Techzim

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange website still down 7 months after hacking

Staff Writer — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:32:01 +0000

At the beginning of August 2011, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange website was hacked. The site was taken down immediately. Today, some 7 months later the site is still down.

Review: NetOne mobile broadband internet service

C. Masekera — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:51:25 +0000

Towards the end of last year Zimbabwe's state owned mobile operator, NetOne, launched its mobile broadband service. Over the weekend this writer decided to test the service and see how it performs.

Climate Challenge brainstorming session in Harare

Staff Writer — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:09:18 +0000

If you have been scratching your head struggling to come up with an idea or strategy for the Climate Apps4Africa Climate Challenge, well the funders of challenge, The US embassy, have some good news for you; there’s going to be a brain storming session for the challenge in two weeks. The US embassy in Harare just made an announcement on its Facebook Page this morning.

Econet files for $3.1 billion damages against Bharti Airtel in Nigeria

Staff Writer — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:58:16 +0000

A Reuters report today says South African based Econet Wireless has filed a law suit against Bharti Airtel for at least US $3.1 billion in damages.

SA town, Stellenbosch, to get Wi-Fi cloud

Staff Writer — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:49:23 +0000

Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, is set to get a Wi-Fi cloud over it offered in the next six months. According to a report in South African tech news site MyBroadband, The Wi-Fi will be available free of charge to anyone, and users of the service will not be required to register.

EASSy cable down

Staff Writer — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:33:10 +0000

The East Africa Submarine System (EASSy) has a section of its undersea fibre cable broken since 17 February 2012. The broken section is between Djibouti and Port Sudan and according to reports, WIOCC, the consortium that owns the cable, has already started efforts to repair the cable.

Telecel skins Opera Mini, offers free access to Facebook Page

Sam Takunda — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:40:05 +0000

We’re getting information that Telecel Zimbabwe subscribers who use Opera Mini on their mobile phones can now access the Telecel website and Facebookpage for free. We’re gathering that the promotion started yesterday in the morning.

Zimbabwe’s image problem: Facebook caning linked to human rights abuse

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:50:26 +0000

Zimbabwe clearly has an image problem. When we posted a note on Monday about the caning sentence for a Chiredzi boy who ‘slandered’ a local woman on Facebook, we sincerely thought two cane strokes was not a big deal. Really. For us the important thing was that someone had managed to get some kind of assistance from the law for having their image tarnished on Facebook. International journos and bloggers had a different take it.

Why Africa needs more home grown brands

Clinton Mutambo — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:05:38 +0000

Every year, Interbrand undertakes an extensive probe to determine the world’s top 100 brands. The branding consultancy is among the world’s frontline experts in its field. Along with a parallel ranking conducted by Brand Finance, Interbrand’s top 100 brands survey has become a global standard.

With Truscto agreement expired, Econet kills Ecolife

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:19:39 +0000

Today, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe announced in a public notice that as the Ecolife agreement with Trustco has expired, the mobile operator is unable to continue offering the mobile life insurance product. Econet says it will honor any claims from beneficiaries entitled to the cover as at midnight 17 February 2012.

Zimbabwe boy to be caned for Facebook mischief

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:49:43 +0000

We’re reading the Herald this morning that a 17-year old boy in Chiredzi (a town in south-east Zimbabwe) has been sentenced to two strokes of a cane by a local magistrate after being convicted of posting pictures of a local woman and describing her as a prostitute on the popular social network.

How good is your internet lingo?

Sam Takunda — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:01:26 +0000

So, do you talk the talk? We thought of putting together some of the trending internet vocabularies (mostly abbreviations actually) that are dominating conversations on the web, how much do you know?

The ups and downs of the H-Metro website

Staff Writer — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:57:29 +0000

It must be extremely frustrating being an H-Metro fan on the internet. You never really know if you’ll be able to access the tabloid's website on any given day. The website, www.hmetrozim.com, goes up and down like a yo-yo. We get tips in our mailboxes numerous times from readers tipping us the website is down. We don’t check each time anymore.

After extended trial run, Econet begins charging for MMS

Staff Writer — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:30:51 +0000

Yesterday Econet announced it had begun charging for its Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). The service was launched in mid-December last year and ran on trial since for two months. Initially, the trial period was meant to last until the end of December.

biNu is shortlisted for a GSMA award

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:58:16 +0000

Several days ago, we asked on our Facebook Page if there were any fans that are still using biNu. Most of the responses we got show that people still do. Lots of them. Some even said they are actively selling biNu credits locally. We are learning this shouldn’t come as a surprise; The Australia –based Startup has made quite some impressive achievements since we last checked back in September 2011.

