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EE Publishers is pleased to announce that, for the third consecutive year, it will be sponsoring the prize money of R25 000 for the 2011 SAIEE National Student Project Competition organised by the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers and hosted by the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus… (more)
During the recent freezing June weather, Mustek was able to capitalise on a successful sales incentive and donate 200 blankets to The Salvation Army’s Ephraim Zulu Senior Citizen Centre… (more)
Join leading manufacturers, producers, solution providers, end users and industry players at MESA Southern Africa’s second user forum to be held at Siemens Midrand on 4 August 2011, with registration and lunch starting at 12h00… (more)
- Local bank supports data centre development
- ITU says strict EMC compliance essential
- Intel to invest in Altech
- Seacom signs deal with Mozambique network
- Better options for contact centre self-service
- Robotic parking system prevents crashes
- AMD launches fusion A-series accelerated processing units
- Google to speed up the web
- Microsoft buys Skype… (more)
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published a discussion paper containing its “initial views” on the process to be followed to unbundle the local loop. Interested persons have until mid September 2011 to make written representations but, for many, the discussion paper is “too little, too late”… (more)
Is it a positive step forward that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has finally gazetted the draft codes for the ICT sector for public comment?… (more)
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) will be hosting the 4th International Conference of Engineering and Business Education (ICEBE) in collaboration with Wismar University of Germany… (more)
The Gauteng Innovation Hub was established in 2005 and is located alongside the N1 opposite the CSIR in Tshwane. During my conversation with the CEO, McLean Sibanda, I was blown away by the activities, but even more by the programmes offered and the results achieved… (more)
Job creation is currently high on the political agenda, but the fundamentals of this issue need to be addressed. To create jobs South Africa needs skilled people to start their own business or make a meaningful contribution to the companies employing them – which all boils down to having a skilled workforce… (more)
In this new feature of EngineerIT we aim to explore what it takes to be an emerging entrepreneur. We will interview young people, generally from a challenging background, who are making a name for themselves in the business world. In this issue we meet Collen Mashawana, CEO of Khwinisa, and entrepreneur extraordinaire… (more)
An e-book reader that offers internet connectivity; a combination notebook lock with a 65 cm cable; a Bluetooth car kit with detachable colour display and the ability to play music from any Bluetooth stereo; an LED lamp on a magnetic base that can stand upright or lie flat, and a gadget that pairs with your phone and sounds an alarm when the distance between the device and your cell phone is greater than 5 m… (more)
- World Bank advances US$92-million for West Africa ICT development
- Francophone Africa modernises spectrum management
- Kenya to invest US$60-million in national backbone infrastructure
- Seacom announces plans to connect three more states
- Ethio Telecom seeks new vendor financing for expansion
- LoneStar/MTN introduces WiMAX to Liberia
- Vodacom-Mozambique slashes tariffs
- Nigeria’s latest attempt to privatise NITEL fails
- Tanzania pledges to fight poverty with lower cost telecoms
- Rural expansion set to drive sub-Saharan growth… (more)
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) defines optical transport network (OTN) as a set of optical network elements connected by optical fibre links, able to provide functionality of transport, multiplexing, switching, management, supervision and survivability of optical channels carrying client signals… (more)
The Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) is an annual event where industry, academia and operators publish on matters concerning progress achieved in applied research in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and where industry leaders share their views on latest trends and developments… (more)
South African internet users are asking when they are likely to get fibre to their homes. The short answer – not soon! But some interesting developments are underway… (more)
“Virtualisation may not be a silver bullet, but it is certainly a technology trend that has turned conventional architecture upside down.” This is the view of many IT and virtualisation experts… (more)
The face of the mobile industry is changing fast with higher data rates, more bandwidth and eco-friendly networks. This is placing constraints on the industry but works to the advantage of the late entrants in the mobile space such as 8.ta, powered by Telkom Mobile… (more)
From the planning stage to the deployment stage of an under-sea fibre optics cable, a lot of time, money and efforts are invested. Yet a point that is often neglected and that can lead to unfortunate delays is the final acceptance test of the fibre –making sure it can deliver on the promised and expected bandwidth… (more)
Scaling to meet the Ethernet convergence wave: demand for network capacity has increased dramatically thanks to the popularity among both fixed and mobile subscribers, of video content, music downloads, multimedia-rich websites and the increasing adoption of Ethernet business services from enterprises… (more)
Fast switching power semiconductors are needed to reduce dynamic power losses. A typical system consists of dozens of power semiconductors. The resultant power losses are particularly challenging for application engineers, who strive to keep switching times as short as possible. But this is easier said than done… (more)
