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Dinaledi schools go online

Following years of delay, the Department of Communications (DOC) has revealed that its e-connectivity programme for 125 Dinaledi schools and 1525 district schools is underway.

While the DOC failed to connect 250 schools in the 2008/09 financial year - it has now finalised MoUs and User Requirement Specifications as it looks to make a start on the initiative.

Following a meeting of government’s Infrastructure cluster, the DOC noted that the implementation of its e-connectivity programme for schools had kicked off.

In 2008, the department revealed plans to provide 250 schools with ICT connectivity in the 2008/09 financial year – but failed to connect any schools.

8ta shakes up prepaid market

8.ta has introduced a new offer with low broadband rates for prepaid users.

Following the introduction of its 10GB contract data bundle promotion, the mobile operator is now looking to shake up the prepaid market.

8.ta is offering a 3GB pre-paid data bundle promotion at R149, which consists of 2GB anytime data and 1GB Midnight Surfer data for use between 12am and 5am. Users will basically be paying 5 cents per MB.

Managing executive of Telkom Mobile, Amith Maharaj, said 8.ta has responded to the need for an aggressively priced pre-paid data bundle.

Buy car insurance online

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Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Consumers can now quote, buy and manage car insurance online with the introduction of dotsure.co.za - the country’s first e-commerce portal for car insurance. Encouraged by trends in countries such as the US, UK and Australia – where approximately 80% of car insurance is done online – the company seized the market opportunity not yet filled locally. While there are some local aggregators which provide quoting and premium comparison facilities, South Africans [...]

Outsourcing as a step towards IT as a utility

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Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Cloud computing is the IT buzz phrase of the moment and, if one cuts through the profusion of definitions of what Cloud computing actually is, it boils down to IT as a utility – a pay per use approach akin to other utilities such as electricity and telephones. Best guesses by IT gurus, however, are that the end game of IT as a utility is some five to ten years away and [...]

MobileTV wraps up technical trials

MobileTV says it has completed the technical tests of its Korean Digital Media Broadcasting (DMB) technology, successfully and before schedule.

According to founder and chairman, Mothobi Mutloatse, the company submitted its technical report and an initial request to formalise its application for a permanent commercial licence.

“We are more than ready to roll out the ubiquitous media revolution called DMB - within two months of licensing - that is

surely to introduce innovations of an interactive nature in both television and radio services never experienced on this massive scale in SA, turning the whole print and electronic media and advertising sectors alike on their heads,” said Mutloatse.

FNB Pay Wallet users on the rise

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Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: FNB says its Pay Wallet solution has been used to pay over R42 million to more than 19 000 people since its introduction in July 2010. Pay Wallet is a solution that enables FNB corporate, commercial and public sector clients to electronically pay their employees directly to their cellphones or into a debit card. The recipients are then able to access their money immediately at any full service FNB ATM, with or [...]

SA on the right BPO track

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Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has long been targeted by the South African government as a major source of employment growth and skills development. Thabo Mbeki repeatedly called attention to BPO as an employment driver, and the Zuma government has followed suit, launching an industry incentive programme in February which hopes to create 30 000 jobs over a five year period. The country is well placed to achieve this target. Role players are [...]

Remote collaboration decreases costs

Advances in IT and telecoms technologies are impacting how companies work efficiently in the 21st century, says the IQ Business Group.

“Online collaboration tools, remote work spaces, high speed internet and mobile computing devices are making this the age of remote collaboration,” says Ian Duvenage, consultant at the IQ Business Group.

According to Duvenage, the 20th century saw the rise of open plan offices, which increased efficiency and effectiveness by facilitating collaboration among teams.

Veteran technology shows its longevity

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Archived; click post to view. Excerpt: It seems a bit crazy to call a technology that is coming up for its twentieth birthday a “veteran”. But if you consider the massive explosion of digital communications technology over the past few years, you start to realise just how long SMS has been around for. Not only that, but SMS has also proved to be an amazingly adaptable technology. For instance, it has often been predicted that the rise of [...]

Broadband price wars heat up

Cell C is the latest operator to slash prices as competition heats up.

Following broadband price cuts by rivals 8ta, Vodacom and MTN - mobile operator, Cell C has now introduced offerings from 3c per MB.

The mobile operator unveiled 10GB and 20GB bundled broadband packages for the local market.

Yesterday, Vodacom announced revisions to its data services structure and pricing. The operator revealed that customers would pay 7 cents per MB for data consumption and get double their data for free with Night Owl.