Facebook access without the web. Orange follows FMNA, Gemalto

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:19:58 +0000

The one thing clear about telecoms in Africa is that basic phones still rule. There’s another thing too clear to ignore; it is that people on the continent love Facebook. Facebook is so popular, for many Africans Facebook’s the first point of contact with the Internet. Orange has woken up to this fact. The mobile operator will be launching Facebook via USSD in Africa.

Project Brandify will build you a website for, wait for it… free

L.S.M Kabweza — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:22:36 +0000

Just a few days ago a colleague here at Techzim wrote an article in which he discussed the changing web development landscape in Zimbabwe and the region. In the article he said how it’s not surprising these days to see website developers advertising the development of a ‘complete’ website for as little as US $50. A local web design company says $50 is too much, especially if you’re going to be paying for domain registration, hosting and other little things that come with having a website. They’re proposing a figure way lower than that.

The basics of protecting your website

Guest Author — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:53:05 +0000

This guest article was written for TechZim by Joe Ruzvidzo, a blogger and consultant based in Harare, Zimbabwe. He writes here in his personal capacity. There have been numerous stories here on TechZim and around the world about websites being hacked. … Continue reading →

Mobile manufacturers woot, Internet companies groan

Sam Takunda — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:50:04 +0000

The number of mobile devices will exceed world’s population by 2012. Big deal. It means more and more people are on smartphones and tablets. Nothing interesting or world changing here: or at least that’s what you think, because you’re only a consumer and it’s still Facebook whether it’s on a phone or a laptop.

Dhiri suspends daily deals service to ‘regroup’

Staff Writer — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:08:18 +0000

Zimbabwe’s daily deals startup dhiri.co.zw suspended sending out daily deals last Friday, apparently so they can ‘regroup’ and come back stronger. The startup sent out a tweet and a Facebook update on Friday advising it’s followers they were taking a short break that will last a couple of weeks.

The Herald website hacked, used to propagate pornography

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:32:46 +0000

We received several tips this morning from readers alerting us that the Herald website, www.herald.co.zw, had been compromised. We checked. It was. The hack was silent with links to pornography sites inconspicuously placed on every page on the site. Both the Herald and the company that developed & host the website, Webdev, were alerted and the issue has since been resolved.

The ICT for Education Summit presentations (downloads)

D. Mubvumbi — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:14:47 +0000

With almost 3 weeks after the ended 'Southern African ICT for Education Summit 2012' that took place in Victoria Falls, we take time to review a few of the 'hot concerns' raised. However for your perusal, all presentations held are available for download from the African Brains site The event saw 12 ministers along with delegates, educators and interested people from around Africa, (though mostly were from Southern Africa) come and discuss issues pertaining to ICT's for education.

The FinX website and email service go down

Staff Writer — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:42:37 +0000

If you are a FinX subscriber and you somehow didn’t get your usual email news updates this morning, you’re not alone. The service is having problems today. We just got notified this morning by the FinX managing director, Nyaradzai Chigwida, that the service is down and that the FinX team is working to restore things.

MATHs startup, Gikko, launches mobile content services with Telecel

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:42:21 +0000

We just received a press release from Gikko, the till roll ads and bulk sms startup that we last wrote about in September last year. The release announces the launch of local mobile content services on the Telecel Zimbabwe network.

Perspective: Africa’s top 20 startups as ranked by Forbes

Clinton Mutambo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:19:36 +0000

The February edition of Forbes Africa has a feature profiling the top 20 startups from the African continent. As expected, mobile played a dominant role with Mxit coming up tops as the most promising startup. In the truest sense of the word startup, Mxit might not qualify as it went through institutional investors and is more than seven years old. Definitions and valuations aside, the geographical origins of the startups profiled serves as yet another call to action for those of us in Zimbabwe.

Econet’s Valentine’s promo: A $100 Android smartphone

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:59:50 +0000

This is the lowest an Android smartphone has been sold yet in Zimbabwe. For Valentine’s month, Econet has slashed the price of the Huawei U8100 smartphone by 50% to just US $100. The U8100 is Android powered and one of Huawei’s entry level smartphones. If you read the Huawei Ideos review we did last, you have an idea what kind of phone we’re taking about. They are cousins.

