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The SADC has adopted the European standard for digital terrestrial broadcasting. In addition, the region has adopted the latest version of the standard, known as digital video broadcasting terrestrial version 2, or DVB-T2. The question now is whether South Africa will go it alone and adopt the Japanese/ Brazilian standard, or whether the government will return to its original decision and continue with DVB-T or its updated version DVB-T2… (more)
Choosing the Japanese standard for digital terrestrial television (DTT) will cost South Africa at least R700-million – if not more. In 2006 the Minister of Communications gazetted a policy for applying a switch-over to the European system, DVB, which had already been adopted by over 120 countries worldwide. However, a renewed debate recently revealed that the adoption decision has to include the Japanese and Brazilian ISDB-T standard… (more)
It feels if a tsunami has hit the South African communications industry with one clean sweep of a tidal wave moving obstacles out of the way and creating a new environment – and all that in a short space of time… (more)
While most of us take mobile phone access for granted, with GSM coverage almost ubiquitous, there still remains worldwide an estimated 1,2-billion consumers who live in areas not covered by the mobile operators… (more)
One of the many highlights at the annual Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications (SATNAC) conference was undoubtedly the papers and poster sessions presented by students – tomorrow’s engineers – covering research projects carried out at the Telkom Centres of Excellence. SATNAC 2010 was held in Stellenbosch, Western Cape from 5 – 8 September 2010… (more)
It is an unfortunate reality that in the modern era in which we live, young and old alike have to a large degree forgotten the importance and role that measurements play in our lives. We are all so familiar with technological advancements such as PCs, high speed communications, the internet, mobile phones, Facebook and Twitter; and the list grows daily, but very rarely does one hear the word “measurement”… (more)
The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) is widely recognised as the premier event on the broadcasting calendar. More than 45 000 professionals from at least 140 countries attended the event in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in September 2010… (more)
- New sub-marine cable to link Africa and South America
- East African consumers benefit from mobile call rate war
- Accesskenya to lay own metro fibre cable
- Namibia – wind to power MTC reception
- More Nitel, Mtel employees to be laid off
- Bharti Airtel to extend partnership with IBM to Africa
- Malawi’s regulator revokes G-Mobile’s licence
- Mozambique mobile firms suspend text messaging
- Somalia – amid the chaos, money transfer is booming business… (more)
One of the important criteria in the decision of where the SKA will finally be built is how radio frequency interference-free the area is. Will it be South Africa or Australia? (more)
Solar storms don’t always travel in a straight line. But once they start heading in the earth’s direction, they can accelerate rapidly, gathering steam for a harder hit on Earth’s magnetic field. Researchers using data from NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft to unravel the 3D structure of solar storms were surprised by their findings… (more)
For the next few months, Venus will be softly resplendent in the evening sky, a treat for stargazers – but looks can be deceiving… (more)
IMAGE: Located about 5000 light years from Earth, the composite image shows the Rosette star formation region… (more)
On 7 March 2008 the Department of Public Works published a policy document for public comments Notice 337 of 2008. Feedback was expected by 28 March 2008. In this publication it was noted that the following disciplines would be addressed in the newly proposed South African Council for the Built Environment (SACBE): architects; landscape architects; engineers; property valuers; project and construction management professionals and quantity surveyors… (more)
Much has been written about the need to reduce the power consumption of data centres, but what about the rest of the network? … (more)
The delayed announcement by the Department of Communications about which standard will be adopted for digital terrestrial television set-top boxes in South Africa is bad for the country, industry, economy and employment, according to Altech CEO, Craig Venter. The company is a major industry player as a manufacturer of set-top boxes through its subsidiary, Altech UEC… (more)
South Africa’s electronics industry has a new industry association, the South African Electronics Industry Federation (SAEIF), which represents various organisations and companies in the electronics industry… (more)
On 16 April 2010 the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) invited individual broadcasting services to apply for a spectrum licence, within the designated range for the purpose of providing a mobile television broadcasting service… (more)
The industrial plant manager needs to monitor each and every device on his or her floor. Data networks, maintenance data, trip data, historical data, stress and strain data, alarms, duty and standby systems and incoming and outgoing material flow rates – must all be at the manager’s fingertips… (more)
We bring you the latest in gagetry: the Echo smart pen now even smarter; BlackBerry Touch 9800 smartphone, and a Bluetooth headset that works… (more)
The story of amateur radio and satellites is in a many ways a repeat of when radio was first invented. In the early 1900s radio amateurs pioneered the use of short-wave for world-wide communications, thereby enabling countries to broadcast to their distant colonies… (more)
With industrial Ethernet successfully establishing a solid position at controller level, implementation at device level is now entering a rapid growth phase. The increasing acceptance of industrial Ethernet by end users is compelling automation suppliers to introduce more and more Ethernet-enabled products… (more)
Traditionally, CCTV systems were analogue-based and required a control room for viewing camera feeds. The control room operator would attempt to view and analyse camera feeds – a time-consuming and laborious process requiring the operator to scan all the feeds to locate the affected area… (more)
