By Dr. Raymond Chamba We are in the final phases of 60% taking control of a microsatellite manufacturing, and launch company that’s building a geostationary umbrella of low earth orbiting CubeSats and microsats laser-focused on areas of our changing interest on meteorology, urban planning, and mining intelligence. A lot of folks don’t know that’s it…
The Director-General of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), Dr. Gift Machengete, in line with observing social distancing measures owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtually delivered highlights of key trends of the sector. Below, Spiked Online Media shares the highlights: OPERATING ENVIRONMENT The COVID-19 pandemic had a far-reaching impact on the business…
The new version of Instagram Lite for Android is less than 2MB in size, making it fast to install and quick to load Today, Facebook (www.Facebook.com) has announced the launch of Instagram Lite to Sub-Saharan Africa, a new, lightweight version of the Instagram app for Android that uses less data and works well across all…
By Dr. Jenfan Muswere – Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services The national e-learning strategy for schools in Zimbabwe is a broad initiative including the Ministries of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services; and Primary and Secondary Education. The National Development Strategy 1: 2021-2025 clearly articulates Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a key…
Liquid Telecom, Africa’s leader in digital infrastructure, has completed one of the most audacious projects ever built on the continent, according to its founder and Chairman of the Econet Group, Strive Masiyiwa. Masiyiwa wrote: Next week on Tuesday President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC will officially commission our fibre link which runs from…
EcoCash and Steward Bank have confirmed that they have temporarily suspended EcoCash$ave to allow for its migration to a new platform while the two companies repackage and improve the product. The announcement follows a customer notice published by the two Cassava Smartech entities late yesterday. EcoCash$ave is a small savings account that is jointly…
By Tapuwa Manase Girls High School (GHS) Harare www.ghs.ac.zw has revamped its school website so that it is used as a source of communication between the parents, guardians, and stakeholders. The school has also introduced a policy to reduce paper by having all applicants applying online and having their clearance forms being downloaded from the…
NMB Bank has launched a Virtual Branch on their digital platforms, enabling customers to carry out all cash transactions online, including paperless multi-currency cash deposits and withdrawals, Dstv and Zimra cash payments, in a move set to disrupt the country’s banking landscape. The enhanced NMBConnect platform also allows anyone to instantly open a full KYC…
ECONET Wireless Zimbabwe (Econet) has reviewed its voice, SMS, and data bundles in line with tariffs approved by the regulator in August last year. The latest adjustment comes after State-owned mobile network operator NetOne increased its bundle prices last week, with Telecel Zimbabwe expected to follow soon as the telecommunications industry battles viability challenges. “Please…
By Charnè Hundermark As one of the leading resource-rich countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique has the potential to not only significantly advance its own socioeconomic status, but also dramatically boost economic growth throughout the region. According to the World Bank Group, regional integration helps countries to overcome divisions that impede the flow of goods, services,…
Spiked Online Media shares finer details of the Huawei, NetOne partnership meant to improve mobile broadband in Zimbabwe, below: 1.1 1.1 Project Information Project Name: NetOne Mobile Broadband of Zimbabwe Location: Whole Territory of Zimbabwe Content of Constructions: This project includes the construction of the wireless communication network, core network, transmission network, telecommunication service software,…
DR. Gift Machengete, the Director-General of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) is alerting the public of phishing scams that are on the rise mainly via e-mails and SMS. Phishing emails usually come with attachments that contain viruses and once one opens the attachment the virus becomes active and infects the user…
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe is advising the public to ignore a misleading infographic circulating on social media that is portraying Zimbabwe as having the most expensive data tariffs in Africa, with 1 Gigabyte (GB) of mobile data costing USD75.20. This emanated from a study done in 2019 by howmuch.net that is…
In response to the growing demand for high-quality camera equipment to meet the evolving requirements of today’s content creators, Canon Europe (www.Canon-europe.com) yesterday announced the EOS M50 Mark II, the successor to the award-winning [1] EOS M50. The global appetite for creating, sharing and watching content on Instagram, YouTube and Twitch shows no sign of…
Today, Électricité De France (EDF), a world-leading low-carbon electricity company, and Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a company of the pan-African group Econet Global Limited, announce that they are joining forces to develop and deploy renewable energy solutions for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers in Kenya. On February 25th, 2021, EDF acquired a 50% stake in…
