Author: Akin Naphtal

Apple is rolling out its new Emergency SOS safety service for iPhone 14 users in the U.S. and Canada. Its tech enables users to message emergency services via satellite while outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Additionally, Apple said in a release that users can now share their location with family and friends via satellite. That ability will be made available to France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom in December. According to the company, the update allows emergency call centers to connect with more users. It also requires no additional software or protocols to enable communications. How…

Botswana’s project to launch its first satellite (BOT SAT-1), in collaboration with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), has been completed.This is according to the country’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi who, in a recent State of the Nation (SONA) address, said the major component of the satellite – the ground communication station, is ready for commissioning. “This ground station will immediately communicate with other orbiting satellites before the launch of our own satellite in 2023,” said Masisi. “Some of the key benefits from this project are water resource management, industrial development, environmental management, land management, food security and sustainable agriculture,…

Attendees at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona were transported into the metaverse and could either ride on SK Telecom’s display that featured a giant swooping robot arm while wearing Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, or at the Orange stand they could even travel virtually to Paris to see the Notre Dame cathedral.Telecom companies are turning their attention to the metaverse, an immersive virtual world that is yet to fully exist but is seen by some as the future of how we will work, socialise and connect. However, how their technology will work with the metaverse and how it will be…

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has launched a Managed Root Server cluster (MRS) in Nairobi, expected to strengthen the quality and reliability of internet connectivity in Kenya.In February this year, ICANN announced that it will launch two managed root server clusters in Africa, one of which is now in Kenya.”Improving users’ access to the internet in Africa, and their safety while using it, is part of ICANN’s mission to help make the internet more secure, stable, and resilient across the world,” said Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO. “The installation of this new IMRS cluster would…

The cybersecurity subsidiary of Orange, Orange Cyberdefense, has announced that it has completed the 100% acquisition of the Swiss companies SCRT and Telsys. According to report, these two sister companies have their common headquarters in Morges near Lausanne and employ around 100 employees, experts in cybersecurity and associated services, equally spread over offices in Geneva and Bern.With these acquisitions, Orange Cyberdefense has now extended its European presence to nine countries (France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK and Switzerland) offering more than 2,700 expert employees in cybersecurity.Established as the leader in the French-speaking Swiss cybersecurity market, SCRT has been…

Vodacom Tanzania has announced a partnership with DStv Tanzania that will enable subscribers to access the digital television service via the MyDStv App within the M-Pesa app.Vodacom’s aim is to establish M-Pesa as a Super App and ecosystem, similar to that of Google Play store or App Store, in which other apps can integrate and operate.The operator has built a framework where partners can develop mini applications that are not only relevant but also cater to the day-to-day needs of customers, and in return, gain access to one of Tanzania’s largest consumer bases. READ ALS0: Vodacom Tanzania Partners DStv to…

live broadcasts of the World Cup, with the ability for users to create and hang out in “digital rooms” to watch the game together.In early November, the Chinese government made an ambitious plan to boost the nation’s VR industry, and now it seems local tech companies are using the World Cup to test-run their products.China-based technology companies are reportedly working on tech that would give Chinese soccer fans the ability to watch the FIFA World Cup within the metaverse.The efforts are part of a five-year plan released by the Chinese government in early November to boost the capabilities and development…

A class action lawsuit has been launched against FTX’s former chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried over the crypto exchange’s collapse which also names as defendants a host of its celebrity backers including Larry David, Naomi Osaka, Gisele Bündchen and Shaquille O’Neal. According to report as filed in Florida by class action attorney Adam Moskowitz, the case is one of the first to attempt to hold the sports stars and entertainers who promoted cryptocurrencies in the boom years responsible for their support. As well as naming Bankman-Fried as a personal defendant, the case pulls in as co-defendants a host of names who…

HP has announced the appointment of Ertug Ayik as Managing Director of HP business in the Middle East and Africa regions. Ertug joined HP 25 years ago and during his career has held various executive positions covering sales and marketing in company’s computing and printing businesses.In an extremely dynamic, constantly changing, and competitive sector, he has worked on building teams and strategies to embrace technologies both in personal and commercial environments.After being the General Manager of HP in Turkey, he moved to Dubai in 2015 and most recently successfully lead Print Business in the EEMEA region, Eastern Europe, Middle East…

National power utility Eskom has warned that the nation may face an additonal six to 12 months of load shedding. Following the statement, the power utility said these plans would remove 2,300MW of generation capacity from the ailing power grid, and further increase the implementation of rolling blackouts. READ ALSO: Orange Announces its Commercial 5G Network in Botswana UK DIT Report Highlights Potential for Digital Growth in Africa Through Affordable Mobile Access Digitruck Collaborate with Ministry of Education Ethiopia to help students on Digital Technology Skills “Due to the vulnerability and unpredictability of the power system, coupled with the major…