Vodacom has admitted that MTN invented the Please Call Me.
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS
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| MainOne’s Nerds Unite 2019 conference is themed “Accelerating Digital Transformation”. This invite-only tech conference targets MainOne’s global, enterprise and start-up ecosystem. It will feature over 20 global and African speakers who will provide insights about tech disruption in Africa and the role of connectivity and cloud services in driving growth. Be part of the conversation by registering here. |
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Nigeria received the most startup funding in Africa in 2018 according to Disrupt Africa’s funding report for African startups. The report, which tracks the total amount of funding raised by African tech startups each year, found that 210 startups raised a total of US$334,520,500 in funding in 2018.
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| Vodacom has admitted that MTN invented the Please Call Me. There is an ongoing legal battle in South Africa between Vodacom and Nkosana Kenneth Makate who claims to have come up with the idea of Please Call Me and is seeking compensation for the ‘invention’. Ari Kahn, who consulted for MTN and created the “Call Me” technology in 2000 provided MyBroadband with a timeline of events that led to the Call Me product. |
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| Dignited reports that MTN Uganda may sell stake to state-controlled National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and increase local ownership of MTN, Uganda’s biggest taxpayer. Local shareholding of MTN Uganda is currently at 5%. |
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| MTN in South Africa has offered the other side of the expiring data story. Expiring data is a big topic in South Africa at the moment and politicians, regulators, and the public are calling on mobile operators to offer data bundles that do not expire. The argument is that consumers have paid for a certain amount of data and that they should not lose this data because it “expired”. |
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| The Virtual Reality Creation Lab, Imisi 3D, is expanding around Nigeria. Six new Imisi 3D AR/VR minilabs will open across six locations. The first three will open this week with inaugural community events at Di Hub, Kano (Monday, January 28), Ventures Platform, Abuja (Wednesday, January 30) and CoLab, Kaduna (Friday, February 1). |
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| 10 startups will be pitching at the regional final (Nigeria) of the Startup World Cup 2019 on Saturday, February 9, 2018. The Startup World Cup is a global startup pitch competition held by Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Fenox VC, with a $1-million dollar investment prize. Ventureburn has more. |
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| Kalon Venture Partners’ CEO, Clive Butkow, has said there was no conflict of interest in a R20 million investment deal in Flow, though Flow’s CEO is a board member of Kalon’s VC fund. Flow is a South African startup that has developed an app for the residential rental market in Johannesburg. |
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According to Quartz Africa, Nigerians are worried that there may be an internet shutdown by the government in the days preceding the elections. People have shared concerns on social media that Nigeria might follow other African countries that have taken to blocking social media or shut down the internet altogether under the guise of security concerns.
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All Done.
Have a great day, we’ll see you tomorrow.
– Wole.
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