Infinix has the latest Android Smartphone in Kenya – Infinix Hot X507 a Quad-Core CPU with 16 GB internal memory selling exclusively on Jumia for just Ksh. 6,999 down from Ksh. 15,999. Among the features of the phone is a 5.0 inch dual sim and 4.4 android kitkat OS and 2000mAh battery. The smartphone is the latest being unveiled from Infinix into the Kenyan market. Other features include a 5.0MP primary camera, 2MP secondary camera, a sleek design and a 3G network, that makes sure you always, stay in touch with your friends via social apps, store and listen to your music. INFINIX,…
Author: Susan Mwenesi
Susan Mwenesi
Interested in business, technology and all things startups in Africa!
Local internet is very significant if the internet ecosystem in emerging countries is to develop a report by the Internet Society has revealed. Additionally, the development of locally relevant Internet content that is attractive to users has been shown to have a positive impact on Internet adoption. “ As the infrastructure necessary for Internet access is becoming more available in developing countries and emerging regions, efforts to increase Internet adoption rates are now focused on the development of such content. However, the impact of such efforts on Internet adoption rates will be limited if the infrastructure and enabling environment for…
Microsoft on Wednesday announced the Microsoft Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 smartphones, the most affordable Lumia devices to date. Offering the latest Windows Phone 8.1 capabilities at an incredible price, both Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 deliver smartphone experiences that help people do more on the go. With many people looking to upgrade from a feature phone to a smartphone for the first time, Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 provide a balance of features and power, while also bringing Windows Phone 8.1 experiences to new price points. Lumia 435 is the first 400 series Lumia and the most affordable Lumia yet.…
Bharti Airtel has has successfully integrated yuMobile customers into its network. The process which started in August 2014 has seen the 2.55 million yuMobile customers successfully integrated into the Airtel network. Airtel now consolidates its position as the second largest mobile operator in Kenya with a combined customer base of over 8 million and a 26.6 % customer market share. Joining the Airtel network brings a whole new world of exciting customer experience and unmatched value for money including a much wider and reliable network, better voice call quality, an opportunity to connect faster to the internet including a totally…
Carmudi has launched its new Carmudi’s Android app,with which you can reach millions of interested buyers in just a few seconds without going through the hassle of putting adverts in the papers or spreading the word among friends. What makes it even better is that this service is available in 10 languages (English, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, French, Spanish, Sinhala, Tamil, Vietnamese) and is absolutely free. With four easy steps and you can have your car up for sale in less than 2 minutes. All you need to do is download the app, go to the menu and click on…
A new app by popular social media platform Facebook in partnership with the National Center for missing and Exploited Children will go a long way into helping parents find their missing children. Known as AMBER Alerts, the new initiative will deliver AMBER Alerts to people’s News Feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the National Center has issued an alert, said Emily Vacher, Trust and Safety Manager. These alerts, which include photographs and other details about the missing child, are shown on mobile and desktop. People can share the alert with friends and link directly…
A partnership between Tigo Tanzania and Deezer, the international music streaming service that will provide Tanzanians with unlimited music experience that includes 36m music tracks on their smartphones. Announcing the launch of the new service in Dar es Salaam, Tigo Brand Manager, William Mpinga said through pre-paid data bundles from January 24, Tigo customers will be able to access more than 36 million tracks, including African and Tanzanian artistes, on their phones and tablets. Additionally, Tigo will also be sourcing exciting new and local content through a new venture with the digital music company, Africa Music Rights, which funds,…
BM today announced the z13, expected to deliver scale and economics together with real-time encryption and analytics to meet the expectations of consumers for speed and safety for trillions of transactions in the mobile economy. The z13 system culminates a $1 billion investment, five years of development, exploits the innovation of more than 500 new patents and represents a collaboration with over 60 clients – underscoring IBM’s singular commitment to providing higher-value, innovative technologies to clients. IBM’s new mainframe provides unprecedented new capabilities, including the ability to process 2.5 billion transactions a day – equivalent of 100 Cyber Mondays every…
International telephone traffic continues to grow, despite facing a myriad of formidable challenges a research by TeleGeography firm has revealed. The research detailed that International traffic grew six percent in 2013 to 542 billion minutes and is projected to reach 569 billion minutes in 2014. According to the research firm , while growth is slowing, international call traffic has quadrupled since 2000, driven by a fundamental shift in international calling patterns. In 2000, two-thirds of all international calls were made to people in high-income advanced economies, and fixed-line phones in advanced economies received just over half of all traffic. Today,…
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) enterprise hardware market, comprising servers and external storage, remained in a passive growth state according to the latest figures released today by International Data Corporation (IDC). Referencing its EMEA Quarterly Server and Disk Storage Systems Tracker, the research firm today announced that the market expanded a sluggish 3.8% year on year in the third quarter of 2014 to total $522.9 million, with much of the growth spurred by infrastructure deals within the oil and gas (O&G), telecommunications, and Government verticals. “The MEA enterprise hardware market is poised to take a new direction in terms…
