The ongoing focus by businesses on security and the integration of systems to better protect resources is driving adoption of biometric technology across the African and Southern African market.

Experienced professionals in this high-growth marketplace suggest as the demand for Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions increase (fuelled by the cost saving element and the replacement of older card-based installations), so too will the opportunities to make volume for service providers – along with the pressure to perform.

Guenter Nerlich, Founder and Managing Director, AWM360 Data Systems, says there is great potential for companies and corporations to save on payroll and other HCM-related costs.

“When we speak of credible biometric solutions, we immediately identify factors such as automation, accuracy, speed and convergence. These are elements that will enhance HCM and workforce management in business. Cost-saving is associated with this technology because of the reduction in pressure on resources, a more streamlined, efficient and more productive way of managing resources. There is opportunity, but service providers will have to know what they are doing,” he says.

AWM360 Data Systems was started in 2010 and is an established business technology partner and solution provider within the Southern African HCM and Workforce Management Solutions markets.

The company is focused on emerging and established businesses that require service and support in order to leverage off innovative and state-of-the-art Access-, Workforce Management- and Enterprise Data Collection solutions.

Guenter and his team compete at the forefront of biometric solution development and implementation, particularly that which effects Time & Attendance and Access Control.

Numerous providers have accepted the challenge to provide hardware and software solutions to these markets and there is a great range of products being introduced in order to secure a portion of the market and capitalise on growth.

“There are a variety of biometric-based solutions available, which cover the entire spectrum of the market – from lower-end, security-minded to the full security-conscious user or company. Most effective and sustainable solutions are of higher quality and allow for deeper integration into existing ERP solutions,” he adds.

AWM360 Data Systems is a provider of such solutions and has implemented successfully in the retail industry as well as in mining

Microsoft Saturday launched a “white spaces” technology pilot project in rural Limpopo in a move aimed at delivering high-speed and affordable broadband to underserved communities.

According to Microsoft, the focus of the pilot will be to prove that TV white spaces can be used to meet the South African government’s goals of providing low-cost access for a majority of South Africans by 2020.

The pilot is a joint effort between Microsoft, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the University of Limpopo and the local network builder Multisource. It will use TV white spaces and solar-powered base stations to provide low-cost wireless broadband access to five secondary schools in remote parts of the Limpopo province.

The project will use the University of Limpopo as a hub for a white space network deployment that will provide nearby schools in local communities with wireless connectivity. The project will also provide each of the five schools with Windows tablets, projectors, teacher laptops and training, education-related content, solar panels for device charging where there is no access to electricity, and other support.

Launching the pilot project at the start of the National Science Week in Polokwane, Microsoft SA managing director Mteto Nyati said the project was initiated as part of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative, which aims to provide access, skills development and innovation opportunities to young people and entrepreneurs across the continent.

“Technology holds enormous potential for many aspects of development, but is particularly key to areas like education and healthcare. Broadband Internet access is therefore crucial to giving learners the 21^st century skills they need to find jobs and participate in the economy,” said Nyati.

“However, affordability remains a formidable barrier to broadband access in many parts of South Africa. Reducing the cost of broadband access will mean millions more South Africans will get online. This will create new opportunities for education, healthcare, commerce and the delivery of government services across the country.”

Microsoft white space pilots in Kenya and Tanzania have proven that white spaces technology is a viable solution for high-speed access in rural areas, even those not attached to the national power grid.

Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom welcomed the launch of the pilot, saying global experience showed that access to broadband networks could provide greater economic development and education opportunities in rural areas.

“We see a truly connected future in which all of South Africa’s major cities, towns and villages will be connected to affordable internet, thereby facilitating the country’s mass entry into the knowledge and information economy,” said Minister Hanekom.

Nyati said that through a combination of connected classrooms, devices and relevant services, “anywhere, anytime” learning would provide a range of benefits for students, teachers and administration of education, including:

·        The development of 21st century skills for employability;

·        Improved education outcomes through better access to resources and learning opportunities;

·        Personalised learning for learners;

·        Teacher professional development opportunities and access to other teachers across South Africa and globally, and

·        Improved administration and management of education.

