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Dual SIM mobile phones ideal for AfricaSamsung predicts that the number of mobile subscribers with two or more mobile phone subscriptions and dual SIM models is projected to increase from 9-10% in 2010 to over 15% in 2011. Dual SIM mobile phones allow users to access two different SIM cards with just one handset. Dual SIM handsets provide the convenience of [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 16-Aug-2011 12:03
Is online networking valuable for your business?
With the grand-scale eruption of online social networking sites, forums and blogs – buoyed by the plethora of smaller, faster and smarter enabled-devices – anyone who is anyone nowadays can probably count on one hand their acquaintances who do not network, socialise and share online. Yes, the Internet and smart-phones have opened up previously-unimaginable opportunities [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 16-Aug-2011 10:40
Tips for selling unified communications
Over the last decade, unified communications (UC) has grown from an exciting possibility to a must-have for organisations of all sizes. The underlying technologies have matured, a rich diversity of UC and collaborative applications has developed, and presence sensing has tied them together with great additional value. With the growth in UC adoption, organisations are [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 16-Aug-2011 10:22
LEGO Universe goes Free-to-Play
LEGO Universe, the MMOG, is now welcoming new players to traverse the LEGO brick-building digital universe with its newly introduced Free to Play Zone. Fans will be able to enjoy the game for free for as long as they like, with the option to upgrade to a membership account at any time (for $10 USD [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 16-Aug-2011 09:16
Tropico 4 release dates announced
Kalypso Media has announced the final release dates for the upcoming Tropico 4 for the Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Tropico 4 will ship for Windows PC on 26 August and on Xbox 360 in mid-September. Tropico 4 sees you return as El Presidente, the tyrannical (or benevolent) dictator of the island paradise of Tropico. [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 16-Aug-2011 09:13
Samsung partners with Mobile Entertainment Africa
Samsung Mobile South Africa has signed a partnership deal with UK-based conference company, All Amber. The deal will make Samsung Mobile South Africa the Platinum Sponsors for Mobile Entertainment Africa conference, which is taking place at the One&Only Hotel, Cape Town, from 23 – 24 August 2011 on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, South Africa. [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 16:34
MTN offers Opera Mini browser in Africa
MTN Group announced on 15 August 2011 that they have signed a global agreement with Norway’s Opera Software to boost mobile Internet services across Africa and the Middle East by offering a special co-branded version of Opera Mini. The demand for mobile Internet is growing exponentially across Africa and becoming a major revenue driver for [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 16:34
South African Govt partners with Nokia
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) in South Africa and Nokia Corporation have announced an ambitious new partnership aimed at implementing a number of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects, targeted at providing a thrust for innovation and growth across the country. This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by the [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 15:12
Google takes over Motorola Mobility
Google and Motorola Mobility Holdings have today announced a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for total of about $12.5 billion. The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 14:10
Review: Let’s dance with Mel B
Dancing games have become very popular over the last couple of months and while there are tons out that work very well for Xbox’s Kinect, the PlayStation 3’s Move peripheral is still lacking in certain areas. The major drawback of Move and Wii games stem from the use of the peripherals. With both systems having [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 13:45
MTN’s Di@logue highlights business innovation
MTN Business will host the annual Di@logue conference on 1 September 2011 at The Wanderers Club in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. “MTN Business is set on being true catalysts for change in Africa and as such, we continually strive to find ways of bringing together the leaders of South Africa’s dynamic technology and business industries [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 12:47
Top 10 IT high risk countries
After analysing vast numbers of IT threats during the second quarter of 2011, Kaspersky Lab’s experts identified a number of important trends. Navigating the web remains the riskiest activity on the Internet with malicious URLs that serve exploit kits, bots, ransomware Trojans, etc. being the most frequently detected objects (65.44%) online. Interestingly, 87% of the [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 12:14