Telecel goes red for Valentine’s

Sam Takunda — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:14:45 +0000

It appears Telecel has no intention of stopping it’s rapid release of new Value Added Services, just recently they launched their Emergency Credit[link to article] facility and now they have something for couples to enjoy over Valentine’s. By sending an sms to 33511(charged at 10c) you’ll receive a love quote. Let’s admit it, not all of us are Shakespeareans and the card has too much white space when it’s time to scribble something on it.

JumpStart Intellectual Property presentation in Harare this Friday

Staff Writer — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:59:18 +0000

On Friday this week, the JumpStart community will hold its second event. This event covers a topic that concerns many a would-be entrepreneur in Zimbabwe; that of Intellectual Property (IP), specifically, the answer to the question; “How is my IP protected?”, or a more direct variation of the question; “What if big company X steals my idea?”

Two H-Metro Facebook Pages. The more popular one is fake.

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:56:12 +0000

Zimbabwe’s popular H-Metro tabloid newspaper H-Metro has two Facebook Pages. The bad news (for H-Metro) is that the most popular one, and the most recently updated one at that, is the fake one. The fake H-Metro Facebook Page has 11,379 likes, while the real one has just 3,854 likes.

The changing face of the web development industry

Sam Takunda — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:04:39 +0000

It’s almost safe to say that history is repeating itself. A few years, specifically prior to the year 2008 companies such as Cyberplex were known to rule the roost and getting a website for a company was a comparatively sizable investment. There was the initial cost of getting the site developed, and the fixed monthlies/update fees. The process involved repetitive cycles between the marketing team and the web designers until the two parties agreed on a design concept.

Econet’s new concept cyber cafe (pictures)

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:58:58 +0000

Last week, launched it's much awaited concept Cyber Cafe in Harare (Montagu centre). We had an opportunity to go there and take a few photos of the place. We won't say that we loved it! You just need to see the pictures below. We also hope you'll get a chance to visit it if you happen to be in Harare.

All set for Mobile Web East Africa 2012

Staff Writer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:13:20 +0000

The East Africa edition of the All Amber organised mobile technology conferences, Mobile Web East Africa 2012, is set to take place in Nairobi on the 22nd and 23rd of this month. The conference is supported by Kenya’s *iHub and m:lab East Africa. The conference is organized by UK based company All Amber and focuses on facilitating the growth of the mobile ecosystem in the region through interaction and relationship building.

Are your children safe on the internet? What should you do?

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:56:35 +0000

One of the issues that’s not brought up as often as it should, as Zimbabwe and similar countries are starting to get online at a more accelerated pace, is the issue of the protection of minors. We are all somehow consumed in the liberation of information that the internet brings and seem to want to ignore its obvious double-edged-sword nature.

Techzim Interviews: ZOL CEO David Behr on acquisition by Liquid

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:19:20 +0000

We had the opportunity to speak to ZOL CEO, David Behr on his company’s recent acquisition by the Liquid Telecommunications Group. In the interview he talks about why they sold to Liquid, what this means for ZOL going forward in terms of independence of the ISP and service delivery to customers. Below is a transcript of the interview.

Zimbabwe finance ministry website taken down after hacking

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:43:33 +0000

According to Consumerizim, a local consumer e-activism website, the Zimbabwe ministry of finance website www.zimtreasury.org was hacked yesterday. The website was apparently hacked by a group of hackers calling themselves Abs0lution. The site has since been taken down.

Never run out of airtime with Telecel

C. Masekera — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:27:33 +0000

Never run out of airtime, or is it get that airtime you need for that emergency call when your airtime has run out. As of Tuesday, selected Telecel prepaid customers (though for my check it seemed like everyone) can access an emergency $1 of airtime per request.

Estimating the number of Facebook users in Zimbabwe

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:27:22 +0000

There has been a lot of curiosity about Zimbabwe’s Facebook population lately. Unfortunately Facebook doesn’t provide Zimbabwe’s Facebook stats because of, well, you guessed it, we’re a bad people. Or at least the targeted US sanctions say some leaders here are.

Kubatana maps Typhoid affected areas from crowd sourced info

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:05:36 +0000

Today, we stumbled upon a tweet by Kubatana.net announcing a map of Typhoid affected areas in Zimbabwe that the organisation has created from data crowd sourced via SMS. As you probably know Zimbabwe is currently battling a Typhoid epidemic. Currently over 1,000 cases have been reported.

