Author: Akin Naphtal

Airtel Zambia has launched its Voice over LTE – VoLTE which is expected to offer a high-definition cellular experience to its users. According to Manu Sood, Managing Director, Airtel Networks Zambia Plc, “this is the first of its kind in Zambia and we are truly proud to be launching this in line with the provision of 100% 4G konse. This launch of HD Calls in Zambia only by Airtel means a whole new level of experience added to the 4G experience.” READ ALSO: United Kingdom: Flutterwave and Token.io Collaborate to Provide Pay By Bank Transfer to Users in UK and…

Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company, has collaborated with Token.io, Europe’s leading account-to-account (A2A) payment infrastructure provider, to power Pay By Bank transfer capabilities for Flutterwave’s platform. The announcement was made today at the Money20/20 Europe fintech conference in Amsterdam. A2A payments (often called ‘Pay By Bank’) are a fast and secure way to move money between bank accounts. Open banking powered A2A payments do not require registration or error-prone data entry, making them a seamless payment method. End-users authenticate A2A payments directly with their bank for a frictionless experience that also delivers higher success rates than market standards. A2A…

France-based music platform Deezer is developing tools to detect AI-generated music, as part of its efforts to maintain a fair and transparent environment that benefits both real artists and music fans. Over 100,000 new tracks are uploaded per day to the Deezer platform. The new capabilities will be used to tag music that has been created by generative AI, starting with songs featuring synthetic voices of existing artists. The tags will be used to keep the industry and end-users informed of what is “real” or AI–generated on the platform, said the company. READ ALSO:Linda Yaccarino is officially on the job…

Incoming Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino started her new gig on Monday, according to a tweet. “It happened — first day in the books!” she wrote. “Stay tuned…” Twitter owner Elon Musk announced in mid-May that he had hired a new CEO. Just days later, Yaccarino resigned from NBCUniversal, where she had been the chairman of its advertising and partnerships group; Musk then confirmed that the ad exec was his new CEO pick. It seems that Yaccarino is starting earlier than anticipated, though. When Musk announced that he had found a new CEO, he said that she would start in about six weeks… but it’s only…

Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) launched key features of Zoom IQ, a smart companion that empowers collaboration and unlocks people’s potential through generative AI. Now available through free trials for customers in select plans*, the Zoom Meeting summary and Zoom Team Chat compose features will help teams improve productivity, balance workday priorities, and collaborate more effectively. “With the introduction of these new capabilities in Zoom IQ, an incredible generative AI assistant, teams can further enhance their productivity for everyday tasks, freeing up more time for creative work and expanding collaboration,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “There is no…

Swiss company ADB has joined the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, a global initiative aimed at promoting digital peace and protecting users from cyber threats. As a result, ADB is now with a coalition of over 150 prestigious technology companies, including Microsoft, Meta and HP, committed to upholding the Accord’s four driving principles, namely building stronger defences to protect all internet users around the globe; opposing any offensive cyber-attacks; empowering people, businesses and developers to protect themselves; and taking collective responsibility with fellow Accord members to mitigate threats. READ ALSO:Huawei urges widespread allocation of 2.6 GHz to boost home FWA uptake in…

Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT), has called for a collective adoption of 2.6 GHz for cost-effective 4G Fixed Wireless Access for home broadband, in order to raise penetration from the currently low level. Yao Hongjie, VP of Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa ICT Solutions, told delegates at the recent Annual Africa Spectrum Roundtable in Maputo that a number of initiatives are required to boost home internet penetration. Such initiatives include full allocation of the entire sub-3 GHz band, Yao said. Full utilisation of 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands are needed for more mobile broadband improvement,…

IBM is opening a new quantum computing data centre in Germany, bringing its quantum computers to Europe for the first time. The facility will be operational in 2024 and is designed to allow EU organisations to use IBM quantum cloud without sending data to the US, in accordance with the Bloc’s GDPR data regime. All machines in the data centre will have at least a 100-qubit error-mitigated quantum processor. Based at the existing IBM facility in Ehningen, Germany, it will include quantum computing systems with the ability to scale – starting with the 127-qubit Eagle processor. This, says IBM VP of quantum Jay Gambetta, is the…

MTN Group is pleased to announce the appointment of M. Mudassar Aqil as Executive: BankTech, in its Fintech business, MoMo, effective from 1 August 2023. BankTech, is one of MTN Fintech’s five verticals, currently serves over 69 million monthly active users across 16 markets. With a wealth of experience in the financial services industry, including a 12-year tenure as a CEO in the banking and fintech space, Mudassar brings with him a deep understanding of banking regulation, lending, payments, and platform strategy. Over his 25-year career, Mudassar has served in several senior executive roles in the financial services and fintech…

M-PESA Foundation has partnered with Zuri Health, a digital healthcare provider that offers end-to-end health solutions, to offer free SMS and WhatsApp medical consultation service. The service will enable over 160,000 patients across the country to benefit from a six-months free medical consultation SMS and WhatsApp service with certified doctors’ courtesy of M-PESA Foundation. “For the first time, we are incorporating technology in our free medical camps to provide patients with necessary follow-up care after the medical camps. We will also use the platforms to provide patients with health education and self-care tips to help them manage their health more…