Thursday, May 2

Telecommunications

Huawei Nova 8 and Nova Y60 Now Available in South Africa
Gadgets, Mobile, Southern Africa, Telecommunications

Huawei Nova 8 and Nova Y60 Now Available in South Africa

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has officially launched two new smartphones today in South Africa – the Huawei Nova 8 and the Nova Y60. The devices are being marketed to, as the company puts it, “Gen-Zers.” Huawei Nova 8 In terms of battery, the Huawei Nova 8 comes with 66W Huawei SuperCharge support, which ensures users won’t have to charge the device too frequently. “Your phone can also be charged to 60% in just 15 minutes and 100% in 35 minutes, so even if you had forgotten to charge it earlier, you can still charge up while you’re busy getting ready to meet up with the gang,” Huawei writes in a statement about the launch of the devices. Continue reading
EZE Wholesale is taking on Africa’s challenging used smartphone market
Africa, Mobile, Telecommunications

EZE Wholesale is taking on Africa’s challenging used smartphone market

Africa has been one of the fastest-growing mobile phone markets in the world over the past decade and a major contributor to the growth is the second-hand smartphone industry. Current unfavorable economic conditions in African countries, such as high poverty rates, make them viable markets for used phones. Thousands of retailers in Nigeria, for instance, sell refurbished mobile devices from popular brands like Samsung and Apple, catering to the demand of an increasingly digital-savvy but poor population. The devices are shipped from advanced countries and sold at cheaper rates in markets like Lagos-based Computer Village. Continue reading
Vodacom Partners With Trend Micro Expanding its Cybersecurity Offerings
Cybersecurity, Telecommunications

Vodacom Partners With Trend Micro Expanding its Cybersecurity Offerings

Vodacom Business has announced a partnership with IT security firm Trend Micro. The partnership will see Vodacom Business’ security solutions expanded to offer Trend Micro’s Worry-Free Services. “When combined with vulnerabilities from organisations shifting rapidly to digitalisation and remote working within the pandemic environment, cybersecurity failure is one of the top risks for businesses around the world in 2021, according to The World Economic Forum,” Vodacom Business says in a statement. This suite of protection services not only encompasses multiple endpoints, such as laptops, desktops, mobile devices and servers but includes web browsing, email and cloud collaboration. Continue reading
Apple’s New iPhone 13 Reported to Feature Satellite Connectivity
Gadgets, Mobile, Telecommunications

Apple’s New iPhone 13 Reported to Feature Satellite Connectivity

New reports are indicating that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 13 will feature satellite communication connectivity in an aspect that will allow users to make calls and send texts in areas with little to no cellular coverage. The iPhone 13 has been the subject of much speculation and conversation has been forming around a series of alleged leaks of the forthcoming handset. According to a recent note seen by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 13 will be coming to market with new hardware that will tap low orbit satellites, allowing the iPhone 13 to remain connected even in areas without internet or mobile coverage. The iPhone 13 is expected to make use of the Qualcomm X60 baseband chip, which reportedly supports satellite communications. If this proves to be the case and the device s...
Nigeria’s data usage hits 205,880 terabytes representing 202% rise in 3 years
Nigeria, Telecommunications

Nigeria’s data usage hits 205,880 terabytes representing 202% rise in 3 years

Nigeria’s current data usage has hit 205,880 terabytes. This is according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). According to the commission, the latest output indicates an increase of 202.08 per cent in the last three years. According to the NCC data, information from subscriber/network reports demonstrates that data usage jumped from 68,154.12 terabytes in 2019 to 125,149.86 terabytes in 2020 and up to its current value of 205,880.4 terabytes. The report explained that Nigerians consumed more data due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 because most functions had to be done through virtual platforms as work and other forms of activity moved from physical to remote. This was buttressed by the former CEO of MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman who...
Top 4 Most Trending Stories – Week in Review
Africa, Africans in Tech, Telecommunications

Top 4 Most Trending Stories – Week in Review

As this week comes to a close we take a look at the stories that resonated most with our readers. This week, internet speed rankings were amongst the most popular articles for our readers, and Telkom South Africa launched eSIM support for certain devices. Finally, as women’s month comes to a close, IT News Africa chats with IBM’s Siyasanga Sihawu to get fantastic insights into cloud adoption strategies and women in tech. 1. IBM’s Siyasanga Sihawu on Cloud Adoption Strategies and Women in Tech IT News Africa had the chance to connect with Siyasanga Sihawu, a client technical lead at IBM Southern Africa. Sihawu is part of IBM’s technical team and engages with clients daily, aiding them on their cloud journeys. In this Q&A, Sihawu touches on cloud adoption strategies – inc...
MTN Ghana Expects to Launch 5G in the Country Next Year
5G, Ghana, Telecommunications

MTN Ghana Expects to Launch 5G in the Country Next Year

Selorm Adavehoh, CEO of MTN Ghana, has expressed his expectations that the operator will be able to launch 5G services in the country as early as next year. This comes from recent comments that Adavehoh made at the MTN@25 Business Executive Breakfast held at the Pan-African telecommunications company’s headquarters in Ghana, reported by Techgh2. “Innovation has been a key pillar of our growth,” Adavehoh said, quoted by Developing Telecoms. “We are always trying to make sure we can be the first to launch the next technology, but not only to be the first but to actually bring that technology to the market and create value out of that technology. So 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G hopefully next year.” MTN Redoubles Infratructure Plans In order to achieve this goal, Adavehoh ...
6 ways to spice up your YouTube Shorts content
Education, List & Guides, Opinion, Telecommunications, Video

6 ways to spice up your YouTube Shorts content

In August 2021, YouTube announced that it would start paying YouTube Shorts creators $10,000 monthly as a reward for creating exciting and engaging content. But they need to meet some requirements to be eligible for the Shorts Fund.  If Shorts is available in your country, then you’ve passed the first eligibility test. So, what next? Well, your Shorts need to have high engagements. Depending on the number of views, creators can earn between $100 and $10,000. Furthermore, the videos need to be original; you cannot make a video on TikTok and post it on YouTube. Continue reading
Pandemic Drives Surge in Digital Health Use Across Africa says Vodacom
Africa, Health Tech, Telecommunications

Pandemic Drives Surge in Digital Health Use Across Africa says Vodacom

Across Africa, there has been an exponential rise in the number of people engaging with digital health services through their smartphones, creating a vast potential for countries to deliver access to healthcare digitally. This was a key finding of Vodacom’s e-health policy paper released Tuesday as part of the Africa.connected campaign. Based on research and personal insights from recipients across the continent whose lives have been changed because of these services, this paper tells the story of a continent on the cusp of digital health transformation. The campaign, which was launched earlier this year by Vodacom, Vodafone and Safaricom, aims to accelerate economic recovery across the continent by helping drive digital inclusion. Continue reading
Malware Spreading Through Popular WhatsApp Mod Uncovered
Apps, Cybersecurity, Education, Telecommunications

Malware Spreading Through Popular WhatsApp Mod Uncovered

A malicious version of a popular WhatsApp messenger mod (unofficial modification of the app) called FMWhatsapp has been discovered by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. This mod spreads the Triada mobile Trojan, which downloads other Trojans and can launch ads, issue subscriptions, and intercept a user’s SMSs. Even though WhatsApp is one of the most popular apps for instant mobile messaging, not all users are satisfied with its features. Looking for the most user-friendly version, people can be tempted to install modified versions of WhatsApp, which provide many more options than the official one (such as choosing dynamic templates or the ability to read deleted messages). However, these modified apps do not have the same security and encryption features that the official version o...