Microsoft’s efforts to increase access to affordable broadband services using white space technology have spanned the globe, including pilots completed or underway in Kenya, Tanzania, the UK, Singapore and in the Philippines. In addition to these on-the-ground deployments, Microsoft is advocating for laws and regulations that promote more efficient and effective spectrum utilisation as a member of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, a global organisation launched in Singapore last month.

The core goal of the 4Afrika Initiative is to accelerate economic development for Africa, and the value combination of access plus devices and services is core to Microsoft’s white spaces efforts in Africa. It is this combination which the company believes will create real value for the communities in which this technology is deployed.

“Microsoft has always been driven by the promise to help democratise access to technology for the world, and our work on white spaces is one way we’re delivering on that promise for people in even the most remote locations,” said Paul Garnett, director at Microsoft’s Technology Policy Group. “This creates opportunities to partner with governments throughout the world to address the needs of underserved communities through innovative technologies and adopt forward-looking regulation that allows for more efficient use of spectrum, and for the benefit of all.”

South African music lovers are in for great times ahead after South African music retailer Look & Listen announced it will re-launch its digital music store five months after it halted online purchases on the platform.
Look& Listen new service will be launched in partnership with Mondia Media, a technology solution provider and music content aggregator.

Look&Listen February this year said it would no longer offer the option to purchase online. However, its recent collaboration with Mondia Media to re-launch their digital music store that will offer SA Music fans the best of local and international hits, as well as a vast choice for independent music and back catalogue tracks”.
Howard Lazarus, Chairman of Look & Listen said, “Look & Listen is proud to announce it is working with Mondia Media in a joint venture to bring a new digital music solution to South Africa.”
“The solution is based on Mondia’s innovative approach and international support network that will allow South Africans to legally download high quality MP3’s as well as full albums directly to their mobile phones.”
And in 2012 Mondia launched an ad-funded music service for Samsung in SA, Kenya and Nigeria. It also collaborated with the launch of Mxit Music.
Mondia Media also noted that it has engaged with over 700 artists, aggregators and labels, “building one of the largest catalogues of high quality digital music products in Africa”.

Oracle Database 12c is the next-generation database designed to meet and transform business and improve organizations’ overall operational agility and effectiveness.

By plugging into the cloud with Oracle Database 12c, customers can improve the quality and performance of applications, save time with maximum availability architecture and storage management and simplify database consolidation by managing hundreds of databases as one.

“The innovations in Oracle Database 12c were developed with our customers’ cloud requirements very much in mind,” said Andrew Mendelson, the senior vice president, database server technologies, Oracle.

Oracle Database 12 introduces a new multitenant architecture that simplifies the process of consolidating databases onto the cloud; enable customers to manage many databases as one- without changing their applications.

“The new multitenant architecture makes it easier for customers to consolidate their databases and securely manage many as one. It also offers customers other capabilities for cloud computing such as simplified provisioning, cloning and resource prioritization without resorting to major application changing,” added Mendelsohn.

The database can greatly benefit customers deploying private database clouds and software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors looking for the power of Oracle Database in secure multitenant model.

It introduces 500 additional features and is the result of 2500 person-years of development and 1.2 million hours of testing, plus an extensive beta program with Oracle’s customers and partners.

The multitenant architecture provides virtually instantaneous provisioning and cloning of database test and development clouds.

Oracle database 12c includes more security innovations than any other previous Oracle database release; helping customers address evolving threats and stringent privacy regulations.

Google has introduced a social-gaming app for Android which connects Google Play with Google+. The site lets users shop for games and play games all while socializing this behavior with Google+ friends.

The users of Google+ can look through the games their friends are playing and follow their status achievements within different games, as they share their own play status.

The company first announced the platform at its IO conference earlier this year. The site which was to start yesterday is designed to work hand in hand with Google’s recently launched Google Play Games Services.

While a lot of this functionality was already available inside individual games, the Google Play Games app brings all the social gaming features under a single place and gives its background service a user facing interface.

The app is similar to Apple’s Game Center app and service that also offers similar features. Besides Apple, Amazon also offers a similar service called GameCircle, while Microsoft offers the Xbox Live social gaming services. It can be downloaded via the Google Play Store.

The number of game which are supporting Google’s service is not known but the company said that ‘hundreds’ of games were offering this features and that millions of people were playing these games.