Chris Donkin Huawei unveiled its flagship foldable for the Chinese market, the Mate X2, while Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu (pictured) revealed the smartphone version of its HarmonyOS would start rolling out in April. The Huawei Mate X2 features an 8.01-inch display when unfolded, alongside a 6.45-inch screen on the front. The company claims…
The Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services, Dr. Jenfan Muswere has praised President Mnangagwa for launching the National Data Centre that he said is one of the grand strategies in successfully implementing the National ICT Policy and the e-Government Programme. Dr Muswere said the launch of the data centre is also…
Huawei has partnered NetOne to ensure the improvement of existing information communication technologies (ICTs) to enable Zimbabweans to experience better network services. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Companies are playing an increasingly important role in national economic and social development in terms of ICT development. The Government of Zimbabwe is committed to providing access…
Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) has announced the expansion of their advertising business into overseas markets including the MEA (Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan) region. HUAWEI Ads is a supply-side and demand-side, real-time advertising marketplace through which media companies transact ad impressions with accountability, using programmatic technology, and includes a monetization tool for app publishers. The beta version of…
Chris Donkin Facebook reportedly targeted 2022 for the release of a smartwatch the social media giant already has under development, with the device set to feature various links to its messaging platforms. Technology publication The Information claimed Facebook was already in the process of creating the wearable, which would be another foray into the hugely competitive consumer…
The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) offers new opportunities to transform Zimbabwe into a digitally enabled society by the year 2030, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services has said. He made the remarks during a virtual 4IR summit which is running under the theme” towards a developed economy…
By Joyce Mukucha Following the commissioning of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) Plant that is the brainchild of the Office of the President and Cabinet in Msasa, Harare, Vice President Kembo Mohadi stressed the need to embrace more digital initiatives. He emphasised that digital initiatives play a pivotal role in the easy access to…
Bernard Marr AI can do incredible things, but just because something is possible doesn’t mean it’s right. There’s enormous potential for backlash against the misuse of AI, and policymakers and regulators will no doubt take an increasing interest in AI. This means it’s vital organizations pursue an ethical use of AI. Here are four ways…
Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD Anti-vaccination (anti-vax) movements lure increasingly more people into skipping potentially life-saving immunisation against infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps, or rubella; highly impairing herd immunity for entire communities. You might have encountered such sentiments on social media, but people living a century before also experienced similar resistance to vaccines during the…
New version available for users in Southern Africa Huawei Mobile Services has launched its latest version of HUAWEI AppGallery, featuring a new and enhanced way to discover content – for users in South Africa. The newest update empowers users to smoothly discover an array of new apps, games, and resources on the platform and delve…
By Joyce Mukucha Capgemini Group, a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology, and engineering services, has partnered with another global player and the leading European cloud provider, OVHcloud in empowering public and private organisations with secure cloud transformation needs. The new alliance builds on the companies’ long-term relationship in France is aimed at bringing…
The high quality of cameras on smartphones these days mean that you no longer need a professional camera in order to create a masterpiece video. This was proven at the 2020, 48 Hour Film Project competition, held in Durban, where 50 aspiring filmmakers were tasked with creating a short film over a weekend. The competing…
By Bernard Marr We certainly have a global food challenge that is exacerbated by environmental concerns. But could new technology such as artificial intelligence, machine vision, and 5G networks help us find a solution? Norwegian salmon farming company Cermaq has launched its first-of-its-kind iFarm project. This five-year experiment will run until 2025 with tech partners BioSort and…
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent national lockdowns have underlined the importance of reliable data services in keeping people, communities, businesses and the nation at large connected, and in ensuring essential commercial and public services continue unhindered. Authorities have had to impose lockdowns to arrest the spread of the deadly coronavirus, with recorded cumulative cases…
Joseph Waring Double-digit growth in Australian iPhone sales in the second half of 2020 fuelled a modest rise in the overall market despite lower Android demand, data from analyst company Telsyte showed. Sales increased 3 per cent year-on-year to 4.55 million units, with iPhones 12 per cent higher at 2.1 million units and Android down…
