average, it takes a minimum of five years to develop a piece of legislation…

Juwi’s Prieska solar plant, with 86MW capacity. International firm Juwi Renewable Energies today announced it has signed two solar module supply agreements with JA Solar, an African solar module supplier.According to Juwi, the deal is for 420 000 solar panels for two large-scale projects totalling 220 megawatts (MW), currently being executed for key industrial energy players, including Glencore, Sasol and Air Liquide.The lined-up projects include the 100MW Sonvanger Solar Plant for Glencore, developed in partnership with Pele Green Energy, and the 120MW Paarde Valley PV2 project for Sasol and Air Liquide, delivered with TotalEnergies, Mulilo and Reatile Group. The projects,…

The second time you look at the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Series, you stop seeing just a pretty display. You start noticing how smoothly it responds, how accurately it tracks and how unexpectedly well it understands your routine. In this next round of features, Huawei moves beyond design and dives into what makes the Huawei Watch Fit 4 and Watch Fit 4 Pro a quietly powerful leap in smartwatch intelligence – blending advanced sensors, data science and personalisation in one lightweight device. Available immediately, the Huawei Watch Fit 4 comes in black, purple, white and grey from R2 999, or you…

The Electoral Commission wants to draw from a panel of ICT consultants from external sources to complement its internal capacity. Despite last week’s Youth Day public holiday, National Treasury’s eTenders Portal provides a selection of opportunities for the ICT industry to consider.While several of South Africa’s more prominent state-owned entities feature in the issue, it is the Electoral Commission (IEC) that takes the spotlight, with three tenders targeting a variety of professional and support services. In its tender documentation, the commission explains that the cyclical nature of running an election business – and the fact that time pressures are often…

Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber has defended a huge increase in the fees it charges companies, including banks and telecommunications operators, to run checks against a national database for client verification. Following an initial pilot “that yielded promising results and further enhancements, home affairs will on 1 July 2025 begin the roll-out of an upgraded National Population Register (NPR) verification service to all companies and government users to verify identities with first-class speed and reliability”, home affairs said in a statement on Monday. However, corporate South Africa is going to have to cough up handsomely…

A recent judgement finds that Bitcoin can’t be regulated under apartheid-era exchange control rules. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is appealing a Pretoria High Court ruling that set aside its forfeiture of more than R16.4 million held by Standard Bank, ruling that apartheid-era exchange control regulations can’t be used to deal with modern-day crypto-currency transactions.Standard Bank had taken SARB to court, arguing that the central bank could not lawfully forfeit funds it held as collateral for a R40 million overdraft it granted to the now defunct Leo Cash and Carry (LLC).The money was seized after SARB’s Financial Surveillance Department…

The current approach to spectrum licensing by telecommunications regulators, where each licensee gets exclusive access to specific bands of spectrum in exchange for large pots of money, may soon be a thing of the past. Speaking at the Wireless Access Providers’ Association’s Wapaloza conference in Johannesburg on Monday, Dean Bubley, the founder of telecoms advisory firm Disruptive Analysis, said spectrum sharing – which already exists in licence-exempt bands – may soon become the default licensing mechanism. “There is more demand than there is supply of spectrum, which means sharing is going to become more important,” Bubley told conference attendees. “The…

Alex Forsyth-Thompson, founder and CEO of Float. Float, a card-linked instalment platform, is collaborating with payment solutions provider, Adumo, to offer consumers the option to pay in store over four interest-free monthly instalments using the available limit on their credit card. According to Float, the alliance enables an improved shopping experience at a range of mainstream retail outlets using Adumo payment devices by working with retailers such as Safari Outdoor, Verimark, Cellucity, TOMS, Vision Optometrists and Tyremart. Float adds that card-linked instalments differ from the regular buy now pay later (BNPL) model as it does not issue new credit to…

The author, Altron’s Andy Mabaso Johannesburg has always been a city of builders – of infrastructure, of enterprise and of possibility. I like to think that I’m one of them. My career began not in a start-up hub or a corporate boardroom, but on the floors of Transnet Engineering. There, surrounded by the challenges of local infrastructure and industrial constraints, I learnt one of the most enduring truths of technology: its value lies in solving the problems that matter. From Transnet to Standard Bank and now to Altron, I’ve carried that same philosophy into every role. At Altron, I’m fortunate…

The initiative will introduce coding skills to 2 000 learners in Grades 5-7, promoting inclusivity and empowering young minds. Vuma has teamed up with GirlCode, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering young girls and women with tech skills, to launch a 10-week co-ed coding programme. The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide in SA’s public schools and will initially roll out in two Johannesburg schools: Zola Primary in Soweto and Mthimkhulu Primary in Vosloorus.In its bid to bridge the gap, Vuma will provide reliable internet access, which the fibre provider noted remains an exception rather than a norm, limiting…