When the service was first announced, Google said that the service would also bring Cloud saves that provide a simple and streamlined storage API to store game saves and settings, to sync game levels and Real-time multiplayer functionality for easy addition of cooperative or competitive game play on Android devices through Google+ Circles. It had made Google Play game services available through an SDK for Android, and a native iOS SDK for iPhone and iPad games.

Owner of the world’s leading search engine, Google Inc. (GOOG) has unveiled a device that sends YouTube and Netflix Inc. (NFLX) videos from phones, tablets and laptops to televisions, bolstering competition with Apple Inc. (AAPL)

The device, which they named Chromecast, looks like a USB stick and costs USD 35. It is plugged into a TV’s HDMI input and it wirelessly syncs video being watched on a customer’s mobile devices and TV. the customer will control online videos without having the remote control.

The Chromecast works with Android devices as well as Apple’s iPhone and also enable users to continue using other phone for other activities while streaming.

Pichai said the device will also work with Pandora Media Inc. (P)’s music-streaming service and other content partners in the future. It goes on sale today through Amazon.com Inc.

“Of course people would want to watch YouTube and Netflix on the device with the biggest screen, but the user experience on the TV has been so difficult,” said Rishi Chandra, a director of product management at the Mountain View, California-based company, in an interview after the event. “If you have to stop using your phone just to watch something on TV, it’s not a viable solution.”

The announcement of Chromecast came after Google introduced an updated Nexus 7 tablet, which has a sharper screen and is being made in partnership with Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. (2357) in tablets, devices running Android software have been gaining share versus Apple’s iPad.

The transformation into televisions was as a result of previous unsuccessful efforts for Google, including a media-streaming device called Q that never shipped due to poor initial feedback, and the Google TV set-top box that has lagged the competition.

Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai said in an interview that the company would continue pushing Google TV, which turns TV into an Android device capable of playing apps and other content.

While Africa has 13.4 per cent of the entire world population statistics show it produces only 1.1 per cent of world scientific knowledge and most of them end up working in developed economies because of better pay, greater infrastructure among others.

However, in a move expected to up Africa’s science and technology and innovation the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Wednesday, July 24 approved an African Development Fund (ADF) grant of US $ 45 million to support the creation of a Pan African University (PAU).

The AfDB says the pan African university will have five Pan African Institutes in East, West, Central, North and Southern Africa which will focus mainly on science, technology and innovation.

According to said Agnes Soucat, Director of the Human Development Department, AfDB, “Thousands of students all over Africa will benefit from this project. This is truly an amazing regional effort to help African universities achieve world-class status. It will increase the pool of African scientists and researchers not only to serve the needs of the continent but to help youth become competitive in international labour markets,”

It’s not that there are no universities in Africa but the problem is quality. The best African university ranks 113th globally and of the top 400 universities worldwide, only four are in Africa, an are luckily or unluckily all in the Republic of South Africa.

Using established academic networks of already existing post-graduate and research institutions the PAU will offer Basic sciences, technology and innovation in East Africa,    Earth and life sciences including health and agriculture in West Africa, Governance, humanities and social sciences in Central Africa,  Water and energy sciences including climate change in North Africa and Space sciences in Southern Africa.

The university will aid in capacity building, value addition of the continents natural resources and enhance competitiveness and youth employment.

Its other  major step towards establishing the African Higher Education and Research Space by contributing to efficient regional higher education governance system; improved quality of higher education at the regional level creating strong links with the labour market;  equitable access to quality higher education in science, technology and engineering fields; and increased number of institutions achieving world-class status.

With a governance structure for both central and country level management, AfDB says the first three three PAU thematic institutes will be based in Kenya, Nigeria and Cameroon:

1.         PAU Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (Kenya)

2.         PAU Institute for Life and Earth Sciences (Nigeria)

3.         PAU Institute for Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (Cameroon).

Pan-African integrated payments firm Interswitch Transnational has been awarded the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS), the highest global security certification, for the third year in a row.

The award is the globally accepted set of policies and procedures intended to optimize the security of credit, debit and prepaid card transactions and protect cardholders against misuse of their personal information.

According to Mr. Mitchell Elegbe, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Interswitch Transnational: “We are delighted to have achieved PCIDSS for the third year in a row. At Interswitch we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of security for our customers and are continually looking for ways to strengthen our fraud management strategy. So successful have we been that our transaction to fraud ratio is now less than 0.1%.”