The complete switch-over from analogue to digital transmission may only mean better picture quality, improved sound clarity anda wider variety of channels for consumers, yet for the corporate world this switch is going to mean more than that. Online retailer JUMIA believes the migration will boost the e-commerce uptake in Kenya and assist the acquisition process of new customers for the e-commerce sector. “Some digital TV service providers offer their customers a three-service package that involves Television, Internet and Telephone services over a single bill per month over one fibre optic cable connection, ” Parinaz Firozi MD Jumia Kenya. “This means more…
Algerie Telecom (AT) now has more than 250 base transceiver stations (BTS) that can support fixed wireless Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for 100, 00 customers General Manager Azouaou Mehmel has revealed. According to the El Moudjahid news source, there are two 4G-enabled BTS in each of the country’s 48 wilayas (provinces) and plans are in motion to expand LTE in remote and unreached areas. Mehmel added that the company has so far signed up 80,000 LTE subscribers since inception of the technology. In a previous interview with Algerie Press Service (APS) the executive had intimated that commercial LTE technology would be introduced by the end…
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria has apologized for remarks on popular social media platforms where among other posts, he had attributed terrorism to certain communities in Kenya. “My intention is not to create disunity. I stand for cohesion, I stand to have one indivisible Kenya and therefore to the extent that I attributed terrorism to specific communities or religions or tribes, I regret and apologise,” said Kuria. Kuria was speaking at a press conference which was also attended by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission officials as well as the Law Society of Kenya on Monday. The MP appeared in…
The Kenya security forces are set to try out the new Safaricom surveillance and security system in four months time. The Standard reports that so far there are already live installations of the system in some parts of Nairobi and Mombasa. The company has also been building a command and control centre at Vigilance House and is expected to have trained 10, 000 users by the set deadline. “The system is already live and we currently have a temporary control centre which is working and about 20 cell sites,” said Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore “By May 25, we…
Today’s Doodle by Google is of one Kimani Nganga Maruge who stunned the country and indeed the world with his decision to go back to primary school at the advanced age of 84. The doodle is of Maruge who is surrounded by other six pupils working in a classroom. Buoyed by the decision of the then president Mwai Kibaki’s government to offer free education for primary school going children, Maruge enrolled at the Kapkenduiywo Primary School in Eldoret January 12, 2004 where he went on to become the school’s head boy for being a model student. Maruge believed he was…
Citizens seeking services from Huduma centres will soon have to use smart cards in place of cash to pay for services at Huduma centres a report by the Ministry of Devolution and Planning has revealed. It is expected that the new system will make for more transparent and efficient delivery of the services at all of the 13 centres spread in most parts for the county. It will also be possible to us the card to pay for private sector transactions although the modalities to provide for this are not yet in place. “The Huduma Kenya Smart Card will minimize…
Integrated telecommunications solutions provider Orange confirms that some of its unionised staff have withdrawn labour with effect from Wednesday, October 8, 2014. The notice to strike has been occasioned by a list of four issues, as listed by the Communication Workers Union (COWU) in its communication to the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Services on September 29, 2014: “Discrimination on payment of staff bonus, Harassment and intimidation of union members;Union bashing and Refusal by management to pay overtime to 54 members of staff.” The latter three issues have been addressed, leaving the ‘discrimination on payment of staff bonus’ as…
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) has awarded Rwanda’s RSwitch, an international security standard compliance certification mark. The Rwandan subsidiary of Millicom International Payments Solution, RSwitch formerly known as Simtel is the country’s main provider of bank-to-bank payment switching services. Alex Kanayoge, the head of risk, audit and compliance at RSwitch, said the PCI DSS certification comes after “a rigorous audit exercise” that saw ControlCase, a United States-based qualified security assessor, validate the various frameworks in place that ensure customers carry out card-based transactions in a secured environment. “RSwitch strives to come up with and apply innovative electronic…
After two days of not being able to access popular mobile money services on Equity Bank Automated Teller Machines, clients can now access the service after the bank restored Safaricom’s M-Pesa, Orange Money and Yu mobile money services yesterday. The Daily Nation reports that customers were not able to access their money from the services until mid-day on Wednesday. “The service was deactivated Monday although we have had no official communication from Equity,” Bob Collymore, Safaricom chief executive said. Some customers also buy airtime from Safaricom, Orange, Airtel or yuMobile while others withdraw money from their bank accounts and transfer…
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has directed television stations operating in Kenya to air 40% local content or risk penalties from the authority. Although the authority is yet to come up with the said penalties, CA’s Director General Francis Wangusi said that among them would be asking the offending media house to pay more to the Universal Service Fund , money that will be used to support the production of local content in the country. Wangusi was speaking at a breakfast meeting at the Hilton that brought together broadcasters, content producers and the media to chart the way forward…
