Meta Platforms is testing a paid consumer subscription tier for WhatsApp, a significant pivot for a messaging service that has defined its global dominance through a strictly free-to-use model. Read: Bandwidth Blog & Smile 90.4FM Tech Tuesday: Apple smart glasses! The new offering, titled WhatsApp Plus, was first spotted in recent Android beta builds and…
South Africa’s mobile operators carried 21.5% more voice traffic in 2025 than the year before but earned R10.4-billion less from mobile services, according to Icasa’s latest State of the ICT Sector report — the starkest illustration yet of the revenue squeeze being inflicted by so-called over-the-top (OTT) platforms and intensifying price competition. Total mobile services…
Telkom has spent years operating in the shadow of Vodacom and MTN. That is changing. South Africa’s third-largest mobile network operator by subscribers has built a prepaid offering that is pulling customers away from its bigger rivals at a rate that is now showing up in their financial results — and forcing them to respond….
From left: Lucas Johnson-Barker and Jurgen Stroebel (representatives from 3CV), Timothy Treagus, CEO and co-founder of Yazi, and Mzwandile Sotsaka, CTO and co-founder of Yazi. AI-native research platform Yazi has raised its first institutional funding round from early-stage venture firm 3 Capital Ventures (3CV) at a pre-money valuation of R30 million. Founded in Cape Town…
First National Bank (FNB) has announced a significant expansion of its eWallet platform, integrating WhatsApp as a primary service channel to deepen its reach among South Africa’s unbanked and underbanked populations. The update aims to transform the platform from a simple remittance tool into a functional entry-level “digital account” for those who struggle to meet…
AI rivals will be allowed on WhatsApp for a year, Meta Platforms said, aiming to head off a possible temporary order from EU antitrust regulators after complaints from competitors shut out of the messaging service. The European Commission, the EU’s competition enforcer, last month threatened interim measures to prevent potential serious and irreparable harm to…
In a move that effectively isolates a massive portion of its population from Western communication, Russian authorities have blocked WhatsApp, the Financial Times reports. By removing the app from the nation’s official online directory, the government has essentially wiped the platform from the Russian internet, impacting an estimated 100 million users. Read: Pony AI and…
US messenger app WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has been completely blocked in Russia for failing to comply with local law, the Kremlin said on Thursday, suggesting Russians turn to a state-backed “national messenger” instead. “Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed made and implemented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry…
WhatsApp’s ‘strict account settings’ are rolling out gradually. Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp has released ‘strict account settings’ − a new security feature to protect users against cyber attacks. It introduces lockdown-style protections aimed at users who face higher risks of targeted cyber attacks, including journalists and public-facing figures. According to Statista, WhatsApp has over…
In addition to highly effective treatments like Lenacapavir, technology is central to South Africa’s HIV/Aids response. “Technology is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ in the HIV response; it’s central. Young people live on their phones. If our solutions aren’t where they are, we are going to miss them,” said Cleo Sokhela, the chief programmes officer at…
