Yesterday the Supreme Court dismissed claims by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) that it was owed $100 million by Econet Wireless through tax evasions. The curtain closed on a near 10-year battle between Zimra and Econet, wherein the tax authority claimed that the latter owed millions of dollars in unpaid taxes. A panel of judges,…
Econet Wireless has revised its roaming services and international outbound calling & SMS services tariffs following the Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) announced by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on the 20th of February 2019. The MPS designated RTGS balances, Bond notes and coins as RTGS dollars, effectively differentiating the same from any…
Powertel Communications has come to the rescue of the Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company (ZETDC) with Internet of Things (IoT) products that will see the utility saving millions of dollars lost in the past owing to vandalism that has been rampant on the national electricity grid infrastructure. Speaking on this development, Powertel Marketing Manager Prosper Mutswiri…
NetOne Cellular Board Chairman James Mutizwa says the company is pleased that a solution regarding the status of chief executive officer, Lazarus Muchenje, has been found, and is expecting him to continue the turnaround efforts that saw the parastatal recording its first month-on-month profit during his reign. Mr Muchenje, who was suspended in August last…
Telecommunications giant, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, continues to blossom in the employee wellness turf as part of its broader business strategy. Corporate health and well-being programmes are cost effective ways for employers to harness talent while improving the well-being of their employees. Besides funding events like the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon through the EcoSure brand, the…
In a bid to solve the massive ICT and technology issues that the country is facing while also creating more jobs in the fast pace growing IT world, Rwanda is set to open its first smartphone factory making it the first in Africa to locally manufacture phones that will meet the demand of the African…
The government says the National Data Centre Project is nearing completion and has called on industry and the continent to invest more in data centers given their importance to regional economies. The Deputy Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere said they are forging ahead with the implementation of the national data center project which…
Strive Masiyiwa, Econet founder says mini-power grids based on solar energy are the solution to Africa’s energy problem. Masiyiwa made the prediction at a global conference of investors in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. “The technology for solar power and battery storage has reached a stage where the cost and capability will deliver power…
NetOne Board reinstated suspended CEO Mr Lazarus Muchenje as the new NetOne CEO, regardless of the challenge by Chief Secretary to the President, Dr Misheck Sibanda. Sources close to the developments have reiterated that the chief secretary is acting outside his jurisdiction and has no mandate to appoint or dismiss NetOne employees, while he has…
Airtel and Telkom are merging to create a stronger challenger to the market leader, Safaricom. Indian-owned Bharti Airtel and Telkom Kenya announced a deal to operate under a joint venture company that will be named Airtel-Telkom. The two companies said the deal comprises their corresponding mobile, carrier, and enterprises services but won’t include Telkom Kenya’s real estate…
Uber recently announced a new way for riders and drivers to communicate through the company’s app using voice over internet protocol, or VoIP. Much like Skype or FaceTime audio, Uber’s new VoIP feature uses an internet connection rather than cellular phone service to make calls. The ride-hailing company has been trialing the VoIP feature since…
NetOne has sent on forced leave its top two executives who are Sibusiso Ndlovu, the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) as well as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) Brian Mutandiro. “One of the two executives was force-marched off the building while resisting the suspension and suspected to be concealing evidence. The two executives will be on indefinite…
Kenneth Makate has sued his former funders, Raining Men Trade, for fraud and is fighting the company’s claim to a share of his settlement with Vodacom. Raining Men Trade was reportedly placed into business rescue this year after not receiving payment from Makate. The company helped bankroll Makate’s court case against Vodacom which sought compensation…
By Byron Mutingwende Isheanesu Investments is the leading company that trains cutting and designing technicians and manufactures a wide range of clothing products in Chitungwiza and the rest of Zimbabwe. The company has grown big from a humble background. Isheanesu Investment (Private) Limited started with one machine operating from home at 9283 Unit…
Econet founder and executive chairman, Mr Strive Masiyiwa and his wife Tsitsi, have launched a $100m Challenge Fund to support rural entrepreneurs and other entrepreneurs focusing on rural areas in Zimbabwe as part of their extensive philanthropic work in Zimbabwe and across Africa. The fund is being financed from their personal resources and will be…
The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2019) was recently launched in South Korea, complete with an Infinity-O display, 6GB RAM, 128 GB inbuilt storage, a triple rear camera, 24 MP selfie sensor, 3,400mAh battery, and a rear fingerprint scanner. Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2019) has been priced in Korea at KRW 599,500 (roughly Rs. 37,800). It is…