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has launched the first currency futures which track the exchange rate between the Rand and select African currencies such as the Zambian Kwacha, Kenyan Shilling and Nigerian Naira. Currency futures allow investors as well as importers and exporters to protect themselves against the currency movement in the foreign country. “The JSE is very excited about this new groundbreaking initiative as we have been working on this strategy for two years. With Africa being a global investment destination it makes sense for the JSE as a major exchange player in Africa to be involved in providing appropriate…
SAP® Simple Finance, the result of a close collaboration between SAP and customers to identify the most complex functions and tasks in finance and make them simpler, is a major step forward in transforming finance. It brings the simplicity of the SAP Cloud to finance departments worldwide. SAP® Simple Finance delivers real-time insights to CFOs and finance departments to help them model different financial scenarios, so they can stay abreast of rapidly changing market conditions and deliver strategic outcomes to the business. Speaking at the Financial Transformation event held in Nairobi, Merlin Knott, Director of Business Analytics at SAP Africa said “SAP software has…
Barclays Africa has been named ‘Best Domestic Cash Management House’ in six African countries by the prestigious global news publication Euromoney. Barclays Africa received the award for the first time in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as for the third time in the UK. The impressive series of accolades underscores the group’s dynamic, client-orientated corporate and investment banking offering across the continent. The Euromoney Cash Management Survey is the most comprehensive guide to the cash management arena in the market, recognising leadership in cash management across a range of markets and criteria. It is widely…
Jifunza (Rwanda), Nerve (Nigeria), Paysail (Ghana), Chura (Kenya) and Spacepointe (Nigeria are the five startups chosen to represent Africa at DEMO US. The US State Department through the LIONS@FRICA partnership will sponsor the five for the ten-day trip as a way of thumping their support for entrepreneurship in Africa. The International community added their voice to emphasize the need to tap entrepreneurial energy among Africans at the DEMO Africa event held in Lagos last week. The event which brought together players in the technology scene provided a critical platform for discussions geared towards fast tracking prosperity and growth in Africa…
KTN, NTV and Citizen TV which had been withdrawn pending the determination of a legal process have now been reinstated on the StarTimes digital platform meaning viewers can now enjoy these and an array of other over 70 international channels hosted by the digital television service provider. The three channels had been removed from the platform pending pending the determination of a legal process that saw the TV stations and the pay TV stand on opposing sides. Confirming these developments, StarTimes media Vice President for marketing Mr. Mark Lisboa noted that the swift action by the company following the Supreme…
Buntwani will host its inaugural conference on 7th and 8th October that will bring together leaders in government (both national and county), civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders in the devolution space in Kenya to discuss on the potential role contribution of ICT in strengthening citizen engagement and participation in Kenya. This comes against the backdrop of the current situation where devolution presents various challenges and opportunities related to citizen engagement and participation in their governance. According to TechSoup Global Vice-President: Africa, David Barnard, “Buntwani provides an opportunity to assess the landscape and determine whether the national and county…
Belgium firm, SatADSL is set to provide financial and school broadcasting services with internet connectivity to remote areas in Kenya and Uganda using satellite technology. The Belgian firm has partnered with Indigo Telecom in Kenya and Uganda’s Maisha Network to enable banks with microfinance institutions to install Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) as well as provide money transfer services. SatADSL’s Business Development Director Michel Dothey said the company will be offering small VSAT equipment with dish that cost about Ksh43,000 ($500) to help commercial banks and money transfer firms to expand branch network in remote places. “VSAT equipment linked to the…
Empowering customers through self-help apps benefits the customers and helps the operator to reduce customer care cost a study by Mahindra Comviva, a mobility solutions provider has revealed. There is also the potential for an augmented customer engagement, provided it is a personalized and secure interaction. By developing a rich interaction suite through the mobile self-service app, a telco can gain real time feedback and deliver tailored offers to customers. Talking about the customers, with a well integrated self service app they can resolve their issues within one session without having to wait for a 24 hour process time line.…
Global leader in payments Visa has embarked on a i 6 month, countrywide campaign to raise awareness amongst cardholders on benefits of EMV chip cards in Kenya. TheVisa Chip and Pin campaign seeks to encourage consumers to use their EMV chip cards which are safer from counterfeit and fraud activities. “The little chip that sits on the left side of your Visa card has made the world of electronic payments more secure and faster by providing three key safeguards: storing information, processing information and performing cryptographic processing much like a mini computer, making it difficult to clone a card,” said Visa General Manager,…
Chinese IT company Huawei is set to invest Over $4 Billion in Fixed Broadband Technology over the Next Three Years (FBB) technology research and development over the next three years. The investment will focus on products and solutions which will support their customers with providing an improved service experience for end users. The announcement was made at the Huawei Ultra-Broadband Forum in London which has brought together industry professionals to address hot topics under the theme “Dream Broader, Band Together”. Huawei Products and Solutions President, Mr. Ryan Ding said, “Huawei has always been focused on customer needs and adding value…