Author: Akin Naphtal

Etisalat by E& has become the first telecoms operator in the UAE to deploy EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite technology to expand its 5G network capabilities. The technology will offer customers enhanced coverage and scalability to meet future demand for high bandwidth applications. Etisalat tested the technology with customers for over a year and installed Eutelsat’s latest technology Quantum satellite with the state-of-the-art Newtech Dialog Hub to enhance mobile network capability. The deployment of the satellite solution is seen as an important step in the region’s 5G adoption and bridging the digital divide. Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer, etisalat by…

The Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo, launched two Jitume Kazi labs in Vihiga County on Friday. The labs are part of an initiative to provide young people with access to computers and the internet. The two labs, located at Friends College Kaimosi and Sabatia Technical and Vocational College, were launched with 100 computers each donated by the government in collaboration with Konza Technopolis and the ICT Authority. During the launch, Owalo urged the youth to embrace technology and become self-employed by working online since there are not enough white-collar jobs. The…

The Nandi County Government’s digitization of the health care and agri-business sectors has enabled women to embrace mobile service technology. According to Ruth Koech, the County Executive Committee Member in charge of Health, maternal health care has been digitized and pre-natal and post-natal care services are available through mobile services. Women under maternal care are now required to have mobile phones to monitor their health and that of their children. Koech said that with digital technology, maternal child health mortality rates have reduced by fifty percent. “Cancer screening and its care have also been digitized in our level four hospitals…

The Dutch government is set to impose restrictions on the country’s most advanced microchip technology exports, including products by chip equipment maker ASML, in a bid to protect national security. The move comes after the US made a similar decision as semiconductors, which power everything from mobile phones to military hardware, become central to the US-China trade dispute. China has now launched a formal complaint against the Netherlands, stating it hoped the country would not “follow the abuse of export control measures by certain countries”. “The Netherlands considers it necessary on national and international security grounds that this technology is…

TikTok has launched Project Clover, a series of security measures designed to allay concerns about user data being shared with China. The measures include the appointment of a separate security company to monitor data flows and increased difficulty in identifying individual users. The platform will also introduce “security gateways” to control employee access to European user information and data transfers outside of Europe. The European Commission has already banned the ByteDance-owned app from staff devices. In an effort to store European user data locally, TikTok has revealed plans to build two new data centres, costing a total of €1.2bn (£1.1bn)…

A new vehicle has been showcased at the Dubai World Police Summit that looks like an ordinary car but is actually fitted with advanced technology designed to monitor and enforce road safety. The car has been developed by Tatweer, a technology company based in Abu Dhabi and features special lenses and modules that can detect violations of traffic laws. According to Anas Al Zghoul, head of research and development at Tatweer MEA, the vehicle is equipped with “an integrated solution customised to assist and enhance surveillance, road security, law enforcement and crime prevention”. The device can be molded to fit…

Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has announced plans to develop drone delivery-network technology that can handle millions of orders within the next 12 months. The technology is being tested in Logan, Australia, where Wing delivers up to 1,000 packages a day and the Dublin suburb of Lusk. Wing believes that operating drones as a network will improve efficiency, making it look “more like an efficient data network than a traditional transportation system”, according to Chief Executive Adam Woodworth. READ ALSO:Nasser Vocational Training Centre to Train 10,000 Bahrainis in Coding by 2027 Snapchat’s shares surge as…

The Nasser Vocational Training Centre (NVTC) in Bahrain has announced plans to train 10,000 Bahrainis in computer programming over the next five years. The initiative, called Smart Coders, is open to men and women over 18 regardless of their professional or educational backgrounds. The programme will have four levels of training: beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. The classes will cover a range of programming languages, including HyperText Markup Language (HTML), JavaScript, Python and .NET. The NVTC is partnering with ThinkSmart Development and Training to carry out the project, with 2,000 individuals set to be trained each year until 2027. Participants…

Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., saw a nearly 15% surge in its shares last week. This followed news that US senators are planning to introduce legislation that could make it easier to ban rival app TikTok, potentially benefitting Snapchat and other large US tech platforms. Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner is expected to unveil bipartisan legislation on Tuesday that expands President Joe Biden’s authority to ban TikTok and other suspected information technology risks from the United States. The bill is expected to have nearly a dozen co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. READ ALSO:DEWA launches updated smart app with…

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has unveiled an updated version of its smart app that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and an improved search to provide innovative and accessible services to its customers, project builders, suppliers and students. The user-friendly app is available on iOS, Android and Huawei platforms and is designed according to the best international standards of digital design for easy accessibility. DEWA’s smart app, supported by AI, enables customers to monitor their consumption and obtain annual, monthly and daily consumption reports through the “Smart Living” dashboard. They can also compare their consumption with that of similar homes…