Author: Gugu Lourie

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is now changing gears and informing operators that the auction for the high-demand spectrum will be completed no later than 31 March 2021. That’s noteworthy considering the regulator promised to auction the 4G and 5G spectrum by 31 December 2020. None of this is all that surprising, however, mainly because the goalpost has been shifted several times by the regulator and government. ICASA announced today that the Invitation To Apply (ITA) for both the Wireless Open Access Network (WOAN) and the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum, also known as high demand spectrum…

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Telkom has introduced a SmartBroadband SIM-only 1TB LTE deal for R999 that can be subscribed to on a 24-month contract with a device or on a month-to-month contract. The SmartBroadband Wireless post-paid LTE data product is available only on Telkom LTE/LTE-A 2300MHz and 1800MHz coverage. The SmartBroadband 1TB Wireless post-paid data offer, includes 1000GB anytime data per month. “Telkom’s SmartBroadband Wireless is bringing you something bigger than big with the first-ever Terabyte offer in South Africa,” the company said. “For a limited time only, you could be one of the first customers to take advantage of this crazy, game-changing deal…

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The new S-Class is described by Mercedes-Benz as a saloon that uses digitisation for a car that responds empathetically to the needs and wishes of its driver and passengers. The S-Class stands for the fascination of Mercedes-Benz: legendary and traditional engineering expertise defines the luxury segment in the automobile industry. No date yet for delivery in South Africa, but the new S-Class can be experienced with all the senses – seeing, feeling, hearing and smelling – while offering numerous innovations in the areas of driver assistance, protection and interaction, according to Mercedes-Benz. The German carmaker says with this new saloon…

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Audi connect will be introduced into the local market with the imminent arrival of the new Audi A4 which is due in October. The technology brings real-time online connectivity to the driving experience with a host of features linking the car, driver and environment via the smartphone. With completely integrated in-car connectivity, the new Audi A4 becomes a digitally connected hub for the driver. Audi connect takes the comfort and enjoyment of driving the new Audi A4 to a whole new level, by providing a range of infotainment, entertainment, remote safety and service functions. The technology focuses on integrating the…

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Today, SuperSport’s long-time channel line-up will permanently disappear with an all-new sport-specific offering designed to make navigation and content discovery easier than ever. SuperSport viewers on DStv will be able to enjoy special dedicated channels for leagues and sports, among them the PSL, the Premier League, La Liga, rugby, cricket, golf, tennis, motorsport and several others, which will now have a home to call their own. Not just live sport will be housed in these channels: supplementary programming such as magazine shows and highlights will add to the overall package. “Although there are channel changes, no customers will be getting any…

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MTN Group has appointed Sugentharan Perumal as chief financial officer (CFO) following the appointment of the previous CFO, Ralph Mupita, as the new MTN Group CEO. “The company continues with its rigorous recruitment process for the GCFO position, and in the interim the board has appointed Sugentharan Perumal as MTN Group’s acting GCFO,” the company informed investors on Tuesday. A chartered accountant for over 15 years, Sugen has extensive financial and accounting experience. He has served as an external auditor of MTN Group and held various key executive and board positions within the group. He is currently acting CFO of…

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The latest compact super-sportscars from the Mercedes-AMG stable have landed in South Africa. Promising outstanding performance, the ultimate driving dynamics and expressive design, the new Mercedes-AMG compact A 45 S 4MATIC+ Hatch and CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ are set to reassert their leading positions in their segments. The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4MATIC+ will be priced at R1.1 million and the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ at R1.2 million. We have completely redesigned our 45 models – from the engine and transmission through the chassis, the elaborately constructed drivetrain to the body structure and of course the design itself –…

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Is Cell C manipulating its latest financial figures? I recently found out that the troubled mobile phone company somehow managed to pay its workers’ outstanding bonuses and 13th cheques that were promised in March 2020. It is commendable that Cell-C, with much-reported money troubles, paid out much-needed cash to hard-pressed workers who had been struggling under COVID-19 lockdown. Last year on 26 September 2019, Cell C said its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) decreased by 19% to R3.39-billion. These financial results were for the year ended March 2019 (2018: R4.18-billion) due to the expanded network roaming agreement…

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ICT industry veteran Andile Ngcaba’s inq., a Pan-African digital service provider, has teamed up with Nasdaq and Stockholm-listed Enea. The Pan-African cloud-based digital service provider has selected Enea NFV Access as the virtualization and management software for the inq. universal CPE platform. inq. will initially provide enterprises with managed services for security, software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WAN), and application delivery controllers (ADC’s), while expanding the portfolio with additional managed services. The inq. universal CPE platform will ensure that all these services are well-positioned in terms of cost and performance. The uCPE architecture with Enea NFV Access gives inq. the flexibility to…

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