At the moment, Interswitch is the only company in West Africa to have achieved PCIDSS and is using its experience to assist its partner banks to also achieve PCIDSS.

The award of PCIDSS is carried out independently by an external qualified security assessor (QSA) and by an approved scanning vendor (ASV) who test for vulnerability.

The transaction to fraud ratio is the number of transactions divided by the number that are fraudulent expressed as a percentage. The global best practice average for the fraud to transaction ratio is between 1 – 3.99%.

Interswitch has operations in Nigeria and a growing presence in West and East Africa.

Thousands of Stanford students, professors and staff woke up Thursday to a warning to change their passwords, after hackers apparently broke into the school’s computer system and stole sensitive data.

The Stanford Daily reports Stanford is working with security consultants and law enforcement agencies to determine the extent of the attack. A notice on the university’s login page asks people to change their password as a “precautionary measure.”

In a school-wide letter, Stanford Vice President of Business Affairs Randy Livingston said it doesn’t appear the hackers were able to access Social Security numbers, health records or financial data.

“Stanford treats information security with the utmost seriousness and is continually upgrading its defenses against cyberattacks,” Livington wrote. “Like many institutions, it repels millions of attempted attacks on its information systems each day.”

Earlier this month, the New York Times reported the nation’s research universities get hammered by hackers every day. Many of those attacks are believed to originate in China.

Source:BizJournals

Ster-Kinekor, a South African film chain today announced that it has started converting all 438 of its cinemas to the latest digital technology.

Ster Kinekor was founded in 1969 when 20th Century Fox sold its South African theatre business to Sanlam, an insurance company.

Sanlam merged the 2oth Century Fox into its Ster Theatres and Ster Films which it operated under the Ster brand.

Throughout the 1970s Kinekor embarked on a program of opening new cinemas across South Africa. However, due to the introduction of television in 1976, cinema attendances dropped. Because of this, the South African government at the time, allowed Sanlam to merge its two theatres divisions, creating Ster-Kinekor.

According to the film distributor, this means that audiences can now enjoy the release of a new international title together with the rest of the world.

“South Africans can now participate first-hand in the hype of a new blockbuster release, and be a part of the global conversation as it trends across the world,” Ster-Kinekor further revealed.

The company also noted, “A new era in cinema viewing is now a reality.”

And the full digital conversion of Ster-Kinekor’s Irene Mall and Sterland sites has been completed.

“With these latest technological advancements, the entire cinema experience is set to undergo a profound change,” said Ster-Kinekor. “The picture quality is heightened while the state-of-the-art surround sound greatly enhances the overall viewing experience, as each cinema now comes standard with the very latest digital technology and superior equipment.”

Along with the conversion to digital, Sterland now also has one cinema that supports 3D projection, Ster-Kinekor concluded.

The first democratic elections in South Africa of 1994 also introduced a free market, allowing Ster-Kinekor to expand into foreign markets. Three company directors moved their base of operations to the United Kingdom and set up trading as Ster Century.

Its head office is in the Ster-Kinekor Office Park in Sandton, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

Nairobi is no doubt Africa’s Silicon Savannah with geeks working around the clock in various innovation hubs to unveil the next big thing with impact (not users) greater than Facebook’s.

Epson, in recognition of the great tech talent (read hunger or passion) has launched cloud-based printers so as the innovators can print their stuff on the go and from their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The Epson L355 and Epson L550 launched in East African market allows iPrint and e-mail print functionalities and can as well fax, copy, scan and print.

Not from Nairobi? No big deal,  all Epson Workforce Pro printers being launched globally have mobile and cloud printing capabilities.

Epson iPrint application  runs on iOS- and Android-based devices and runs on wi-fi-enabled printers and allows users to print loads from photos and documents to recipes, coupons, and web pages.

These guys will also be able to email Print by simply sending an email from their smartphones or other mobile device to an enabled Epson printer at their workplaces, offices or home.

 Epson’s Regional Sales Manager for East Africa Mukesh Bector told TechMoran,””We recognized some time ago that mobile printing wasn’t just a novel idea, it was a necessary requirement for both sharing memories and mobile productivity in a rapidly changing digital marketplace. As smartphone momentum continues to grow, Epson will continue to lead the development of various innovative mobile digital imaging solutions,” he added.