Review: TomTom 120 Live GPS
With the roads in South Africa constantly changing, adding more turn-offs and creating new ones, it’s become rather important to have a trusty GPS unit to guide you along the way. It’s true that most phones these days have navigation applications built-in, like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, but nothing beats the real thing. For [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 12:03
Huawei global profits surge by 11%
Huawei, a global information and communications technology solutions provider, today released its financial results for the first half of 2011. Sales revenue grew 11% year-over-year to CNY 98.3 billion (about US $15 billion) and operating profit reached CNY 12.4 billion (about US $ 1.8 billion). “Huawei’s performance in the first half of 2011 was in [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 11:49
All new Xbox360 consoles will be matte
Microsoft revealed last week that a matte finish Xbox360 Slim will be available in stores soon, but it has come to light that gamers won’t have a choice between a matte finish and a glossy finish. Xbox Live’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb took to his blog to inform gamers that the new matte finish will [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 11:20
Q&A: IP PBX can save 30% of phone calls
Rob Lith, Director of Connection Telecom talks to ITNewsAfrica about IP PBX, a business telephone system designed to deliver voice or video over a data network, business benefits for Africa. Connection Telecom was founded October 2004 to provide communication services across the continent. Define IP PBX and why it is relevant for African businesses? An [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 15-Aug-2011 11:03
ABSA loses Group Financial Director to Telkom
Telkom Group has appointed former ABSA Group Financial Director Jacques Schindehütte as their new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), a position that’s been effective since 1 August 2011. During a media briefing held last week in Johannesburg, South Africa, Schindehütte acknowledged the real challenges facing Telkom and highlighted the reasons he joined the company. Schindehütte began [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 14-Aug-2011 19:10
Uganda’s mobile banking forges ahead
Uganda’s Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka said that local financial institutions must offer mobile phone solutions in order to make banking more accessible to the public. Uganda is spearheading the mobile banking plan to help boost the country’s economy. During a meeting held this week in the country’s capital Kampala, Kiwanuka said the financial institutions need products that [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 13-Aug-2011 11:08
Orascom Telecom reports second quarter loss
Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, the parent company of the second largest mobile operator Mobinil, reported a net loss of $58.5 million for the second quarter, despite an upsurge in the short-term revenues. Orascom Telecom was purchased by Russia’s Vimpelcom in March 2011 and has been struggling to maintain its profit margins due to political unrests in North [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 13-Aug-2011 10:49
Telecom Egypt upgrades network cable system
Telecom Egypt has begun the TE-North cable system, a submarine telecommunications cable that links Egypt and France, upgrade across the Mediterranean sea. The cable network upgrade will link the area of Abu-Talat in Egypt to Marseilles in France. In addition, the cable will extend a link to Cyprus. It will be the first network in [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 13-Aug-2011 10:21
Too many managers and too few leaders
“South Africa is not unique in the world. Globally, the same problem of too many managers and too few leaders presents itself time and again,” says Jackie Launder from the Human Performance Practice at The IQ Business Group. “As organisations we are good at developing operationally efficient managers, but ineffective at developing and supporting leaders who [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 17:20
Brymedia offers $900m to acquire Nitel
Brymedia Consortium, one of the consortia bidding for Nigeria’s state-owned operator Nitel, has offered to buy the ailing telecoms company for $900 million. Nitel’s two previous bid offers failed due to non-payment by the New Generation Consortium and Omen Consortium. As a result, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) ended Nitel’s public [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 17:20
Vodacom de-registers SIM card fraudsters
Vodacom is de-registering approximately one million inactive SIM cards as part of a series of steps to help improve the effectiveness of the RICA Act. On 1 July 2011, the requirement for the de-activation of all unregistered SIM cards as per the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act, 2002 (‘RICA’) became [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 15:31
Who is Anonymous?