Google cars to start Street Viewing Botswana

Staff Writer — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:49:49 +0000

Google has just announced on its Google Africa blog that the company’s Street View cars will start driving around Bostwana in the coming weeks to collect photographs for Google Street View. Street View allows users of Google Maps to get a 360 degree street-level photographic view of streets in Google Maps.

30,000 Google Plus users in Zimbabwe

Staff Writer — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:34:17 +0000

So how many Zimbabweans are on Google Plus? Well, according to a report by a Canadian company focusing on the social network’s demographics, about 30 000 people in Zimbabwe are on Google’s new social network. The global number of users on the platform is now estimated to have hit 90 million.

Africom abandons afri-com.com domain to be used for adult content

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:33:34 +0000

Yesterday, we received a tip via Twitter that the Africom website (www.afri-com.com) had been compromised and that the website was showing some adult content. We alerted some friends at Africom and went on to check around for more information. The ‘compromised’ website is showing the following:

Africa: The era of collaborative consumption has arrived

Clinton Mutambo — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:43:11 +0000

A new wave is sweeping across developed countries and can make a big impact in Africa. For those who thought group buying was the last big goldmine in ecommerce, collaborative consumption has triggered a new and sustainable rush. In a world struggling to recover from a rough economic patch and more importantly with waste and global warming; collaborative consumption has come to the rescue.

The ‘dollar for 2′ Telecel SIM cards

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:36:38 +0000

A reader, Tatenda Dzumira, sent us photos recently of Telecel Zimbabwe agents busy on the streets of Bulawayo touting from a loud speaker the availability of “dollar for 2” Telecel SIM cards. The SIM cards are sold from the back of a pickup truck and new subscribers can buy and register for mobile services right there in the streets. “...in Bulawayo they are evrywhere” noted Dzimura, referring to the agents.

A “How not to launch an internet based product” lesson from Econet

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:44:06 +0000

How under the sun do you launch a product, one of whose main points of interface with customers is the web, without having the web platform ready?

Africom finally kills off the loss leading $18 bundle

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:51:19 +0000

In October 2010, Africom made a bold unprecedented move in the history of the internet in Zimbabwe. Fresh from the launch of its new red brand and mobile broadband services, the company announced the pricing of its data packages; the cost of a 1 gigabyte bundle was US $18. It was crazy. It was fantastic for the customers. We celebrated. For the first time in Zimbabwe, here was a company that understood that the internet was not a luxury for rich.

Highlights from the Telecel re-branding press conference

Staff Writer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:57:49 +0000

Today we attended, the Telecel launch of its new brand. We list below the highlights of the speeches made by both John Swaim (new MD) and the marketing director, Obert Mandimika.

Press Release: Telecel Zimbabwe rebrands

Staff Writer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:48:15 +0000

We're just back from the Telecel launch of the new brand which we have posted about here before. Telecel provided quite some information, which we will post in a update today later, but in the meantime, here's a press release prepared by the company announcing the new Telecel Zimbabwe brand.

Apps4Africa Climate Challenge for Southern Africa begins today

Staff Writer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:58:34 +0000

Today, 1 February 2012, is the commencement date for the southern Africa region Apps4Africa Climate Challenge. The challenge will run for 2 months to end of the 30th of March and invites African innovators to develop innovative, web-based and mobile technology solutions to local climate change challenges. According to the Apps4Africa website the challenge centers around the strategic themes that were debated and decided upon by world leaders at the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) conference in South Africa last year. The challenge is sponsored by the US government.

No prizes for guessing

Staff Writer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:07:43 +0000

Help us guess what company just started a teaser ad campaign in the local Zim print publications today. No prizes here.

Africa Exchange to facilitate Government/ICT private sector event

Staff Writer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:23:16 +0000

Africa Exchange, an organisation working to promote regional and international trade and investment will be hosting an ICT event on the 10th of February (about a week from now) dubbed the “Meeting of Minds”. The event will be held in Harare and aims to bring together the ICT Ministry representatives and private players in the industry to discuss development strategies for the sector.