Other Epson products in the market that support iPrint functionalities include Epson Stylus PX730WD and Epson Stylus BX635FWD.

“The widespread use of these devices has also increased demand for printing services for people on the go who want to print documents when they are outside the office or the home,” he said.

Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder  has launched ‘Wikileaks Party’ in his bid for an Australian senate seat.

Speaking via a videolink from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has been granted asylum over rape charges in Sweden, Mr Assange said he hopes to vie for a post for a senate seat in Victoria later this year.

Nigerian-based mobile telecommunications infrastructure provider for Africa and the Middle East, IHS Towers has raised $522 million in debt and equity to fuel its growth.

The funding round was led by new and IHS Towers existing lenders and shareholders putting the firm’s total money raised to over $1 billion in just one year.

From the $522 million of new capital raised $280 million is in debt while $242 million is in equity. The new debt finance of $280 million was led by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The new equity finance of  $100 million was from new investors led by a leading Asian sovereign wealth fund while the rest, $142 million, was raised from IHS Towers existing investors.

The investment represents Africa’s largest capital expansion initiatives in the past 12 months. Europe’s leading investors, Wendel completed an investment into the company earlier in the year and also participated in the round.

According to IHS, the cash will be used to construct more than 1,000 build-to-suit (BTS) towers in Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon, invest in solar and energy efficiency solutions, and to fund further expansion into new markets.

Issam Darwish, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, IHS Towers, said, ” We are now uniquely positioned to expand into new markets whilst supporting our current operations in Nigeria, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire. Over the last two years we have tripled our towers under management across Africa to 8,500. This new financing round is critical to our aim to increase the portfolio to 20,000 towers under management, and will underpin our value creation strategy in the years to come.”

Zimbabwe’s biggest telco Econet Wireless has switched off  its interconnection with Telecel Zimbabwe citing Telecel is not a duly licensed telecom operator.

The switch-off means Telecel Zimbabwe subscribers cannot call Econet Wireless subscribers.

Econet Wireless on July 10 this year renewed its operators licence for 20 years following the expiry of the 15-year licence issued in 1998. According to the firm the new 20 year licence places certain strict conditions on its  operations under its Clause 5.2.2, which requires it to interconnect only with licensed operators.

Section 61 of the Act states that a licensed operator can interconnect with another licensed operator.  According to Section 2 of the Act, a licensee as a holder of a valid licence issued in terms of section 37 of the Act. The act puts licensees under no obligation to interconnect with a provider of telecommunications services that is not validly licensed.

According to Econet Wireless’ statement, “Telecel Zimbabwe is not a holder of a valid licence issued in terms of Section 37 of the Act.  Telecel Zimbabwe was announced as the winner of a tender to operate a mobile telecommunications service in 1996.  The award of the licence to Telecel Zimbabwe was declared to be invalid by a High Court judgment handed down on 31 December 1997.  Telecel Zimbabwe appealed to the Supreme Court, but the appeal was never pursued.  The High Court granted leave for the execution of its judgment pending appeal.  That leave was never challenged in the Supreme Court.  If Telecel Zimbabwe was subsequently issued with a licence, the issue of such a licence was in violation of the High Court Judgment, and of the Telecommunications legislation that applied at the time.”

Though Telecel Zimbabwe acquired a licence in whichever means, the licence subsequently expired on 2 June 2013 and no new licence has been issued in its place.

” Therefore, as matters stand, Telecel is not a holder of a valid telecommunications licence issued in terms of section 37 of the Act,” said Econet Wireless.

Though Econet Wireless is wholly right according to the law to do so, sources in the country say Telecel Zimbabwe has been pushing Econet Wireless agressively and recently launched a promotion which would allow its subscribers to call Econet Wireless subscribers very cheaply, then eventually pushed it to all networks. To a critical eye, there is likely a kind of sabotage even if the move is legally justified.

Another point to note is that Econet Wireless, in renewing its licence was put  through hugely burdensome financial obligations, in contrast Telecel has not been subjected to any such financial obligations. This distorts the level playing field there should be and therefore the switch-off.

ITU Telecom World 2013 Young Innovators’ Competition today announced an international panel of experts dubbed “Challenge Partners” to coach applicants, select finalists amongst 600 entries from 88 countries.