One of the main advantages of electromechanical AC servo control versus a pneumatic solution is its flexibility and that it is a more energy-efficient solution… (more)
Although thermography has a long history, its use has only increased in recent years with its commercial and industrial applications now commonplace… (more)
There are many test instruments capable of performing stimulus-response measurements, including a USB sensor-based scalar measurement setup, network analysers, and spectrum analysers with tracking generators… (more)
As part of its ISO 17025 accreditation process, the Council for Geoscience (CGS) was required to measure and log a large number of physical parameters in various laboratories throughout its multi-storey building in Pretoria… (more)
This article offers a brief introduction to silicon photonics including the basic optical waveguide, passive optical circuit performance, the addition of doped p- and n-junctions adjacent to the intrinsic silicon waveguide to inject a current across the waveguide, free-carrier dispersion, performance of the variable optical attenuator (VOA), and a monolithic, dual-function splitter-VOA array circuit… (more)
High precision applications require a well-designed low noise analogue front end to get the best SNR, which requires an informed approach to choosing an ADC to fully and accurately capture sensor signals. Support components such as driver op amps and references are selected to optimise overall circuit performance… (more)
The award for innovation in amateur radio was at the top of the list of awards presented at the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust annual award held recently in Midrand… (more)
As the South African Council for Automation and Control celebrates its 50th year of existence, preparations for the 2014 IFAC World Congress in Cape Town are proceeding well… (more)
In many conversations about cellular networks the discussion drifts to dropped calls. In my conversation with Karel Pienaar, MD of Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN) we did eventually get around to this, in our hour-long coffee session… (more)
While most SANS standards are items subject to agreement and do not have the force of law, they do give effect to the law. Those that do have the force of law are often not understood, ignored or disregarded… (more)
A new IBM study of more than 3000 global CIOs shows that 60% of organisations are ready to embrace cloud computing over the next five years as a means of growing their businesses and achieving competitive advantage… (more)
In response to astonishing losses caused by corporate cybercrime, we must review how corporate IT systems are accessed and activities authorised within them… (more)
The mobile radio industry or public mobile radio (PMR) is rapidly changing from FM to digital – driven by the demands of both the private and public sector… (more)
Electronic signature capture is a technology for signing electronic document files with a handwritten signature. The use of this technology allows for the complete elimination of the mailing, storage, filing, copying, and retrieval of paper documents… (more)
Final control elements (control valves or safety shut down valves) are the key components of any closed loop control system, whether used for a basic process control system or for a safety instrumented system… (more)
Engineers have one very keen sense in life and that is to ferret out usefulness from perceived buzz. Subsequently, we somehow exist on the cutting edge and in the Stone Age at the same time… (more)
Digital mobile radio (DMR) is an European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) digital mobile radio standard for professional mobile radio users worldwide. It provides voice and data services and operates in existing channel spacing bands… (more)
Temperature is the most frequently measured parameter in process automation worldwide. In order to be able to uniformly define and check the accuracy of the measurement it was necessary to establish worldwide calibrating standards… (more)
The business benefits of wireless solutions for automation and control are well known. However security is always a concern when implementing wireless connectivity… (more)
Neural network-based prediction algorithms have been applied successfully to many different applications, including speech and pattern recognition. In this article some of these algorithms have been tested on a sonar seabed mapping application using simulation platform… (more)
Record earnings for Bharti Airtel
MTN Ghana commissions sub-marine cable system
Safaricom’s revenue rise allays price-war fears
Malawi regulator grants fourth mobile operating licence
Nigeria’s Starcomms invests US$9-million in network expansion
Rwanda government set to roll out third ICT plan
Major public-private venture to extend Tanzania’s ICT backbone
Ethiopia building US412-million oil data repository
Angolan mobile internet users approach 2-million… (more)
Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) now appear in a host of commercial electronics applications, most commonly in car radio displays in high-end cars, tablet PCs, mobile phones and other consumer gadgets. The author discusses how OLEDs are evolving as complementary sources of indoor lighting… (more)
RaDAR is not radar in the traditional sense of the word. Radar mainly refers to the detecting of distant or approaching objects. Rapid deployment amateur radio (RaDAR) refers to the flexibility to enable radio communication under difficult conditions, without external resources… (more)
When discussing applications and advantages of microcontrollers vs. FPGAs, the general perception was that microcontrollers and field-programmable gate arrays can do more or less the same thing. The internet provided similar information… (more)
The convergence of the worlds of voice and data as well as fixed-line and mobile solutions has finally started to become a reality in South Africa. Convergence is bringing a host of benefits to consumers and businesses alike, according to Andy Baker, CEO Nashua Mobile… (more)
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