Author: Akin Naphtal

UK broadband company, Nexfibre, has appointed Rajiv Datta as its new CEO, succeeding Bernado Quin, who was the interim CEO since March 2023. Datta, who has over 25 years of experience in the digital infrastructure and fixed telecoms sectors will assume his new role role on Tuesday, 3rd October. Datta’s experience encompasses building and managing large fibre-based networks and services across Europe, Asia and the US, including at Colt Technologies and Zayo (formerly AboveNet Communications). Datta’s appointment comes as the London-based company pursues its aim to deliver the network to five million homes by 2026, using the latest XGS-PON architecture…

Chinese short video app, TikTok has decided to halt e-commerce transactions in Indonesia starting Wednesday, 3rd October, following the country’s ban on e-commerce transactions on social media. The ByteDance-owned social media platform added in a statement that it had every intention of complying with the regulation, and would coordinate with Indonesia’s government regarding its future plans. “Our priority is to remain compliant with local laws and regulations. As such, we will no longer facilitate e-commerce transactions in TikTok Shop Indonesia,” the company said. It was unclear from the statement whether TikTok intends to create a new e-commerce app, separate from…

US smartphone and technology giant, Apple, says it has identified some issues which can cause the new iPhone 15 series smartphones to overheat, including an iOS 17 software bug which will be fixed in an upcoming update. After customers complained about the new iPhones suffering from a heating issue, Apple has replied that the device may feel warmer in the first few days “after setting up or restoring the device because of increased background activity.” The company added that “another issue involves some recent updates to third-party apps that are causing them to overload the system.” The tech giant mentioned…

Cryptocurrency exchange platform, Coinbase, has announced that it has been awarded a Major Payment Institution (MPI) licence to operate in Singapore by the island country’s central bank. The licence which was granted by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), will permit Coinbase to offer digital payment token services to individuals and institutions in Singapore, which is fast emerging as a rising crypto hub in Asia. Singapore has attracted digital asset companies from countries including China and India. Coinbase was initially granted approval to offer payment services in Singapore in October 2022. A member of the world’s largest listed crypto exchange,…

German automaker, Volkswagen (VW) has revealed in a statement released on Friday, 29th September, that it intends to build its Trinity electric vehicles (EV) at its factory in Zwickau, East Germany. The Trinity electric car, based on VW’s new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), for electric cars was initially scheduled for launch in 2026, but CEO of Volkswagen Group, Oliver Blume, postponed the launch to 2028 to relieve pressure on VW’s struggling software subsidiary, Cariad. “It was decided that there was no need to build an additional plant in Wolfsburg Warmenau,” the German carmaker said after a supervisory board meeting during…

On Sunday, Elon Musk tested his social network’s game streaming capabilities by live-streaming himself playing through a Diablo IV dungeon. The stream, which was broadcasted on X (formerly Twitter), lasted for 52 minutes. The initial part of the stream involved setting it up correctly with the help of a staff member. The maximum concurrent audience reached 1,300 viewers, with a total of 20,000 viewers by the end of the stream. Musk created a new handle specifically for this task and did not promote the stream on his main account. During the stream, he played a tier 69 dungeon and hosted…

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has announced a partnership with e-commerce company Jumia Technologies to enhance its satellite broadband services in Africa. Jumia, backed by investors such as Pernod Ricard and Goldman Sachs Group, will be responsible for selling Starlink’s satellite terminals and other equipment in select African countries, beginning with Nigeria in the near future.  This collaboration will provide Jumia with the advantage of being the first e0commerce company to offer sales and distribution of these kits in Africa. Starlink, known for its fast-speed internet services, has expanded its reach to Africa through partnerships with Jumia, an e-commerce platform. This move…

South African financial technology innovator, Ukheshe, has made a significant update to its Scan to Pay application by incorporating cryptocurrency payments. Previously known as Masterpass, the app has a vast network of over 600,000 merchants, 14 major banks, numerous fintech organizations, and 94 payment service providers. This move by Ukheshe is seen as a major step in introducing cryptocurrency payment options to a wider audience in South Africa. The company has announced a collaboration with Xion Global, a renowned service provider, to seamlessly unite traditional and cryptocurrency transactions. Tracy-Lee Schoeman, the head of loyalty and rewards at Ukheshe, discussed the…

Telecommunications service, Ericsson, says it’s commited to leading the Open RAN industrialization by introducing compatibility for open fronthaul in its Cloud Radio Access Network (RAN) and radio portfolios. This move comes after the company worked with the industry through the O-RAN Alliance to define the next generation open fronthaul interface. With over one million radios already deployed that are hardware ready for the next generation of open fronthaul technology, Ericsson aims to bring performance at a mass scale to Open RAN. The company will also release new radio platforms this year, providing a complete Open RAN-ready offering across its Massive…

Chinese multinational smartphone brand, Vivo, has collaborated with sonic branding agency BrandMusiq to develop unique notification sounds and ringtones for its devices in the company’s efforts to establish Vivo’s sonic brand and create a distinct acoustic signature for the brand in India. The newly created notification sounds and ringtones, including Mogoscape, Mogo, and Mini-Mogo, have already been integrated into all of Vivo’s brand communication materials, such as television commercials and digital content. These sonic identities are now featured in Vivo’s latest Vivo V29 series of smartphones in India. Vivo is excited for consumers to experience these captivating tones that perfectly…