ITU selected the  experts or“Challenge Partners” from industry, international organizations, NGOs and academia.

The experts include Carrefour Enterprise Foundation, Ooredoo, Dupont Sustainable Solutions, the International Labour Organization, World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to select and coach the best applicants from some 600 entries for the ITU Telecom World 2013 Young Innovators’ competition.

The ITU Young Innovators competition recently closed its deadline for submissions, reached out to social technopreneurs across the globe aged between 18 and 26 with the aim of identifying projects with demonstrable potential for meaningful impact in addressing one of six crucial Global Challenges.

The Challenge Partners will use their expertise, prominence and experience on the ground to work with the best applicants in each challenge to refine their applications and ensure their innovative solutions are well adapted to meeting specific real-world issues.

At the end of a two-month mentoring period, the Challenge Partners will join the competition Selection Committee in announcing the ten winning finalists on 1 October. Challenge Partners will provide the finalists, who will travel to Bangkok to attend ITU Telecom World 2013, with qualified and informed mentoring before, during and after the event. Winning entries will be showcased during ITU Telecom World 2013 and finalists will also participate in networking, mentoring and pitching sessions, and win up to USD 10,000 in seed funding for their projects.

The Challenge Partners supporting each Global Challenge are:

• International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Ooredoo working to improve employment opportunities for young people and migrant workers
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),  Young Professionals’ Platform for Agricultural Research Development (YPARD) and Carrefour Enterprise Foundation working to reduce food and water wastage at individual and retail levels
• G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies and Aging 2.0 working to facilitate access to public services for the elderly
• DuPont Sustainable Solutions, Microsoft Lync, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) working to improve natural disaster prediction and response
• World Health Organization (WHO), heading the UN Decade for Road Safety, working to improve road safety for both drivers and pedestrians
• ITU IMPACT working to protect sensitive personal data and inspire the creation of local digital content.

Electronics manufacturing company, Samsung, has revealed the industry’s very first collection production of 3GB low power double data rate 3 (LPDDR3) mobile DRAM, the highest density mobile memory for smartphones.

Samsung says that this chip will bring a generation shift to the market from the 2GB packages that are widely used in current mobile devices.

The Samsung 3GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM uses six of the industry’s smallest 20-nanometer (nm) class four gigabit (GB) LPDDR3 chips, in a symmetrical structure of two sets of three chips stacked in a single package only 0.8 millimeters high.

The ultra slim memory chip will enable thinner Smartphone designs and allow additional battery space, while giving a data shift speed of up to 2133 megabits per second per pin.

“Three gigabyte mobile DRAM will be adopted in the most up-to-date, high-end Smartphones starting in the second half of this year — an initial adoption that will expand to most high-end Smartphones worldwide next year,” said Young-Hyun Jun, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. “We will develop a new 3GB LPDDR3 solution based on four 6Gb LPDDR3 DRAM chips by symmetrically stacking two chips on each side, which will boost Smartphone performance to the next level by year-end.”

The increased DRAM capacity, customers will enjoy high-quality, full HD video playback and faster multitasking on their Smartphone.

Samsung’s 3GB LPDDR3 DRAM connects with a mobile application processor using two symmetrical data transfer channels, each connected to a 1.5GB storage part. Though asymmetric data flow can cause sharp performance dips at certain settings, the symmetrical structure avoids such issues, while maximizing system level performance.

Current memory storage capacity for PCs is about 4GB, offering 3GB of DRAM memory on mobile devices should help most users enjoy PC-like performance, in narrowing the performance gap between PC and Smartphone computing.

The Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) has invested US$1 million into a new national payment switch that will see financial institutions share payment infrastructure and capitalise on its expansive network of over 600 offices to offer Agency services.

The platform officially launching July 30.

According to Dr. Enock Kinara, the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer the e-payment system will enable Posta transact several operations electronically on behalf of various stakeholders that include electronic agency banking, mobile money transfers, card-based transactions, e-commerce, online disbursements in agency services, as well as e-payment for utility bills.

“This will create a shared infrastructure and with CBK’s planned National Payment System integration, we are better placed to offer the required platform,” he adds.

Some of its partners that are set to benefit include banks, money transfer service providers, micro-finance institutions, utility payments and mobile money transactions amongst others.

