Standard Bank Connect aims for eSIM to be a meaningful share of its subscriber base by the end of 2026. Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Standard Bank Connect has introduced its eSIM offering. An eSIM is a digital SIM embedded directly into compatible smartphones and devices. It allows customers to activate mobile services digitally and…
Bot traffic has overtaken human traffic online – and South African operators warn that automated traffic, from relentless scrapers to targeted attacks, is straining what local infrastructure can absorb, while a subtler threat from AI hollows out the local content economy. Automated bot traffic recently surpassed human traffic on the internet for the first time in history…
ITWeb contributor Phillip de Wet. On Monday, I found myself looking for the enterprise-technology angle to the United Kingdom’s planned social media ban for children under 16. There isn’t really one. Beyond better age verification (a problem the porn industry solved long ago, but not well), almost nothing will change directly in the world of…
Episode 6 of Watts & Wheels – TechCentral’s electric motoring show – sees hosts William Kelly and Duncan McLeod wade into the most opaque corner of the South African car market: tariffs, subsidies and what they really cost the people buying the cars. William opens with a deep dive into why locally sold vehicles are…
Meta hosted the 2026 Youth Online Safety Summit this week. Social media company Meta has deployed a mandatory system update that automatically shifts teenage user profiles into highly restricted safety configurations. According to Meta, the backend product overhaul – known as “Teen Accounts” – structurally reshapes data visibility, privacy configurations and messaging access defaults across…
South African inflation rose by less than expected in May, which analysts said reduced the likelihood of another interest rate hike next month. Headline consumer inflation quickened to 4.5% year on year from 4% in April. That was the highest reading since July 2024. However, economists polled by Reuters had expected 4.7%. The rise was…
Vishal Barapatre, Group Chief Technology Officer at In2IT Technologies. (Image: Supplied) Healthcare is investing heavily in technology, but outcomes do not always improve at the same rate or deliver the desired effect. The issue is rarely a lack of tools. More often, it comes down to the way those tools are designed, connected and maintained….
South Africa’s decision to scrap the 9% ad valorem excise duty on entry-level smartphones has been singled out by the GSMA as one of the clearest examples on the continent of how tax reform can bring people online. The plaudits for the decision, which was championed by communications minister Solly Malatsi, come in a new…
AI should change how we train young talent, not whether we hire it. As South Africa marks Youth Day on 16 June, the country continues to face one of its biggest economic challenges – helping young people find meaningful work. According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, 4.7 million South Africans aged…
Handling sensitive information according to best practice. As organisations face growing cyber threats, stricter compliance requirements and increased scrutiny around how data is managed, information security has become a key factor in technology buying decisions. Businesses are no longer evaluating digital platforms solely on functionality, pricing or ease of use. They also want assurance that…
