At Home

Communications minister Yunus Carrim

Local Internet giant Naspers has again hit out at Google, this time via a subsidiary accusing it – and similar companies – of not paying tax on its South Africanearned ad revenue, a strategy it says is legal, but nonetheless hampers the local Internet industry. Google, and companies like Apple and Facebook, legally use a well-known and understood tax loophole to avoid paying taxes in countries such as SA. – ITWeb

President Jacob Zuma" rel=tag>Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation address noted that 37 000km of fibre-optic cable had been laid by both the state and the private sector, with more to come. Zuma said the fibre laid in the past five years will be significantly expanded in the years ahead. However, he provided no concrete details as to how this would be done. – ITWeb

The Department of Communications’ (DOC) drive to improve ICT access continues, as it unveiled a computer lab at a KwaZulu-Natal school. Communications minister Yunus Carrim" rel=tag>Yunus Carrim presented 30 computers to Matshitholo High School, in Melmoth, while three other schools in the Ulundi Local Municipality have also opened labs this year, according to the DOC. The Matshitholo High School computers were donated by Sentech and will have Internet access. – ITWeb

The Department of Labour has taken over 96 employees from JSE-listed EOH as an outsourcing contract comes to an end. The transfer of staff follows “months of protracted negotiations” after a 10-year agreement came to an end, a departmental statement says. Acting DG Sam Motorola said the department had looked at various options to continue ICT services after the termination support period came to an end. – ITWeb

Pinnacle Holdings has partnered with the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority, and technology solutions company, Hlanganani ICT, to launch a learnership programme which aims to partially address SA’s IT skills shortage. The year-long programme recruits unemployed youth who have passed matric, and the new students will graduate early next year, it says. – ITWeb

The Department of Communications will launch the iKamva National E-Skills Institute, at the Durban University of Technology, in a bid to improve citizens’ access to online education resources. Communications minister Yunus Carrim, his deputy Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, and minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel will launch the project, which first came to light in March 2013, when the DOC unveiled its strategic plan for 2013 to 2018. – ITWeb

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Nick Christodoulou, Symantec" />The council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African Police Service have signed a memorandum of agreement that will boost “smart policing” in SA. Under the agreement, the CSIR’s responsibilities will lie in research and development, and include next-generation network systems architecting, analysis, simulation and evaluation, wireless solutions, cyber security and digital forensics. – ITWeb

Convergence Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in 4Di Capital’s Fund 1, boosting the venture capital firm’s ability to back technology entrepreneurs. Justin Stanford, 4Di Capital’s founding partner and Silicon Cape Initiative co-founder, says 4Di and Convergence Partners “believe in the opportunity offered by the emerging South African technology start-up ecosystem”.– ITWeb

Symantec has appointed Nick Christodoulou as its new country manager for SA, saying he will be responsible for growing the security company’s consumer, commercial and enterprise business, while strengthening co-operation with partners. Christodoulou takes over from Gordon Love, who now heads Symantec’s Middle East, Turkey and Africa operations. – ITWeb

Into Africa

Technology company Bitflux Communications has edged Nigeria’s second-largest mobile operator to win a bid to manage a 2.3GHz spectrum in the country. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) officially made this announcement following an auction at the Transcorp Hilton, Maitama, in Abuja. Bitflux Communications, which has been described as a consortium of start-ups, bid $23.251 million for the frequency. – ITWeb Africa

US technology firm UXB International says it has helped successfully destroy lethal chemical weapons in Libya. Toxic arms, which include artillery shells and aerial bombs, have been “eliminated” by a system supplied by UXB and subcontractor Dynasafe International to Californian engineering firm Parsons Corporation, according to a press statement. – ITWeb Africa

Global investors are not taking notice of Kenyan start-ups, as 60% of new tech businesses in the East African country are ‘bootstrapped’, according to a GSMA report. “As in many low-income countries, venture capital firms are dipping toes in the water but failing to take the plunge,” says the GSMA in its ‘Digital Entrepreneurship in Kenya 2014’ report. – ITWeb Africa

Broadband provider Seacom plans to invest further in its Africa network to help spur on growth of the continent’s telecoms infrastructure and deliver high-quality services. According to the firm, it is making extensive investments in terrestrial backhaul, additional subsea connectivity and its pan-African IP/MPLS network. Seacom operates a 17 000km subsea broadband cable that connects Africa’s eastern coastline to Europe and Southern Asia. – ITWeb Africa

Pan-African broadband provider Liquid Telecom plans to launch a satellite service targeting business owners across the continent. Ben Roberts, acting Kenyan CEO and CTO at Liquid, said the company’s very small aperture terminal offering is a “tweak” on a previous service. “It’s a cost-effective dish that you will have at your home or business,” Roberts said. – ITWeb Africa

The Zambian government has launched an e-learning programme as a method of training nurses and midwives in the country. Government said it plans to enrol and train over 6 000 nurses in the next six years through e-learning. The minister of health, Dr Joseph Kasonde, added, the e-learning programme will be approached in phases, starting with five nursing schools in Ndola, Kitwe, Mufulira, Chipata and Livingstone. – ITWeb Africa

Internet solutions provider AccessKenya Group has acquired additional international broadband capacity on the Seacom undersea cable to help it connect all 47 counties in Kenya. AccessKenya, in a statement, says it has purchased additional capacity on Seacom’s STM-4 line. Raymond Macharia, AccessKenya’s CTO, says the purchase helps the company diversify its undersea fibre routes. – ITWeb Africa

Microsoft’s 4Afrika initiative has selected four youth members to be the representatives of Africa’s youth demographic for its advisory council, according to the company. Rwanda’s Akaliza Keza Gara; Chude Jideonwo from Nigeria; Tayeb Sbihi from Morocco; and Cameroon’s Olivia Mukam were selected from existing African youth leadership groups such as US President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative and the African Leadership Network. – ITWeb Africa

Abroad

Finland’s Nokia is considering buying US-based network gear maker Juniper Networks to merge it with its unit Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), German online publication Manager Magazine Online reported, citing unnamed sources. NSN CEO Rajeev Suri travelled to the United States late last year to discuss with Juniper’s management closer co-operation and a possible merger that would strengthen NSN’s weak US business. – Reuters

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Mark Zuckerberg" rel=tag>Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook" />Procter & Gamble is bringing the dentist into the bathroom with the world’s first smartphone-connected toothbrush, a device that gives personalised advice to help people improve their brushing. The toothbrush, to be sold under P&G’s Oral-B brand and which will be widely available from June, has a Bluetooth 4.0 link to a smartphone app that can be programmed with the help of a dentist. – Reuters

Facebook has bought fast-growing mobile messaging start-up WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, in a landmark deal that places the world’s largest social network closer to the heart of mobile communications and may bring younger users into the fold. “No one in the history of the world has ever done something like this,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. – Reuters