Forging ahead with its 5G plans and securing its leading position for 5G deployments — despite hardware bans in multiple countries — Huawei recently announced a collection of new chips and devices designed to make strong use of the next-generation cellular standard, notably including data speeds that may surpass competing products from rivals. For consumers, the biggest news may be…
Facebook plans to integrate its messaging services on Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. While all three will remain stand-alone apps, at a much deeper level they will be linked so messages can travel between the different services. Facebook commented that it was at the start of a “long process”. The plan is believed to be…
The internet shutdown by government has had an adverse impact on business operations in various sectors of the economy. Government last week switched off internet connectivity in the face of violent protests, which resulted in at least 12 deaths. The shutdown, according to the government, was necessitated by security concerns. However, the High Court this week overturned…
It is now confirmed that the Government of Zimbabwe ordered mobile network operators (MNOs) to shut down the internet and social media communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook, which are widely used by Zimbabweans. This is now public knowledge thanks to Econet, the biggest MNO, which issued a statement to the effect that in…
Liquid Telecom has appointed Susan M’kandawire Mulikita as CEO of Liquid Telecom Zambia to accelerate growth and market penetration across the country. Based in Zambia, Susan joined the company on 14 January 2019 and becomes the first female to join Liquid Telecom’s Southern Africa regional executive leadership team as CEO. Susan is also the first…
Roku shares soared after the company known for its streaming video devices reported impressive growth in the number of its active users and streaming hours. The company’s shares were up 25% at the market’s close on Monday to $42.18, highlighting Wall Street’s enthusiasm with Roku reporting a 40% year-over-year jump in active accounts to 27…
Samsung said that it would add an app to its smart televisions in the coming months to let owners watch content bought on Apple’s iTunes service, a possible first sign Apple is looking to distribute its forthcoming television service on devices made by others. The deal is part of an ongoing strategy shift for Apple,…
The US is again warning its allies about the risks of using telecom equipment made by China’s Huawei Technologies Co. American officials have briefed their counterparts in countries like Germany, Italy, and Japan about what they argue are potential cybersecurity risks, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall). This follows previous warnings, such as a claim earlier this…
Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. says it has terminated the employment of a Chinese worker, Wang Weijing who was arrested on spying allegations in Poland. The allegations against Wang Weijing “have no relation to the company,” Huawei Technologies Ltd. said in a statement. It said Wang was fired because the incident “brought Huawei into…
For cord cutters and streaming lovers, 2019 will mean two things: A raft of new streaming services will hit the scene, and users will see major changes to viewing libraries. Indeed, streaming wars set to get worse and real this new year – 2019. Two major new streaming services will launch this year from Disney (DIS)…
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos are divorcing after 25 years of marriage. While the Amazon founder’s name is well-known, the news has left some people wondering, who is MacKenzie Bezos? Who is the wife of the richest man in the world, someone who has led a relatively private life as the partner of the powerful founder and executive? MacKenzie…
Shortly after they were married, MacKenzie Bezos drove her husband, Jeff, across the country from New York to Seattle while he typed out a business plan for what would become Amazon. Now, twenty-five years later, MacKenzie Bezos could once again find herself in the driver’s seat, this time with the potential to rattle her husband’s control over…
Liquid Telecom announced that it has appointed Mohamed Abdel Bassit its new Regional Chief Executive for the Middle East and West Africa (MEWA), effective January 1, 2019. Based in Cairo, Bassit will oversee the group’s expansion further into MEWA following the recent news that it is investing US$400m in the Egyptian market and has completed the first fibre network to stretch all the way from Cape Town to Cairo. Mohamed…
Analysts have projected data and internet to drive telecoms giant Econet’s business post unbundling as full-year revenue for the financial year 2019 is expected to hit $678 million mark. This will represent a 20 percent jump ahead of $578 recorded in FY18. After becoming a fully converged telecommunications, media and technology business encompassing digital banking,…
As the new year-round the corner we are getting numerous updates about the launch of new smartphones by the mobile manufactures. We could expect that the next several new smartphones and devices of various categories to be available in 2019 and that too includes the Huawei Y7 2019. Huawei, which has already confirmed its presence at…
LG is all set to launch the successor to LG G7 ThinQ which didn’t manage to grab more eyeballs with LG G8 later next year. As per the source, the new LG G8 will launch globally by end of March 2019. It will feature 3D camera which has now become a trend with major Android smartphone manufacturer….