Posta has already inked an agreement with 7 major banks to use it electronic payment where it serves as an agent of the financial institutions. “The technology offers an array of infinite transaction possibilities, from mobile wallets, credit and debit cards to USSD,” explained Dr. Kinara.

Posta is equally seeking approval from the Communication Commission of Kenya to provide wireless internet service in 93 offices in the country, 22 of which will be new offices.

Other key strategic areas that the corporation has focused on include change in PCK’s corporate image and culture to a more vibrant equally competing commercial entity, investment in the human resource capacity through trainings, formation of a comprehensive customer service charter, as well as the formation of a risk management division that will oversee and handle any unforeseen circumstances.

For efficient service delivery, the Corporation is installing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to ensure that all its front office operations are automated. Public-private partnerships Posta is also scouting around for strategic public-private partnerships to drive its revenue base.

Posta is presently realigning its operations and propping up its “profit-centres in order to realise growth by developing new products, reviewing price structures and diversifying its sources of income,” said Dr. Kinara.

The Posta also expects to up its revenue to Ksh20 billion from Ksh5 billion in the next three years in order to meet the targets of its new 2013-2016 Corporate Strategic Plan.

Dr. Kinara said Posta would gradually ratchet up its revenues in order to hit its target. “We are committed to growing revenue from Ksh3.5 billion to Ksh4.5 billion; from Ksh4.5 billion to Ksh6.5 billion and from Ksh6.5 billion to Ksh9 billion in years one, two and three respectively to hit a cumulative target of Ksh20 billion, said Dr. Kinara.

“We require a paradigm shift in the way we conduct our business. It will no longer be business as usual if we are to achieve our set targets and move to the next level as expected by our shareholders,” said Dr. Kinara.

Vivendi, a French Conglomerate, announced that it was in restricted discussions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecom operator Etisalat to sell 53 percent stake in Morocco’s operator Maroc Telecom.

The French company said that if the deal is approved, the sale to the Emirates Telecommunications Corp would fetch USD 5.5 billion cash in total, which includes the 2012 USD 408.7million dividend.

This sale is considered to be part of a bigger strategy by Vivendi to sell-off its telecom holdings to concentrate better on media activities, dominated by its Universal Music unit which is the world’s biggest music group. The two are making plans to close the transaction before the end of the year.

A week earlier the Financial Times reported that Vivendi had abandoned an USD 8.5 billion offer by Japan’s SoftBank for Universal Music.

India’s global leader in telecom values-added services, OnMobile Global Limited, proclaimed that it has succeeded a RBT partnership deal with MTN Group

OnMobile will now start providing RBT services for MTN subscribers for the next three months and will replace the whole service for the next two to two and a half years in selected regions.

Being the RBT pioneer, OnMobile Global was chosen over other companies as it has features which include search and discovery options, live stream content and storefronts. It has the most tested technology in RBT.

Sanjay Bhambri, Chief Commercial Officer, OnMobile Global, had this to say: “We are very thrilled about getting onboard with the MTN Group to migrate their RBT services across 22 countries. This partnership is very important to us, and is a major milestone in making us undisputed leaders in the RBT realm. We will also increase our global footprint by another 14 countries through this partnership.”

“OnMobile is very well known for their successful RBT deployments and managed services offerings. Their deployments globally have given amazing results to telecoms operators, and it is a classic case in point of their expertise and experience. The business model they pioneered a decade back, strong technology backing it up, experience in multiple geographies with complex network integration requirements and changing regulatory environments worked to their advantage during our selection process. However, their understanding of local markets and consumer requirements were game-changers that clinched our decision. We look forward to partnering with them successfully,” said Pieter C Verkade, MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer.

The consumer performance for RBT services has undergone a revolution over the last few years and subscriptions have increased notably.

With years of experience and global for more than ten years, the telecom limited will be af great influence as well as its best practices across the globe will the transition flawless switch for MTN’s 191 million subscriber base.

“As MTN‚ we are always trying to improve the quality of service for our customers. And through this deal with OnMobile‚ we hope to ensure that our customers never hear a boring ring tone again‚” added Verkade.
 

Technology in South Africa has been embraced in the last year as in a period between June 2012 to May 2013 the volume of tablets entering the country has increased to more than twice compared to the year before, with Android OS devices representing more than half its market.