Econet Wireless Group triumphs in Nigeria

Staff Writer — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:57:51 +0000

According to a press release posted on the Econet Wireless website today, the Federal High Court of Nigeria handed down judgment in favour of Econet in the dispute between the company and Bharti Airtel Nigeria. The matter stems from shareholding problems in 2003 and until now, Econet had failed to get any favorable outcome from the courts.

How much the price of internet connectivity can reduce in one year

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:51:36 +0000

A year ago, US $50 per month unlimited broadband was only offered by one internet provider, the state owned PowerTel. Many would argue doesn’t really ‘need’ to make money. It wasn’t the best internet in town, largely because of congestion issues, but PowerTel afforded many small businesses and middle income earners an opportunity to have their own internet connection for the first time. The rest of the providers had prices north of $100 for any type broadband, forget unlimited.

Alpha Media and iWay to host Stafford Masie at breakfast meeting

Staff Writer — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:01:33 +0000

Alpha Media Holdings announced yesterday via a press release in one of its papers that the media group will be hosting Stafford Masie at a tech breakfast meeting to be held in Harare on the 17th of February. Alpha is holding the event in partnership with Telkom owned ISP, iWayAfrica.

Econet launches Econet VoIP

L.S.M Kabweza — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:00:22 +0000

Today, we attended the Econet VoIP launch we wrote about yesterday. We speculated a lot yesterday about what exactly the product is so we’re quite excited to reveal the accurate details today. Those of you that follow us on Twitter received the news in real-time as we heard it in the morning so no new stuff here for them.

Mobile Penetration in Zimbabwe (2006 – 2011)

L.S.M Kabweza — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:12:45 +0000

One of the interesting things presented at last week's JumpStart event, was the rise in mobile penetration in Zimbabwe between 2006 and 2011. The actual significant rise started in 2009 but 2006 shows just how low it was just a little over 5 years ago, 848,000 subscribers.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe to launch VoIP

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:39:01 +0000

Just when everyone had agreed that Econet and the other GSM mobile operators are scared of VoIP, the largest telecommunications firm in Zimbabwe has come out to launch that very service. Tomorrow, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe will launch Econet VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) at an event to be held in Harare.

Launch of the new red Telecel was planned for Valentine’s Day

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:02:12 +0000

We've been receiving bits of information (and some reaction) to Telecel’s re-branding push that we wrote about 2 days ago. According to a reliable source, revelation of the new red colors and new logo were scheduled to happen on the 13th February. Yes, just before Valentine’s Day.

Google’s “Don’t be evil” put to test with Search+

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:06:04 +0000

About two weeks ago when Google launched Search plus Your World, we wrote an article noting that what was really worrying was not anti-trust lawsuits or the war of words that ensued between the search giant and Twitter. More worrying was Google’s betrayal of the trust that we the users have in it to deliver the best search results.

Our experience migrating from Disqus to Facebook comments

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:23:07 +0000

Before we moved the comments system on this site from Disqus to Facebook about a week ago, we had thought about it for a while and the decision wasn’t any easy one to make. Eventually we decided to move. And this is why:

Telecel Zimbabwe rebranding

Staff Writer — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:57:09 +0000

If you have been to the Telecel Zimbabwe Harare city branch in the past few days, you probably noticed the mobile operator is changing its colors. The new Telecel Zim, as you can see from the picture below, will be red. The outgoing is the blue logo on the right.

Exclusive: Liquid Telecom acquires Zimbabwean ISP, ZOL

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:55:05 +0000

We just got news that Zimbabwe Online (ZOL) has been acquired by the Liquid Telecommunications Group. ZOL is now officially part of the Liquid Telecom Group. From the information available to us so far, ZOL will remain an independent company in terms of branding and operations.

How to use Paypal in Zimbabwe without a Paypal account

Guest Author — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:44:48 +0000

Having read so many comments and stories here on how you cannot access PayPayl services in restricted countries like Zimbabwe, I felt compelled to share how you can use PayPal without having access to PayPal, having no PayPal account, and without the means to create a PayPal account.

The internet goes on Strike: Wikipedia blacks out

Staff Writer — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:17:45 +0000

The internet is on strike today. One of the most popular website globally, Wikipedia, has blacked out in protest against SOPA and PIPA. If you visit Wikipedia today it will load you a black page with the following text:

Introducing the JumpStart initiative, inaugural event

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:28 +0000

Today, we have some exciting news that we know tech entrepreneurs, developers, designers and others among you would love to hear. At the end of this week, JumpStart, an initiative we’re part of, will be holding its inaugural event at the Harare Club in Harare.

