Author: Gugu Lourie

Samsung Electronics SA has successfully broken the GUINNESS World Record™ for the most contributions to an online album of selfies (self-portrait photographs) (selfies) in 24 hours. The record breaking number of selfies was an astounding 12,598, as verified by GUINNESS World Records. The attempt took place at Sandton City in Johannesburg and Canal Walk in Cape Town, in partnership with 947 FM and KFM. The activations were perfectly paired with the South African launch of Samsung’s new GALAXY A-Series of smartphones, which comes packed with enhanced selfie features. Justin Hume, Director of Product Marketing, Integrated Mobility at Samsung Electronics SA…

The Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has issued a further call for SA telcos to take bold action to bring down the costs of mobile broadband by introducing wholesale mobile data products. ISPA argues that the absence of a wholesale mobile data offering constitutes a lost business opportunity for mobile operators and an obstacle to deepening broadband penetration. “In South Africa, mobile devices are the primary gateway to the business and social opportunities offered by the Internet,” says ISPA chair Graham Beneke. “High prices for mobile broadband will continue to act as a brake on Internet penetration in the country.”…

by Gugu Lourie TURKEY, Antalya: A combination of increased demand for smart television sets and inadequate broadband bandwidth speed has opened up opportunities for content providers. As a result Samsung Electronics SA is developing a strategy around content to enable South Africans to enjoy the benefits of modern television. This development is likely to usher in a new era for television in the country, where increasing numbers of viewers are ditching their old-fashioned cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets for slim, high-definition (HD) liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma display units. The boom in sales of digital and HD TV…

by Gugu Lourie Common sense tells me that Cell C cannot survive much longer without being profitable, the more so if it continues to play hide and seek with the market over its finances. The signs are everywhere that Cell C is struggling – its public relations efforts are not exactly masking the problem. Last week, the company disclosed that in December it had lodged papers requesting the Gauteng High Court to review call termination regulations. Cell C was also quoted by Business Day as saying that it would “vigorously challenge” Vodacom’s planned R7bn acquisition of Neotel, and would pursue…

26 February 2015 MTN demonstrates the benefits of its video on demand offering MTN showcased the benefits of FrontRow when it streamed high bandwidth video content onto multiple mobile devices using its video on demand (VOD) offering. The demonstration of FrontRow capabilities on MTN’s new generation network was demonstrated at a media briefing held at MTN head offices in Fairlands, Johannesburg. MTN has launched its subscription-based video on demand (VOD) service last year for the launch price of R179 or R399 a month inclusive of a 10GB data bundle for streaming and viewing. FrontRow gives all customers regardless of which…

by Staff Writer Cell C, South Africa’s third mobile operator, reported a 44% rise in subscribers to 19.6 million customers for the year to end-December 2014, and said it plans to roll out a 4G/LTE network. “Both operationally and financially, we have seen some excellent growth in key areas, despite the lack of regulatory support. We have worked hard to grow both our customer base and drive efficiencies to bring us to the highlights of the 2014 results,” says Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos. Supported by shareholder investment, the company continued network expansion and had a total of 4524…

Wearables have struggled to take off so far. This will all change with Neptune’s hub, which aims to upend the smartphone. Neptune, a Canadian consumer electronics innovator, has unveiled Neptune Duo, a two-device package featuring the world’s smartest wearable, Neptune Hub, and a pocket-sized companion device that reinvents the smartphone, the Pocket screen. With a powerful quad-core processor, as well as support for 3G/4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and NFC, Neptune Hub is the world’s smartest wearable. The current wearables market is saturated with Bluetooth-paired smartwatches and fitness bands,” said Simon Tian. “The issue is that they all depend on the…

20 January 2015 MTN enables its customers to share data with family and friends without costing them a cent Unused data that customers forfeit at the end of the month will be a thing of the past thanks to the launch of Data Share, a proposition that allows MTN customers to link up and share data with up to 20 MTN Numbers without incurring any connection or SIM linking fee. With MTN Data Share, the main account holder can add and link SIM-enabled devices such as dongles, tablets and modems and MTN numbers of their extended family and friends free…