The week in review

Trevor Noah

AT HOME

GERALD O' SULLIVAN, CTO of the State IT Agency, has said integrating the software programs selected to drive the various modules of government's Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) has been problematic. Specifically, the Human Resource Management Module, driven by SAP's Human Capital Management System, is having trouble speaking to the Procurement Management Module, based in Oracle's eBusiness Suite.

IFMS covers financial management, human resource management, supply chain management and business intelligence across both national and provincial departments. - ITWeb

THE DEPARTMENT of Home Affairs has chosen to can the contracts of several part-time IT contractors in favour of recruiting more full-time employees. Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa confirmed the department`s decision to restructure by employing permanent staff. Mamoepa, however, denied rumours that the move has anything to do with government`s proposal to regulate or scrap labour broking altogether. - ITWeb

Reshma Sohoni

CELL C`S "Tell Trevor" campaign, which encourages customers to lodge complaints with comedian Trevor Noah, has surpassed all expectations, according to the country`s third mobile operator. Cell C executive head of marketing Simon Camerer says over 30 000 people have posted messages to Trevor since the campaign started at the beginning of August, with 45% being suggestions for improvement. People can send messages to Noah, otherwise known as Cell C`s "customer experience officer", via SMS, on MXit and by posting on the Tell Trevor Web site (www.telltrevor.co.za). - ITWeb

MWEB has expressed concerns that the Carrier Preselect Regulations (CPRs) could be undermined by Telkom and the cellular network operators, making it financially unviable for alternative telecommunications providers to carry calls that originate on those networks. The Independent Communications Authority of SA had the final CPRs promulgated on 20 August. This gives fixed-line operators and mobile operators two and four months, respectively, to get ready to support alternative telecoms operators. - ITWeb

THREE South African companies have been chosen by European micro seed fund Seedcamp to compete in London for a possible investment of  50 000. A call for applications for funding received more than 40 entries from technology start-ups, and Cognician, iSigned and GetAGreatBoss were ultimately chosen. "The top teams selected will benefit from a further intensive three-month support programme, where we work closely with teams to develop their business and ideas," says Seedcamp CEO Reshma Sohoni. - ITWeb

THIRD MOBILE operator Cell C has put in an offer for the cash purchase of its outstanding  400 million first priority senior secured notes, due in 2012. This comes as Cell C intends to fund an amount equal to the face amount of notes tendered in the tender offer from the proceeds of a credit facility entered into with China Development Bank. The mobile operator is also soliciting consent from the holders of notes to amend the indenture governing the notes. Cell C`s tender offer and consent solicitation will expire on 8 October. -  ITWeb

BUSINESS Connexion (BCX) has received shareholder approval for its proposed empowerment transaction. The company told the market last month that it intended to sell a 30% stake to several empowerment partners in a bid to meet the requirements of the Electronic Communications Act - and the long-awaited ICT charter. BCX also wants to comply with the Independent Communications Authority of SA`s regulations, which stipulate companies must be 30% black-owned to qualify for licences. - ITWeb

STATE-OWNED enterprise Eskom is overhauling its IT architecture, which includes migrating from Novell to Microsoft. Steve Lennon, divisional executive of corporate services at Eskom, explains that the utility`s IT architectural strategy is part of its normal business processes. However, despite repeated questioning, the company would not quantify the costs, apart from saying the move is under R400 million. - ITWeb

INTO AFRICA

BARRIERS to entry into the Zambian telecommunication sector are still active, following government`s decision to disallow the issuing of any new mobile network licence for five years, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). This means international telecoms operators hoping to invest in Zambia will have to wait for at least five years before they can apply for a fourth mobile licence. - ITWeb

FROM 6 September, people who use the prepaid M-Cel and Vodacom cards in Mozambique found it was impossible to send text messages. Since the Maputo riots of 1-2 September had been mobilised via text messages, it was suspected that the government had ordered the companies to halt the text message service. - AIM

THE ANGOLAN Executive intends, through its strategic plan for 2010/2012, to implement digitisation systems in the state-owned mass media companies, said the minister of Social Communication, Carolina Cerqueira. The minister spoke during the opening ceremony of the 18th annual general assembly of the Southern Africa Broadcasting Association (SABA), in Luanda, under the motto: "Striving for improved content at the digital age". - Angola Press

MTN Rwanda donated an assortment of foodstuffs worth Frw6 million to needy Muslims of Nyarugenge and Rulindo districts in Kigali City and the Northern Province. Speaking at the event that was held at the Biryogo Mosque, John Bosco Sendahangarwa, MTN`s corporate communications manager, said the telecoms company wanted to celebrate Eid el Fitr with the needy Muslims. - The New Times

A KENYAN businessman claiming to have confided a concept similar to M-Kesho to agents of Equity Bank is threatening to derail efforts to boost the bank`s revenue. Since the product was launched in May, the bank, in partnership with mobile phone service provider Safaricom, is said to have opened over 600 000 accounts on the service. Claiming that M-Kesho`s features contain most of the details of his concept - known as Weka Usaidike - Hoswell Mbugua Njuguna alleges that it was wrong for the bank to use the confidential information to enrich itself. - Daily Nation

ABROAD

MICROSOFT is hoping to reverse the recent slump in video games and kick-start the holiday shopping season as it launches the latest version of its blockbuster Halo video game. Halo: Reach is the fourth in the popular series that has sold more than 34 million copies in the nine years of its life - boosting the popularity of Microsoft`s Xbox console. - Reuters

EBAY won dismissal of a Tiffany & Co lawsuit accusing the auctioneer of deceiving customers by allowing the sale of counterfeit Tiffany jewellery on its Web site. The judge rejected Tiffany`s allegation that eBay engaged in false advertising, the last remaining claim after a federal appeals court on 1 April dismissed the rest of Tiffany`s trademark infringement case. The case has been viewed as a challenge in the US to Internet companies such as eBay and Google that host services that other people provide, and are not responsible for users` trademark violations. - Reuters

HEWLETT-PACKARD agreed to buy security software company ArcSight for $1.5 billion as the computer maker continued its spending spree on acquisitions while it hunts for a new chief executive. The transaction marked HP`s second big deal since the departure of CEO Mark Hurd, and follows HP`s victory in a bidding war against Dell for data storage company 3Par. - Reuters

GOOGLE will buy Israel-based Quicksee for about $10 million; its software enables users to turn video into interactive virtual tours, financial newspaper TheMarker says. TheMarker says Quicksee`s technology is regarded as the missing link in Google`s Street View service, used by both Google Maps and Google Earth. Google acquired Israeli Web gadgets provider LabPixies in April for an estimated $25 million. - Reuters