My journey to Wedza. An experience with technology in rural Zimbabwe

Jabulani Chirinda — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:43:36 +0000

I had a chance to see the “hot” mobile phones in Wedza in all their shapes and sizes. The Chinese made models topped the list perhaps because of their key features – dual sim support, high audio output, multimedia support (ability to play a range of audio file formats, record audio/video clips and snap JPEG photos with reasonable resolution).

Where our music anti-piracy activists get it wrong

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:01:35 +0000

The term “piracy” implies that the wide availability of unauthorized copies of copyrighted content is the result of bad actors preying on the legitimate market. But history teaches us that it is primarily a result of market failure, the unwillingness or inability of existing companies to provide their product at a price or in a manner that potential customers want.

It’s Nhava all over again, only this time the name is Swav

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:52:57 +0000

Good news like this press release travels fast. No sooner had it been published than Zimguardian picked it up and repeated the PR. It’s said if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. Eventually a big local daily newspaper, the NewsDay, picked the lie and amplified it yesterday. But in these connected times we live in there’s high risk repeating a lie; someone will eventually call you out on it.

9 years’ worth of The Herald’s internet content is offline

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:26:52 +0000

We have noticed that for a while now all our internet page links to the Herald made before 2011 have not been working anymore. Links like this one (http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=20101&cat=8) which we linked to from a story on 7 December 2010. Or this one (http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=14244&cat=8 ) we linked to on 14 January 2010 from this story. There are more examples. You get the page below when you click on the links:

Our information technology predictions for 2012

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:47:54 +0000

Another exciting year in information technologies lies ahead with a lot of promise for the continued growth of the sector. Below, we provide our thoughts on what we think 2012 holds. It would be great to know what you the reader think in the comments.

Google not acting in our best interest with ‘Search plus Your World’

L.S.M Kabweza — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:25:39 +0000

Google’s latest move to integrate Google+ with the Google search engine results page (SERP) got me worried. Google says from now on, the results you see in Google Search will include personalized Google+ data related to the search. It basically ties Google+ as a social network to Google search to produce a product that "understands not only content, but also people and relationship." These features can be turned off but how many people make the effort? The new features are called “Search plus Your World”.

Telecel introduces new MD, explains need for expats

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:33:38 +0000

We received a news release from Telecel with more information on the news the Herald broke on Monday regarding the coming in of new managing director John Swaim. The release basically confirms the development but says the arrangement is an interim one and likely to last only a single year. Swaim says he'll spend his time here looking for a new Zimbabwean leader to take as the leader at Zimbabwe's second largest mobile operator.

Zimbabwe’s tele-density rises to 74.7%

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:04:37 +0000

Zimbabwe’s tele-density rose to 74.7% as 2011 came to a close. Mobile phone subscriber statistics we received from the Post and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) recently show that all mobile phone operators registered an increase in subscribers since the last release of stats in September 2011.

Press Release: New Telecel boss envisages growth in 2012

Staff Writer — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:39:32 +0000

Newly appointed Telecel Zimbabwe Managing Director John Swaim sees his new appointment as a temporary one that should lead to the appointment of a Zimbabwean to run the local company. “I have come in as managing director in an interim position, while looking for a Zimbabwean to take over from me,” he said.

Mobile & web commerce in 2012, unlocking the value of connectivity

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:50:46 +0000

At the beginning of 2011 we predicted that Zimbabwe would see internet and mobile commerce services launched in Zimbabwe. As the year came to close, it was certain we were right on target with the prediction: Econet launched EcoCash they extending the use to more than just remittances and airtime; Zimswitch confirmed to us in an interview they were working on an internet payment gateway which they were going to launch before 2011 ended. But something happened on the way to heaven

John Swaim bounces back to Telecel Zimbabwe MD position

Staff Writer — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:57:24 +0000

According to a report in the Herald today, John Swaim has been appointed to replace Aimable Mpore as Telecel Zimbabwe managing director, following failure by the later to renew his work permit. If the Herald’s sources are correct, this brings an end to Aimable Mpore’s less than pleasant stay in Zimbabwe as Telecel’s top man.