For as long as there have been computers, there has always been a small minority who tried to hack, crack, code and script their way around the inner workings, making electronics and computers do things that they weren’t designed for. Hacking isn’t by any means a new thing, as some of its roots can be traced [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 14:53
Smartphones will drive Africa’s Internet uptake
Affordable smartphones, together with the falling mobile data tariffs, are set to drive an Internet adoption wave across Africa. That’s according to Craige Fleischer, the Regional Director for Southern Africa at Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of the BlackBerry device. Fleischer says the next phase in the development of the continent’s mobile market is mobile Internet. RIM [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 14:32
African IT giants join forces
Seven Seas Technologies (SST), one of Kenya’s fastest growing information technology solutions providers has unveiled a joint venture with Zimbabwe’s Twenty Third Century Systems (TTCS), one of the largest sub-Saharan Africa business solutions providers. SST and TTCS unveiled their joint venture operation during a function held in Nairobi, Kenya. The partnership will spearhead the rollout of [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 12:36
Zumba Fitness 2 to feature commercial tracks
Majesco Entertainment and Zumba Fitness revealed that Zumba Fitness 2 will feature tracks from chart-topping artists Pitbull, Interscope Records artist Nicole Scherzinger and Yolanda Be Cool & DCup. This marks the first time commercial artist tracks will appear in a Zumba Fitness game and complements the full range of contagious tracks created by Zumba Fitness. “These talented [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 12-Aug-2011 09:47
NGB exits Uganda’s pay TV market
Sweden’s Next Generation Broadcasting (NGB) has sold off its local subsidiary Digital Broadcasting Uganda in an effort to pursue other markets. Industry speculation has been rife that NGB will eventually pull out of Uganda’s pay TV market. Earlier this year, the Swedish company expressed interest in other sectors. “The Sixth Swedish Pension Fund (AP6), investors in NGB [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 18:13
Metrofile expands digital business unit
Metrofile, a South African JSE listed information and records storage management business, has increased the operational footprint of its Pretoria branch, following the awarding of the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), formally known as CIPRO, document storage contract, coupled with a substantial growth in business volumes for the company in the region. According to Leon [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 17:57
iWay Africa acquires Afsat Communications
South African Internet company, iWay Africa has acquired Uganda’s Afsat Communications. Ken Mwai, iWay’s general manager, said in comments published by local Ugandan media that the merger between Afsat Communications and Africa Online Uganda was concluded mid-July 2011 following negotiations that started in June 2010. “The merger will help us accelerate our growth in this market,” says [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 17:27
Free telecom services for BPO investors
BPeSA Western Cape and the Department for Economic Development and Tourism have partnered with Internet Solutions (IS) to offer a new telecoms incentive to international investors that will significantly boost the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector in the Western Cape, South Africa. The telecoms incentive offers free International voice and data services over the IS MPLS [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 17:22
Sales planning integral to successful strategy
The global economy is improving and, as a result, organisations are adjusting their operations to address this positive shift in demand. Adjusting sales and operations quickly and accurately, while providing a profitable return, often poses a significant challenge for most organisations. In addressing these challenges, Neil Cormack, Supply Chain Director at Softworx, says organisations need to [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 16:23
Deloitte, Temenos – African banking solutions
Deloitte South Africa and Temenos, the provider of banking software announced a partnership agreement today under which Deloitte will provide consulting services for Temenos core banking implementations across Africa. Deloitte South Africa is the latest firm in Deloitte’s international network to sign an agreement with Temenos, which already has several global alliances with the consultancy. Commenting on [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 15:38
Apple takes aim at Motorola
After Apple has been successful with their preliminary injunction to stop Samsung from selling their Galaxy 10.1 tablet in Europe, it seems as though the company has now turned their sights on Motorola and their Xoom tablet. Just as the Galaxy 10.1 tablet, Apple claims that “the Xoom tablet infringes on its registered EU Community Design [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 15:28
Fable: The Journey features no melee combat