After unofficially going on pre-order earlier this month, the Huawei P Smart (2019) is now officially official. Huawei is starting 2019 with a bang and the launch of the new Huawei P smart 2019 phone. The Chinese company dominated 2018 after shipping 200 million smartphones worldwide and overtaking Apple in the global rankings. It’s not stopping there, after revealing its first new…
If you’re prone to losing car keys, the latest-generation Hyundai Santa Fe just going on sale in China is for you. It offers buyers the option of using a fingerprint detector that can open the vehicle and turn on its engine, rendering car keys as necessary as a landline. Touch one of the SUV’s biometric sensors…
MTN Uganda has today announced that it has completed (the final) Phase 3 which has seen UTL being switched on, making MTN the first telco in Uganda to fully comply with the Bank of Uganda initiative. This year 2017, Bank of Uganda directed all Mobile Money operations in Uganda to be interoperable between the telecommunications…
Bharti Airtel has decided to sell a further 32% stake in Bharti Infratel, valued at close to Rs 15,500 crore, to create a war chest to bolster its countrywide 4G networks and counter Reliance Jio Infocomm. Separately, the Sunil Mittal-led telco on Thursday also appointed a panel to explore various other fundraising options, and named Badal Bagri as…
Kenya’s mobile phone penetration crested the 100 per cent mark, says the Communications Authority of Kenya. It joins Morocco, Namibia and Tunisia, the only countries in Africa to achieve the milestone. The first quarter sector statistics report for the financial year 2018/2019 by CA shows that the mobile penetration – the total number of active…
Zimbabwe is too far for many people to visit, but 37-year-old Tawanda Kanhema grew up here (Zimbabwe) before moving to the United States. Thanks to Kanhema, though, you’ll soon be able to play virtual tourist, thanks to his work and the magic of Google Street View, Kanhema, who left the country to study journalism and documentary film-making…
TelOne is forecasting an 8 percent jump in revenue to $128 million this year, driven by broadband and data revenue, which have been performing relatively well throughout the year. The revenue is expected to rise by $10 million from last year’s $118 million. TelOne managing director Mrs Chipo Mtasa, recently said the revenue is anticipated…
The labour court has issued an order, with the consent of ex-Vodacom employees, to enforce their restraints of trade after reports emerged in November that they were working with rival MTN South Africa. Vodacom said in a statement on Friday that it was “forced” to bring an application requesting the labour court to find that by being employees…
iflix, the leading entertainment service for emerging markets, is pleased to confirm the sale of the rest of its African business to Econet Global Limited. iflix first announced the launch of its service in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in June 2017. Following eight months of rapid growth, the company joined forces with Econet Global Limited, which saw…
Christmas has come early for MTN Group. The telecommunications operator’s shares are likely to soar when markets reopen on Thursday in Johannesburg after it announced late on Monday that it has settled a multibillion-dollar dispute in Nigeria. It will pay just US$53.2-million (about R777-million) in a settlement with Nigeria’s central bank, a tiny fraction of the…
A ZTE foldable smartphone described in a patent application that was recently uncovered describes a device which is pretty much, in concept, similar to Samsung’s foldable smartphone. We’re talking about a tablet that folds into a phone (or a phone that folds out into a tablet). It features a flexible display and allows the phone to unfold into a…
Naspers, the South African investment giant, is back at it in India! Days after backing educational startup Byju’s by leading a $540 million investment, it has led a $1 billion investment in food delivery company Swiggy. The new round sees Chinese internet and Naspers ally Tencent join the party, alongside fellow new investors Hillhouse Capital and Wellington Management…
Discord Inc., which makes chat software popular among videogame players, said it is now valued at $2.05 billion after a new funding round, the startup’s second this year as it expands its footprint into sales and subscriptions in the fast-growing game industry. Greenoaks Capital led the negotiations with Firstmark, Tencent, IVP, Index Ventures and Know-how Alternative…