Why you should ignore the ‘We have 4G!’ adverts

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:19:38 +0000

In 2010, Ecoweb (and Econet subsidiary) was first to come out with the message that they had launched a 4G internet service. The company had just launched its mobile WiMax platform April 2010; a first in Zimbabwe. Of course consumers had no idea what this 4G thing was. The real benefit a lot of people saw wasn’t the speed that the new generation was supposed to offer, it was the mobility.

I walked into TelOne again this week, this time I’m getting my ADSL

L.S.M Kabweza — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:07:46 +0000

Last week I ranted a little about walking into TelOne and basically getting the kind customer service that makes you want to shop elsewhere. Small problem with that is the fact that TelOne runs a monopoly on ADSL services right now so there’s no taking the business elsewhere. But ranting about it helps sometimes. It did in this case.

The web and mobile startups we covered in 2011

Staff Writer — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:34:27 +0000

The top Zimbabwe tech stories we covered in 2011

L.S.M Kabweza — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:45:14 +0000

With less than two days left before the close of the year, we thought we’d post a listing of all the top stories we covered this year. This has been our busiest year since.

NetOne opens mobile broadband to prepaid subscribers

Staff Writer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:44:06 +0000

Back in October, NetOne announced to its postpaid (some call them contract) subscribers that its mobile broadband tests, which had been running before that date, had come to an end. NetOne invited the post paid subscribers to enable internet browsing on their lines and be charged US $40 for unlimited usage a month. Quite the attractive offer when compared to other mobile networks.

I walked into TelOne

L.S.M Kabweza — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:53:13 +0000

Yesterday, I walked into TelOne to ask about the landline application I submitted some 3 months ago. 30 September 2011 to be exact. I need the landline for ADSL broadband internet. TelOne as you know is the state owned sole fixed line operator (and provider of ADSL services) in Zimbabwe. The operator decided on a monopoly of ADSL broadband internet and won’t let ISPs in on the ‘bulk’ ADSL. Their ADSL internet is reliable, quite the option too if, like me, you’re looking for some low cost internet.

Telecel releases official mobile internet pricing. Introduces bundles

Staff Writer — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:53:34 +0000

Since the launch of its mobile broadband internet services, Telecel has maintained that the pricing, US 10 cents per megabyte of data, was for pilot testing purposes only. Part of that is of course the fact that they commenced the commercial bit of rolling out their internet without seeking the regulator’s approval and they had to reimburse customers when POTRAZ directed them to. They decided to just leave it at that until today.

YoAfrica drops broadband internet price to $50 uncapped

Staff Writer — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:56:22 +0000

There’s some good news we’re discovering as the year comes to an end. YoAfrica, one of the biggest internet service providers in Zimbabwe, has slashed its home broadband internet offering to US $50 a month. And if a customer pays for a whole year (which we don’t advise by the way) the price drops further to $42 a month.

2,600 ADSL subscribers in Zimbabwe

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:20:49 +0000

It’s usually extremely hard to get information from TelOne. No one there will speak on record. Especially about the ADSL service the country’s online fixed line operator launched early this year. So you can imagine our delight when we read a speech presented by the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) director general, Mr. Charles Sibanda recently at POTRAZ’s 10th birthday.

Google Zimbabwe’s 2011 top searches: ‘Facebook replaces Zimbabwe’

Staff Writer — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:05:47 +0000

The most noticeable change on the top web searches when compared to last year’s top searches, is that “Zimbabwe” the most popular web search term in 2010, has been replaced by “Facebook”. Not sure if this means Zimbabweans are now more interested in logging onto Facebook than knowing about their country. One clear suggestion though to derive from this is that the web is getting more and more an everyday common man (social) tool than just the work and educational tool it was before.

Cloud computing, social media & information security in Zim (E&Y survey)

L.S.M Kabweza — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:52:07 +0000

Earlier this month, professional services firm Ernst & Young released its annual Global Information Security Survey report, this year titled “Into the cloud, out of the fog”. Zimbabwe is part of 52 countries where 1,700 IT leaders were surveyed across all industry sectors. Along with the global report, the local member firm released country specific findings compared side by side with the global survey results. You can download the local report here.

Review: The Huawei Ideos S7 Slim. Great entry level tablet

L.S.M Kabweza — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:32:55 +0000

There’s only one way to start off this review, and that’s to tell you that if you’ve been wanting to get yourself your first tablet, you might want to sample this one first before you run off to get that $1,000 iPad or $700 Galaxy Tab. And here is why.

