African Technology News, Startups, Mobile and Social Media

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Tue, December 4th, 12:47 · Tom Jackson

Gautrain to have full mobile services within two years

Commuters on South Africa’s Gautrain will have access to full mobile communications services by July 2014 after an agreement was reached with mobile operators for implementation. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 12:37 · Kamau Mbote

One-fifth of African countries likely to witness Internet switch off

The 52-hour blackout which hit Syria last week is also possible in another 61 countries, including 12 in Africa, mostly those where the Internet is controlled by one or two telecoms, according to a report by Renesys. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 12:24 · Elly Okutoyi

MTN Group to sell some of its mobile network towers to IHS

Integrated telecommunications operator MTN Group has said it plans to sell its 1,757 mobile network towers to mobile infrastructure service provider IHS holdings, after research suggested telecoms in Africa could save up to US$2 billion in the next ten years by “leasing rather than constructing towers”. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 12:05 · Robin Okuthe

Poor public awareness blamed for Uganda’s slow digital TV migration

Uganda’s local pay television operators have expressed disappointment over the manner in which public awareness on digital migration, spearheaded by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), is being conducted. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 12:03 · Brandon Gregory

iTunes Music Store now in South Africa

Apple’s iTunes store has arrived in South Africa, but is currently offering music only rather than television shows and films too. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 11:02 · Tom Jackson

Interview: Justin Stanford, founding partner, 4Di Capital

Justin Stanford’s 4Di Capital shows no sign of backing down in the quest to provide venture capital (VC) to the South African tech scene. Just months after making an exit from mobile community startup Motribe after it was acquired by Mxit, Stanford and his team received investment from the Oppenheimer family which will allow them to further help the startup scene in Cape Town. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 10:23 · Brandon Gregory

Launch date set for iPhone 5 in South Africa

South Africans will get the chance to purchase an iPhone 5 in time for Christmas after Apple confirmed it would be released on Saturday, December 14. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 09:49 · Elly Okutoyi

WhatsApp denies Facebook is set to buy it

Multi-platform mobile messaging app WhatsApp has refuted claims that social networking giant Facebook is negotiating to acquire it, calling the assertions “not factually accurate.” → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 09:48 · Paul Adepoju

Gambian government give 17 institutions ICT support

Vice President Njie Saidy believes “we are not doing badly” after the army, education institutions and a hospital were among the beneficiaries of 190 computers provided by the Gambian government. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 09:46 · Elly Okutoyi

iPhone 5 coming to Kenya this December

Apple’s iPhone 5 will be officially launched into the Kenyan market on December 21, as the company works towards fulfilling its promise of introducing its newest phone in 100 countries by the end of the year. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 09:03 · Paul Adepoju

NigComSat boss promises Nigerians more bandwidth, denies commission function duplication

Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, Chief Executive of the Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat), has urged Nigerians to support the NigComSat Corporation Bill, claiming it will increase available bandwidth. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 08:54 · Robin Okuthe

SMS text messaging helps HIV patients reduce viral load

Mobile-based communication between HIV patients and doctors can help reinforce observance to drug treatment and reduce the viral load, a new study by WelTel Kenya, a non-profit non-governmental mHealth organization, reveals. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 08:31 · Kamau Mbote

Twitter under pressure to freeze terrorist accounts

‘Twitter is soon becoming a tool for terrorist,’ lawmaker says. World’s major microblogging site Twitter is under pressure from six US lawmakers to freeze the accounts of Hezbollah and Hamas, arguing the social networking site gives the two organizations an opportunity to propagate their hatred against the US, contrary to the law. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 08:23 · Richard Cutcher

Sanitation Hackathon winners believe political will is main obstacle between technology and citizens

A diverse group of ten innovators are calling on the City of Cape Town to give their technology a chance to solve the region’s toilet problems. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 07:42 · Brandon Gregory

Most South African ISPs support free peering

While most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in South Africa support free and open peering, four major industry players are not keen. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 07:00 · Robin Okuthe

ITU’s Internet regulation treaty talks start in Dubai

International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a UN agency charged with overseeing global telecommunications regulations, is making efforts to calm fears that the Internet could be trashed by the ongoing World Conference on International Telecommunications (Wcit), a conference it is hosting in Dubai, UAE. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 06:46 · Brandon Gregory

Westcon decreases Datatec’s share price

Datatec has blamed Hurricane Sandy and “weak conditions” in Europe for its two percent dip in shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) after subsidiary Westcon experienced a weak financial quarter. → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 06:27 · Tefo Mohapi

SA IT company delivers early Christmas present for Randburg SPCA

Bytes Document Solutions (BDS), the Xerox distributor in 26 sub-Saharan Africa countries, has provided an early Christmas present to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Randburg, Johannesburg, by handing over R72,000 (US$8,000). → Read more
Tue, December 4th, 05:46 · Robin Okuthe

Yahoo to scrap out Yahoo! Messenger, its public-chat rooms feature

Search engine giant Yahoo! has said it will remove the public chat rooms feature of its messaging tool Yahoo! Messenger on Dec 14, and replace it, along with other features to be scrapped, with new features. → Read more
Mon, December 3rd, 15:24 · Kamau Mbote

The Pope set to become Twitter’s most significant tweep

The pope is expected to start tweeting on the feast of Madonna of Guadalupe on December 12 under his new handle @pontifex, viewed by many as a way of bringing the conservative Catholic Church in line with more modern practices. → Read more