Throughout the month of February, discounts, coupons, and free subscriptions are up for grabs for users who own a Huawei device and have a HUAWEI ID. You can enjoy a wealth of HUAWEI Mobile Services benefits with just one click. These spectacular deals are available across five of Huawei’s applications, including the following: HUAWEI Themes: Get…
US-based The @ Company (The At Company) is bringing the @protocol Appathon II to Zimbabwe, targeting young developers and technology enthusiasts. The challenge: to build innovative consumer applications on @protocol, an open, permission-based protocol that makes great user experience and automatic privacy compliance easy. This initiative, being run in association with the Computer Association of…
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has launched a customer service enhancing Chatbot named Yamurai, to empower its customers and improve their customer experience. Econet said the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Chatbot will give customers an additional digital customer support channel as the company steps up efforts to optimize efficiencies and manage the surge in caller-based customer queries amid…
Bernard Marr Did you know that scientists have identified only 1.5 million species out of the 10 million estimated on Earth? And many of those species are vulnerable to extinction. Thanks to the efforts of the non-profit organization Wild Me, the gargantuan task of wildlife preservation is getting a much-needed assist from citizen scientists who photograph…
By Kavit Majithia The smartphone market returned to familiar ground in Q4 2020, with figures from a quartet of analyst companies indicating a recovery for the segment, fuelled by 5G and mid-tier devices. IDC placed shipments at 385.9 million units, up 4.3 per cent year-on-year, driven by a record period for Apple. The company noted the…
Nigerian content creator Adekola ‘McKennie’ John Kehinde has been voted the first monthly winner of Sasai’s #ThisIsMyAfrica campaign and is set to pocket US$2 000 in prize money. The campaign, which is being run by Cassava Fintech International (CFI), the developers of the Sasai super App, comes on the heels of the successful #African&Talented online promotion,…
By a Special Correspondent With smartphone penetration in Sub Saharan Africa set to grow by 67% by 2025 buoyed by increasing internet penetration, the opportunity to lead the digital revolution, drive inclusivity and uplift people’s quality of life through technology has never been better. Sasai, Africa’s first all-in-one super app developed by Cassava Fintech International,…
Africa50, in partnership with US based Foreign Policy magazine, has launched an exciting new podcast series called Africa Forward. Africa Forward tells the largely untold story of how infrastructure is transforming the lives of people in Africa. The four-part series, which begun on Tuesday 26 January 2021, brings major African infrastructure projects to life. It highlights…
The Brave Generation Academy (www.BraveGenerationAcademy.com), a disruptive approach to education that will change the course of schooling, is now looking for people with the passion to make the difference to become partners in opening new educational Hubs across Africa. With an online curriculum that is recognized by the world’s leading universities as the gold standard…
By Joyce Mukucha As the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is just around the corner, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Women, and other UN agencies have urged for commitment to bring and recognize the critical role women and girls play in science…
By Chris Donkin Huawei issued a strenuous denial of media reports claiming it was in talks to sell its flagship smartphone brands to a consortium backed by the regional government in Shanghai. In a statement, a representative for the smartphone manufacturer said the claims were unsubstantiated: “There is no merit to these rumours whatsoever. Huawei…
By Joyce Mukucha The COVID-19 crisis has imperiled progress and impacted a large number of countries and is turning out to be even worse than the critical economic, strategic, and political clashes happening around the world. The outbreak has and still is impacting all industries, including the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Despite the…
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Dominic Raab, has visited an East African Data Centre in Nairobi owned by Econet subsidiary Liquid Telecom. The Foreign Secretary announced the visit on his Twitter handle in a message in which he also unveiled British support for developing countries to shift to clean energy and transport: https://twitter.com/dominicraab/status/1351894900543991810?s=21 Mr Raab…
Speculation of the future of LG Electronics’ troubled smartphone division intensified, with The Korea Herald reporting a review was underway to define if it would downsize, sell or withdraw from the market completely. A representative told the newspaper a “cold judgement” on the best choice needed to be made following continued “fierce” market conditions in the smartphone…
By Own Correspondent Recentlyy, facial recognition systems have made a big splash in China, spreading across the country like wildfire. The rapid acceleration of these applications in recent years has shown that 50% of the respondents think the technology is being abused while 40% suffer privacy losses due to leaks and abuse of facial information….