Craig Fleischer, the director of mobile communications at Samsung in South Africa, is responsible for these findings. He said that the tables are fast becoming the device of choice among the residents when it comes to mobility.

“During the first quarter, Samsung has maintained strong position in the mobile supplier race, with great strides made in capturing market share during this period,” Fleischer says. “This achievement can be attributed to Samsung’s continued innovation and flexible approach to consumer needs. This adaptability is underpinned by the variety of screen sizes, hardware options and value-added service offerings available across the range.”

The Samsung director believed that Samsung has produced a product portfolio that caters for a multitude of consumer and enterprise requirements unlike its competitors who focus on one-size-fits all.

The TouchWiz user interface overlaying Android, he says provides a consistent look and feel across Samsung devices as well as meeting consumer needs for personalized and relevant applications and services.

Fleischer also thought that the 7 and 8 inches tables have receive a good response recently because of their miniature nature.

He also noted that new entrants in this space are creating a competitive pricing environment which is changing the market dynamic for leading brands.

In addition to all this, he added that Wi-Fi functionality demand has grown tremendously.

Education too has contributed to the immense growth of tablet device usage, says Fleischer. He said that Samsung supports a variety of initiatives within the education sector by carefully identifying and nurturing relationships with learning institutions, content providers and operators.

Some of the initiatives that Samsung has involved itself in the education sector include Samsung’s Smart School and Solar Powered Internet School programs have been awarded benchmark status by a number of education departments and private school groups.

Orange Money will now be available across the continent at all  TOTAL filling stations in 12 African countries.

The 13 countries are Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger and Senegal as well as Jordan in the Middle East.

According to Marc Rennard, Executive Vice President for Orange’s Africa and Middle-East region, “We are proud to unveil this partnership with Total as we are creating synergies between two major groups in Africa and the Middle-East to better serve consumers. This agreement will add a whole new dimension to the Orange Money distribution network.”

The deal will give Orange customers access to Orange Money services at all TOTAL service stations in African and Middle-Eastern countries where the two groups are present and Orange Money is available. 

Momar Nguer, TOTAL’s Marketing and Services Division Director for Africa and Middle-East said that the firm’s ambition is to take a leading position in mobile payment distribution in Africa.

“I am delighted with this partnership, which allows Total to further expand the range of products and services we offer across our entire distribution network. It’s a new example of our ability to innovate and anticipate our customers’ needs,” added Nguer.

Orange Money is Orange’s payment and money transfer service for Africa and the Middle-East. It enables Orange customers to transfer money from mobile to mobile, to pay bills and even withdraw and deposit money through a network of certified distributors.

This partnership will extend Orange Money’s distribution network to all TOTAL service stations in the 13 countries where the service is available, further improving the service provided to customers of Orange and Total, both in terms of proximity and ease of use. Customers will benefit from the density of the TOTAL distribution network, its service stations open for extended hours seven days a week; they will be able to open an Orange Money account on site and perform withdrawals and deposits.

This deal is already operational in Senegal and Cameroon, and will go live in over 1300 service stations in the 11 other countries where both groups are present in the second half of 2013. A second stage will follow, which should enable Orange Money customers to pay for purchases made in TOTAL service stations using their mobile account.

Orange Money was launched in 2008 and is present in Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Uganda and has more than 7 million customers.

Launched January this year, Orange Horizons, an Orange subsidiary has opened physical stores in SA and Portugal in a move that will give the firm new business opportunities and offer support to its customers traveling abroad.

Now present in 7 countries the firm has opened physical stores in partnership with local partners such as Nashua Mobile in SA apart from just selling online.

Orange Horizons  has four own-branded corners in stores in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. Additional services are provided  to customers travelling from neighboring countries where Orange is already present, such as Botswana, or for customers travelling from France.

Orange expects its roaming customers on tariffs like  “Go Europe”,  to get services such as SIM card replacement, stolen phones notice and replacement, activation of international options, as well as expert assistance in subscribing to the most appropriate roaming pass depending on destination, length of stay and usage.

Orange Horizons stores offer a product range covering the latest smartphones and tablets, as well as high-tech accessories and is also developing over-the-top content country-specific websites to accompany the launch of its e-commerce sites.