Java is crucial for developing successful M2M technology, as it is one of the most widely used programming standards in the world with billions of installed devices and a large and devoted developer community. In addition, it is one of the major programming languages in universities around the globe… (more)
Changes in metering technology have shifted the focus to monitoring and management systems. It seems the heart of the management systems is being overlooked and a revisit to the heart is necessary to help reduce non-revenue water (NRW). A simple change can bring about a significant reduction in NRW… (more)
The use of renewable energy sources is one of the key issues when it comes to creating a new basis for worldwide energy supply. Wind power has been in use for over 20 years now, with technical advances in this area leading to improvements in efficiency and reliability… (more)
This article covers the elements of good practice for high-resolution “video speed” converters, i.e. converters of 10-bit or greater resolution, operating at word rates above 1 MHz… (more)
Our research shows that the average South African data centre is over ten years old. A lot has changed since that initial design, which leaves plenty of headroom for improvement… (more)
Every decade or so, the IT industry goes through a step change. This step change is brought on by a positively disruptive technology that makes it onto the IT manager or CIO’s agenda… (more)
Customer experience is becoming a top priority in efforts to reduce churn and increase customer retention. Is it the new magic marketing tool?… (more)
Snippets of telecoms news from Africa: Fixed network digital system inaugurated in Angola’s Kwanza Sul Province; Analysts urge government to sell large share of Telecom Namibia; Bharti Airtel to pay US$62-million for Telecom Seychelles; Zain Kenya accuses Safaricom of price war “sabotage”; Nigerian Environmental Agency shuts two MTN base stations; Price war spurs growth in Rwanda’s mobile market; Tanzanian firm to build, manage Telecoms Towers; Ugandan operators compete with new data and internet services… (more)
For the latest in useful gadgets, read more about: Light reading; the ultimate notetaker and a data projector for your computer bag… (more)
Click on these links for the latest in space technology:
Twins to meet in space; Kepler discovers multiple planets transiting a single star; Meteorite caught; NASA to probe the sun;
SA teachers attend space academy; Space Week 2010 to probe the mysteries of the cosmos
Having decided to develop and launch an amateur radio CubeSat, there are a few challenges that have to be overcome. It may sound easy, but to decide on what equipment to include on the satellite is actually very difficult… (more)
Innovative and intuitive technology for building- and room-control solutions can be adapted to the user’s needs and also help to increase energy efficiency… (more)
The trend in industrial technology is moving towards wireless devices, resulting in an increase in the number of these devices installed in hazardous areas… (more)
The introduction of a small interconnect fee for SMS messaging is essential in an environment where both businesses and consumers rely on SMS messaging for communication purposes… (more)
As a result of events around the world in the last decade, and the recognition of the need for business continuity and sustainability, corporate governance legislation has abounded, with both local and international regulations coming into play that affect individual and corporate actions… (more)
A Google search for “rugged computers” returns thousands of listings by companies claiming their computer products are “rugged”, “toughened,” or “hardened.” What should a system designer look for, and what criteria should be used when selecting a rugged product?… (more)
An innovative single-chip solution eases the commercial and technical pain of adding support for a wide range of graphical displays. We live in an age where the rate of technological change has created a level of expectation in the way we interact with electronic devices… (more)
The popular mantra “everything over IP and IP over everything” still applies today, but when one looks under the hood, it becomes apparent that the unsung workhorse driving the evolution of modern network communication, including that of the internet, is MPLS… (more)
Business and IT leaders are demanding an IT infrastructure that is more dynamic and responsive to the quick pace of business while being less costly. Dynamic means the ability to deliver new applications, to respond to market dynamics while creating competitive differentiation… (more)
Banks have utilised many different preferred payment mechanisms over the decades, from cheques to credit and debit cards and now to online and mobile payments…. (more)
EngineerIT posed the question “Have internet users been frustrated by over-promise and under-delivery?” to the panel comprising Arthur Goldstuck, World Wide Worx; Marius Vermeulen, Tarsus Technology; Colin Pinkham, MTN Business; Aingharan Kanagaratnam, Ericsson; Yaron Assabi, Digital Solutions Group and Tony Smallwood, Vodacom… (more)
As the economy takes an upward turn, it is generally accepted that the major recovery in the market will be driven by smaller enterprises because they can respond faster to changing market forces… (more)
I don’t believe that business cycles will disappear, but that cycles will be characterised by more economic uncertainties, as in the past. If we compare the last business cycle with the current one, in the last cycle we saw emerging markets really emerging, today we see emerging markets recovering… (more)
We bring you the latest in gadgetry: keep your tyres in check with the AVE TPMS; a notebook for entertainment, and a graphics card that enhances cinematic viewing for gaming… (more)
The latest snippets from around Africa: 2015 deadline for digital broadcasting transition unlikely to be met; Gabon invites bids for 3G licence; Ethiopia’s TPLF banned from satellite service due to illegal jamming; Cisco to finance and supply echnology, services for nine East African countries; G Mobile wins judicial review over Malawi regulator’s US$6,95-million fine; MainOne cable to deliver ten-fold speed increase; Vodacom in talks with Congo’s Kabila; Ghana tops African download speed log; Uganda parliament investigates alleged internet-project corruption; Minister casts doubt on completion of Zambian fibre-optic project… (more)
There is ongoing impetus towards tapping the potential of graphene to replace silicon in electronic devices due to the higher electronic mobility it offers… (more)
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