Author: Chris Anu

Much ink has been spilled over the so-called “digital divide”, “connecting the unconnected” and “digital exclusion”. But have we ever paused to ponder where these buzzwords originate? It seems South Africa’s mobile network operators (MNOs) coined these terms, perhaps to spook governments and society into favouring their services – all while maintaining prepaid pricing models that could make a billionaire blush. Ironically, this “exclusion” stems not from a lack of infrastructure but from these operators’ sky-high pricing structures. According to data from communications regulator Icasa, South Africa boasts 100% 2G coverage, 99% 3G coverage and 98.5% LTE/4G coverage. If these…

Goshawk u8 – secure communications for government and global forces (Photo: Business Wire) Kymeta, a world leader in flat-panel satellite antenna technology, announces today it is accepting orders for its Goshawk u8 user terminal, designed specifically for government and global ministry of defense. With the growing need for satellite network flexibility and open network architecture that ensure secure, sovereign defense operations, the Goshawk u8 offers a critical solution at a time when allied nations prioritizing secure, resilient, and rapidly deployable communications on the move. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250310979046/en/The Kymeta Goshawk u8 delivers resilient…

Digital banks TymeBank, Discovery Bank and Bank Zero could soon see a new competitor in the South African market: London-headquartered Revolut, the world’s fourth-largest digital bank, is eyeing a local launch, TechCentral has learnt. Unlike South Africa’s digital banking upstarts, which have focused almost exclusively on the personal banking segment, Revolut’s offering includes a wider range of services including multi-currency accounts, fee-free currency exchange, stock and commodity trading, and even cryptocurrency trading. Revolut’s entry into the South African market, if it happens, could therefore lead to a big shift in the broader banking sector and perhaps even threaten the market…

Dr Jannie Zaaiman, CEO of the South Africa Information and Communication Technology Association. As we move inextricably towards the fifth industrial revolution (5IR), as Borg from Star Trek said, “resistance is futile”. There is no doubt that this change in how we live and work will become a reality and, as we have already seen, shifts are becoming evident in the world around us.The key question then becomes one of how best to incorporate new technologies from Industry 5.0 into our lives to make them better. Some of the advantages that many expect from this technological revolution include more productivity…

When small Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek released a family of extremely efficient and highly competitive AI models last month, it rocked the global tech community. The release revealed China’s growing technological prowess. It also showcased a distinctly Chinese approach to AI advancement. This approach is characterised by strategic investment, efficient innovation and careful regulatory oversight. And it’s evident throughout China’s broader AI landscape, of which DeepSeek is just one player. In fact, the country has a vast ecosystem of AI companies. Alibaba is already working with Apple to incorporate its existing AI models into Chinese iPhones They may not…

Since 2022, the Google Hustle Academy has provided support to the thousands of SMEs that have completed the boot camp. Google has opened applications for the 2025 edition of its Hustle Academy programme, which aims to empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across SA, Kenya and Nigeria.Despite their critical role in driving Africa’s economic growth, SMEs across the continent often face significant hurdles, says Google. Limited access to funding, inadequate business resources and a lack of specialised skills hinder their ability to scale and thrive.Google notes its Hustle Academy directly addresses these challenges by providing practical training, expert mentorship and…

A sign outside Microsoft South Africa’s office in Johannesburg US software giant Microsoft last week announced plans to invest R5.4-billion in building cloud computing and AI infrastructure in South Africa. The move was lauded by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who spoke at the briefing where Microsoft’s plans were announced and described the software company’s “longstanding presence” in South Africa as a “vote of confidence in our economy”. The announcement was well received by stakeholders in the broader IT sector as well, including International Data Corp (IDC) associate research director for IT services in sub-Saharan Africa Jon Tullett. Investment in AI infrastructure…

Ian Engelbrecht, system engineering manager, Veeam. (Image: Supplied) 2025 will be the year of AI agents, which will transform data backups, storage, security and data protection.This is according to Ian Engelbrecht, system engineering manager at Veeam, who says AI and machine learning are becoming indispensable in data security and data protection.“This year, we will see a huge increase in AI agents and tooling. Pre-training of foundational AI models has largely matured, and improvements now come through fine-tuning, reinforcement learning and retrieval-augmented methods on new data and knowledge. Next comes agents, which take action by using that corpus of data that…

Eskom suspended load shedding at 10am on Sunday after recovering more than 3GW of generating capacity and restoring its emergency reserves. Eskom implemented the rolling blackouts at 2pm on Friday – the third time it has imposed load shedding this year – following the loss of 2.7GW of generating capacity. Several generation units went offline, including Kusile unit 2, two days after it was reintroduced to the grid. Two other coal-fired units were taken offline due to coal operations becoming “suboptimal” following “adverse weather” conditions. Coal operations at Kusile are at optimal levels. All units that were offline as of…

Vivo’s most advanced portrait smartphone to date, the vivo V50 5G, is now available for purchase at a recommended selling price of R20 999 or on contract through major networks.(1) Featuring state-of-the-art ZEISS Professional Portrait technology, co-engineered with ZEISS, the V50 enhances visual quality, allowing users to capture and share memories with exceptional clarity and style. Beyond its imaging prowess, the vivo V50 features a sleek, aesthetic design powered by a long-lasting 6 000mAh (TYP)(2) BlueVolt battery and ultra-fast 90W FlashCharge. Built for durability, it also boasts the highest IP ratings available in a South African smartphone, with IP68 and…