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Jonathan Marchbank, Virgin Mobile

The State IT Agency’s (SITA) new CEO, Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo, is determined to use his tenure to put the beleaguered organisation on a course that will deliver better results in the future. “My stay here is for a year, and there is only so much you can do in that time to make sure the organisation succeeds,” he said. – ITWeb

Ruckus Wireless and local channel partner, UC-Wireless, were selected to deploy a RuckusZoneFlex Smart WiFi wireless LAN system at iTickets SA, to support all ticket entrance validation points via WiFi for those attending the Top Gear Festival, which took place in June at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, in Durban. – ITWeb

Virgin Mobile has hit out at Vodacom and MTN, saying their “unregulated anti-competitive behaviour” makes it impossible to compete effectively. Virgin Mobile CEO Jonathan Marchbank said the floundering operator has given up competing with Vodacom and MTN and is now focusing on building a loyal brand following. “Because Vodacom and MTN have an existing base, it’s clear they basically control the retailer,” he said. – ITWeb

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Dina Pule" rel=tag>Dina Pule, Department of Communications" />Communications minister Dina Pule has instructed chairpersons, CEOs and COOs of state-owned companies (SOCs) to report to her once a month with an update on progress made within each organisation. “I decided to streamline how I relate to the SOCs to ensure that, as a department, we improve the quality of service we deliver to our citizens,” said Pule. – ITWeb

The institution for local domain names continues to gain momentum, as the initial evaluation stage of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ new generic Top-Level Domains project has been completed. According to the ZA Domain Name Authority, the dotJoburg application has been submitted by the ZA Central Registry, alongside the dotAfrica, dotCapeTown and dotDurban applications. – ITWeb

Business software firm SAP has teamed up with a ‘major’ South African mobile operator to roll-out an enterprise resource planning (ERP) offering for handsets by the end of June. Speaking at a conference in Johannesburg, SAP’s director of strategic initiatives in Africa, Simon Carpenter, said the ERP system is planned to target small to medium enterprises. – ITWeb Africa

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Sipho Maseko" rel=tag>Sipho Maseko, Telkom" />Telkom will be able to generate sufficient cash over the next two to three years to fund the roll-out of its next-generation network, it said. Telkom has the biggest fibre footprint in SA, with 147 000km – 80% of all fibre in the ground, said CEO Sipho Maseko. Telkom noted the upgrade will lead to speeds of 40Mbps and reduced fault rates. – ITWeb

Cape Town-based location tech start-up MyDoorHandle is to travel to the US in mid-July after being selected to participate in Google’s Blackbox Connect Summer ’13 immersion programme. The Google Blackbox Connect Summer ‘13 programme, which is supported by Google for Entrepreneurs, is a prestigious event as only eight start-ups from around the world are invited to participate in Silicon Valley in the US. – ITWeb Africa

Into Africa

The Nigerian government has unveiled an initiative to connect 27 universities to the Internet as part of the setting up of a ‘Fibre-Optic Research and Education Network’. The project forms part of a collaboration among Nigeria’s ministry of education, the National Universities Commission, Universal Service Provision Fund and the World Bank. – ITWeb Africa

The Zambian government plans to use an electronic voucher card system, which utilises mobile phone technology, for this year’s farming and maize marketing season. The e-vouchers are planned to use a mobile phone delivery and tracking system to distribute subsidised inputs to targeted farmers. The e-voucher system is expected to be managed by Zambia’s ministry of agriculture and livestock. – ITWeb Africa

Botswana has changed its livestock identification and trace-back system from using reticular bolus with radio frequency identifi cation microchips to a digital ear-tag system. The new system is planned to improve traceability of livestock across the country. Botswana’s agriculture minister, Christian De Graaff, said the success of the livestock industry depends on effective and efficient animal identification and trace-back systems. – ITWeb Africa

Malawi’s government expects to contract China’s Huawei Technologies to install the country’s digital terrestrial television infrastructure. Malawi plans to switch from an analogue to digital signal by year-end, in line with the 31 December deadline set by the Southern African Development Community. The International Telecommunication Union requires that all countries around the world switch from an analogue to a digital broadcasting signal by 2015. – ITWeb Africa

Rwanda signed a deal with South Korea’s largest telecoms provider, KT Corp, to roll-out high-speed 4G Internet to most of its citizens within three years. Rwanda said KT Corp will inject around $140 million into a joint venture company, which will be responsible for rolling out a fast 4G LTE broadband network to 95% of Rwandans. – ITWeb Africa

Subscribers of MTN Nigeria will have to appear in person if they want to swap or replace their SIM cards, said MTN officials. Senior officials at MTN said the decision has been taken to protect customers’ data and preserve the overall integrity of Nigeria’s SIM swap process. MTN corporate services executive, Akinwale Goodluck, explained that “deceitful clients” have allegedly abused a “proxy SIM swap process”. – ITWeb

Africa

Nigeria’s Arik Airline, dubbed West Africa’s largest commercial airline, has launched an online check-in service. The online check-in service is planned to provide customers with the ability to check-in from 24 hours to three hours before their flights, select their seats and print boarding passes. – ITWeb Africa

Abroad

India has launched a wide-ranging surveillance programme that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to directly tap into e-mails and phone calls without oversight by courts or Parliament. The government says the expanded surveillance will help safeguard national security. The government started to quietly roll-out the system, state by state, in April this year, according to government officials. – Reuters

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Larry Ellison, Oracle" />Oracle missed expectations for software sales and subscriptions for the second straight quarter, sending its shares plunging as investors worried CEO Larry Ellison may have trouble getting the technology giant back on track. Oracle executives forecast that new software sales and subscriptions will rise 0% to 8% this quarter and blamed weakness in the past quarter on disappointing sales in Asia and Latin America. – Reuters

Microsoft said users of its forthcoming Xbox One game console will be able to play games offline without establishing an Internet connection, and will be able to lend or sell used discbased games. The company had reversed its earlier stance on used games and daily online authentication after listening to “candid feedback” from its fans, Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business, Microsoft, said. – Reuters

Patent licensing company Wi-Lan said it has renewed a broad long-term licence deal with Samsung Electronics, allowing the South Korean technology company to use Wi-Lan’s patents in its mobile devices. Under the licence agreement, Wi-Lan has granted Samsung a licence to use its patents for wireless mobile products, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and networking equipment. – Reuters

Microsoft is looking to recruit computer geeks in its ongoing efforts to protect Windows PCs from attacks, offering rewards of as much as $150 000 to anybody who helps identify and fix security holes in its software. Microsoft unveiled the rewards programme as it sought ways to prevent sophisticated attackers from subverting new security technologies it has introduced in the latest versions of the Windows operating system. – Reuters

Tesla Motors unveiled a system to swap battery packs in its electric cars in about 90 seconds; a service CEO Elon Musk said will help overcome fears about their driving range. “Hopefully this is what convinces people finally that electric cars are the future,” he said. The automaker will roll-out the battery-swapping stations later this year. – Reuters