Fans of Lionhead Studios’ Fable 3 game will be slightly disappointed to learn that the Xbox Kinect follow-on Fable: The Journey will not feature any melee attacks, long range guns or swords. The move is in stark comparison to Fable 3. Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux revealed that the game will focus solely on magical attacks, but [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 15:04
Egypt’s Mobinil taps into data services
Mobinil, Egypt’s mobile service provider is planning to expand its data services to make up half its revenue by 2013. In addition, Mobinil is planning to switch its focus from market share to boosting revenue per user. “We have reached a level with the price that is very difficult now to go below,” said Kabbani. The [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 13:06
Egypt’s Yellow Pages on BlackBerry
Egypt’s Yellow Pages mobile users can download the new Yellow pages BlackBerry Native Application, YellowPages.com.eg directly from BlackBerry App World. Egypt Yellow Pages, an information search company initially launched the mobile service in March 2011. The company plans to complete the full rollout to enable BlackBerry mobile users to download the application and use the service. BlackBerry [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 12:39
Global Knowledge unveils Egypt headquarters
Global Knowledge, an IT, Business and Enterprise business training company has opened a new office headquarter in Cairo, Egypt. “We’re extremely pleased to be relocating to our new Sheraton headquarters, giving us additional classroom space and state of the art facilities,” says Maged Thabet, Global Knowledge MD for Egypt and North Africa. “It is a strong reflection [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 12:09
Assassin’s creed: Revelations goes into beta
Ubisoft’s highly-anticipated Assassin’s creed: Revelations will soon get an exclusive multiplayer beta for the PlayStation Network. But before players can see what to expect in the next instalment of the franchise, they have to be a PlayStation Plus or Uplay subscriber. “The multiplayer beta offers access to nine characters: the Sentinel, the Vanguard, the Guardian, the Vizier, [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 11-Aug-2011 08:43
Kenya court fires communications boss
The High Court of Kenya has issued a temporary judgment ordering the embattled Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) Director General Charles Njoroge to vacate his office. In his ruling High Court Judge Justice David Maraga said that the decision was necessary pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed this week by the Consumer Federation [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 18:09
IT security – a priority for African businesses
As Kenya prepares to host the IDC IT Security Roadshow, Kaspersky Lab is proud to be a part of such a thought leading event, as the company aims to stress the importance of proactive security measures that businesses operating in East Africa need to understand and implement today, for future success. “91% of companies have experienced [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 17:56
IT Infrastructure Africa Summit hits CT
The two day IT Infrastructure Summit is opening on the18th of August 2011 to a much anticipated assembly of senior IT professionals, Infrastructure experts and government officials. The opening address will be presented by MRS GNM Pandor, Minister – Department of Science & Technology, who will be sharing some of her valuable insights into African infrastructure [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 17:04
Technology should be used for social transformation
I have always been of the opinion that nothing should be invented just for the sake of its novelty value, except art. In the case of technology I have always been of the assertion that you should be able to monetise whatever technology or platform you invent. It just makes business sense considering how much [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 16:34
Kenya set on multi-billion Konza city
The Kenyan government is seeking private sector participation in the construction of a multi-billion dolla r ICT City Park known as Konza Technology City. The first phase of the project is expected to cost about US$3 billion. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, Dr Bitange Ndemo said upon its completion the project is expected [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 14:38
Serious Sam 3 gets four-player split screen
Croteam has announced that the much-loved FPS Serious Sam 3: BFE will be released with four-player split screen campaign cooperative and multiplayer versus modes on the PC. “Serious Sam games are known for frantic campaign coop and multiplayer modes so we wanted to make sure that Serious Sam 3: BFE dials up the chaos even more [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 14:02
Nintendo to give away 20 free games
Nintendo announced last week that they will be slashing the prices of their Nintendo 3DS units by almost a third of the launch price, and they are aware that not everybody is happy with the drop. To prevent any further mistrust issues, the company announced that they will be making 20 games free for download. “There have [...]
itnewsafrica.com | 10-Aug-2011 13:53