Author: Akin Naphtal

A new study by Juniper Research, reports that the embedded SIM market is expected to increase from about $4.7 billion in the year 2023 to $16.3 billion by 2027, representing 249% growth during the period.The total number of smartphones that use eSIM will jump from about 986 million in 2023 to 3.5 billion by 2027, Juniper reports.The analyst firm say that eSIM-enabled consumer devices, like Apple’s eSIM-only iPhone 14, will trigger increased operator acceptance of the technology. It also predicts that Apple “will expand deployment of eSIM-only devices to Europe during 2023, with eSIM technology key to [minimizing] the time-consuming…

Digital Realty, the largest global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, has announced strengthening of an existing relationship with Hivelocity through this customer’s adoption of ServiceFabric™, an interconnection solution and orchestration platform designed to support the wider industry’s shift to a hybrid, data-centric architecture. Digital Realty’s relationship with Hivelocity has now grown to 10 sites worldwide, enabling the business to deploy its services in multiple markets and place infrastructure next to major peering points in Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, Frankfurt, and Madrid, among others. READ ALSO: Google Plans to Charge 16% VAT on Taxable…

Elon Musk has broken the Guinness World Record for the greatest loss of personal fortune in history.According to Forbes, he has lost almost $182 billion (£153 billion; €173 billion) since November 2021; however, some sources contend that it may have been closer to $200 billion.Musk’s cumulative losses greatly exceed the previous record of $58.6 billion, established by Japanese tech investor Masayoshi Son in 2000, despite it being nearly impossible to determine the actual amount.Forbes reports that Musk’s net worth decreased significantly as a result of Tesla’s stock’s dismal performance, from $320 billion at its peak in 2021 to $138 billion…

“Banking as a service, and embedded finance, taken together — they just represent where the world is going.” As Sherri Haymond, executive vice president, Global Digital Partnerships at Mastercard, told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, BaaS is slated to become big business — at scale — in a short timeframe. To put some dollar signs on it: As estimated by Finastra, BaaS will represent a $7 trillion opportunity by 2030.  READ ALSO: Former ICASA Exec Joins MultiChoice Africa Report Shows Fintech is the Most Vibrant Sector in Kenya Google Plans to Charge 16% VAT on Taxable Goods and Services In Kenya Haymond…

IBM Australia and the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) have agreed on a five-year, $725 million, whole-of-government agreement, which is an extension of the initial agreement established in 2018. The agreement is intended to facilitate government organisations with more straightforward and economical access to IBM’s offerings, which comprise of hardware, software, cloud solutions, and other professional technology services. Government organisations can ask for cost estimates for IBM goods and services through the government hardware, software, cloud, and online stores along with gaining access to IBM’s sustainability software suite, as part of a pilot program. READ ALSO: Google Plans to Charge 16%…

Samsung Electronics has announced that the company has reached a significant milestone in its journey to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or the Global Goals, with a contribution of more than $10 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The funds were generated through the Samsung Global Goals app and will help UNDP promote resilience and accelerate progress around the world. Established by the United Nations in 2015, the Global Goals provide a shared blueprint of ambitious milestones for a more equitable, just and sustainable world by 2030. The 17 Global Goals promote collaboration and collective action to…

Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng has been appointed as Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Relations Group Executive for MultiChoice Africa with effect from January 2023. Dr Modimoeng is the former executive chairperson of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and has previously held a corporate communications role at Anglo American (Kumba Iron Ore) and served as corporate citizenship manager for Samsung Electronics (Africa). Fhulu Badugela, MultiChoice Africa Holdings CEO, said, “Kea is a seasoned leader with over 15 years’ experience in corporate communications, stakeholder relations, government, and regulatory affairs. He will play a key role in helping us to navigate the…

The Ghana-based Jetstream Africa, an e-logistics platform for Africa’s exporters and importers, has raised US$13 million in a combination of debt and equity financing to help it expand. Jetstream Africa is an e-logistics company founded in Tema, Ghana and operating across 14 African countries. Its core product, pre-financed logistics, enables businesses to rapidly book and monitor door-to-door logistics, financing, insurance and other trade support services online. The startup raised a US$3 million seed round in 2021 and has now progressed to Series A with a US$13 million investment. New investors include French development institution Proparco through the Digital Africa Bridge…

No doubt, startups in Africa have gulped multimillion dollars in investment deals. Across the continent, several venture capital (VC) firms have created special funding kitties focusing on women-led tech startups. There are also several investment vehicles that only fund women-led enterprises across the continent. A report released by The Big Deal, a research firm tracking startups across the continent has revealed that African startups active on the continent and led by women raised $203.2 million in 2022. Though still a significant amount, it is 58% less than what enterprises of this sort mobilised in 2021. The report further notes that…

London-based AI company InstaDeep has entered into an agreement to be acquired by the German tech firm BioNTech in a £562m deal. Founded in 2015, InstaDeep has become one of Britain’s most promising tech firms, scoring major money deals for its Series A and Series B funding rounds, including a $100m investment in January 2022 that saw participation from Google, as well as BioNTech. READ ALSO: MediaTek Reiterate Commitment to Increasing 5G Adoption in Africa with Affordable Chipsets Report Shows Fintech is the Most Vibrant Sector in Kenya Google Plans to Charge 16% VAT on Taxable Goods and Services In…