Telco interconnects with Econet. Still to interconnect with Telecel & NetOne

Staff Writer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:53:52 +0000

Internet Access Provider, Telecontract (Telco), has interconnected its VoIP network with the Econet Wireless's GSM mobile phone network. We got the announcement yesterday from Telco. The IAP launched VoIP services in November 2010 and more than a year later, had still not interconnected with a single mobile operator.

Details of the 2011 ICT Achievers Awards winners

Staff Writer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:08:21 +0000

We promised to post the details of the winners of this year’s Zimbabwe ICT Achievers awards. Many of our readers have requested this information. So here they are. We got the details from the Zimbabwe Ministry of ICT and we’re posting all the information as is.

One of our readers thinks Econet is lying about @Econet Wireless

L.S.M Kabweza — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:00:25 +0000

So, no kind words from subscribers in response to Econet's "@Econet Wireless" tag on SMS messages. Almost everyone we've spoken to about the matter says Econet should just stop. But no, Econet is not giving this one up. Not yet. In a message to subscribers yesterday, Zimbabwe's largest telecoms firm sought to explain, again:

Upgrade to customs clearing system causes major disruption at ZIMRA

Staff Writer — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:53:51 +0000

An upgrade of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs clearing ICT system carried out recently didn’t go too well. Major disruptions in clearing have been experienced and according to reports we got last night, the situation has not been resolved yet.

Econet quietly switches on Ecolife. The big losers are Trustco & the subscribers

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:49:23 +0000

Some several days ago, we learnt that Econet complied. Quietly. Ecolife, we’re told was switched on some few weeks ago. Three or four, according to our sources. At least two individuals close enough to know the truth have confirmed this.

The 2011 ICT Achievers Awards ceremony (pictures)

Staff Writer — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:34:37 +0000

As you may know, the ICT Achievers Awards were held recently. We have posted a couple of stories about them here and will be posting more in the coming days. In the meantime, we have posted pictures of the event to our Facebook Page and we thought we would share that with you here.

Thank you

L.S.M Kabweza — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:30:12 +0000

Most of you readers will be logging off your work machines this week, and since most of our readers access Techzim from work, we just want to express our gratitude while we still have your attention.

Econet scoops Superbrand and ICT Achievers Awards for 2011

Staff Writer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:54:58 +0000

In the space of 3 days, the largest telecommunications firm in Zimbabwe, Econet Wireless, has been awarded by both the Marketing Association of Zimbabwe in the Superbrand 2011 Awards, and the Ministry of ICT in the ICT Achievers Awards 2011.

Technology is NOT killing the music industry

C. Masekera — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:20:40 +0000

An interesting article by Fred Zindi titled “Technology killing music industry” appeared in the Herald of the 6th of December. Fred Zindi is a professor at the University of Zimbabwe. He is also a musician and an author of several books on music. His case is based on the assertion that the ability by people to make copies of music illegally, easy and cheap access to blank CDs and CD writing equipment which was impossible when he started his career as the ultimate source.

Econet launches MMS

Staff Writer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:59:36 +0000

Over the weekend, Econet Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) on trial to all its customers. The trial runs until end of December and for that period, subscribers will be able to and send free unlimited MMS messages on the network. After the trial period, a single SMS will cost US 15 cents during peak periods and a cent less off-peak. All SMS messages will have a 1 megabyte (MB) limit.

Utande on the reasons broadband is expensive in Zimbabwe

L.S.M Kabweza — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:48:57 +0000

Local Internet access provider (IAP), Utande, published a column titled “Techno Talk” in a local weekly last week. First, we’d like to commend them for this and we hope the column is going to be a regular one. It’s not every day that an internet provider comes out to say their view of connectivity issues, so it’s quite a welcome development.

Zimbabwe ICT Achievers Awards winners announced

Staff Writer — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:55:14 +0000

The Zimbabwe ICT Achievers Awards ceremony was held tonight at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Harare. The annual awards are in their second year. Guest of honor at the event tonight was Zimbabwe Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirayi.

Nollywood on YouTube: Nigerians and Ugandans get ‘local’ YouTube

Staff Writer — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:35:03 +0000

Over the past two weeks, Google has launched it's video service, YouTube, in Nigerian and Uganda. According to the announcements on the Google Africa blog, the local versions of the world’s most popular video service will provide by default more relevant content to the two countries. YouTube in the two countries will show visitors the most viewed and most subscribed-to channels in in the country.