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Domain: mybroadband.co.za
Stories and comments across the archive that link to mybroadband.co.za.
Stories · 14
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Stingray-Like Device Enables Blackmail In S. Africa
New submitter PalmAndy writes to note that: South African Police nabbed some criminals using an IMSI catcher device, similar to a Stingray, in Johannesburg. The article says that it was made in Israel and is worth $2 million. A follow-on story says that it was used for tender manipulation and blackmail of Government officials. A corrupt government official helped procure this device, which in theory is only sold to goverments." -
Your Entire PC In a Mouse
slash-sa writes: A Polish software and hardware developer has created a prototype computer which is entirely housed within a mouse. Dubbed the Mouse-Box, it works like a conventional mouse, but contains a processor, flash storage, an HDMI connection, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It is connected to a monitor via the HDMI interface and connects to an Internet connection through standard Wi-Fi. -
Cory Doctorow On Privacy and Oversharing
slash-sa writes with a link to an opinion piece from Cory Doctorow that begins: "The European Parliament is currently involved in a wrangle over the new General Data Protection Regulation. At stake are the future rules for online privacy, data mining, big data, governmental spying (by proxy), to name a few. Hundreds of amendments and proposals are on the table, including some that speak of relaxing the rules on sharing data that has been "anonymised" (had identifying information removed) or "pseudonymised" (had identifiers replaced with pseudonyms). This is, however, a very difficult business, with researchers showing how relatively simple techniques can be used to re-identify the data in large anonymised data sets, by picking out the elements of each record that make them unique." -
Former Google Exec: Traditional Search Market Shrinking
An anonymous reader writes "Former Google executive Stafford Masie believes that traditional search is dying because users are choosing to query their friends and followers on services like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Here's the quote from the video: 'The pie of search query volumes in the world – that business is shrinking. Why? Because people are going and doing search queries – search query volumes are moving towards social containers. They're moving away from static pages being searched and they're moving more towards dynamic real-time stream content. Like Twitter. Like Tumblr. Like Facebook. Those things have a better result because the penetration, the personalization associated with it, and the constant freshness of the content. So I believe that Google's search volume – the business Google is in on the search side – that business is shrinking. And they've got to do something about it.'" -
Quiet Cellular Antenna Tech To Boost S. African SKA Bid
slash-sa writes "Two South Africans have given their home country a boost with its Square Kilometre Array (SKA) bid by inventing cellular antenna technology which reduces 'noisy' emissions from cellular base stations in the area. They reduced emissions by using an antenna based on phased-array principles, providing omnidirectional coverage but also blocking the RF transmissions along a single direction (that would correspond with the bearing of the SKA core site). The antenna has been tested and performs extremely well. Trialling measurements have shown that the RF signal levels at the proposed SKA core site can be reduced significantly, while at the same time, much of the original GSM coverage can be retained." -
Tower Switch-Off Embarrasses Electrosensitives
Sockatume writes "Residents in Craigavon, South Africa complained of '[h]eadaches, nausea, tinnitus, dry burning itchy skins, gastric imbalances and totally disrupted sleep patterns' after an iBurst communications tower was put up in a local park. Symptoms subsided when the residents left the area, often to stay with family and thus evade their suffering. At a public meeting with the afflicted locals, the tower's owners pledged to switch off the mast immediately to assess whether it was responsible for their ailments. One problem: the mast had already been switched off for six weeks. Lawyers representing the locals say their case against iBurst will continue on other grounds." -
O3B Details Plan for Satellite-Based Bandwidth For Africa
slash-sa writes "O3B Networks has been quietly preparing itself over the last 12 months for the moment last week when it announced that it was going to be offering cheap, low-latency satellite bandwidth that can cover any part of Africa by 2010. It has put in place early finance with Google, Liberty Global and HSBC. Here are more details from the entrepreneur behind the project, Greg Wyler." -
South African Minister Locks Horns With Microsoft
naheiw writes "The South African minister of public service and administration on Monday addressed the opening of the Idlelo 3 free software conference in Dakar, Senegal, saying that software patents posed a considerable threat to the growth of the African software sector (video). Microsoft responded aggressively, saying that 'there is no such thing as free software. Nobody develops software for charity.'" -
Today's Gamers, Tomorrow's Leaders?
slash-sa writes "Video games have become problem-solving exercises wrapped in the veneer of an exotic adventure. In today's fast and rapidly-changing business environment, the strategic skills they teach are more important than ever. From realistic battlefield simulations to the building of great nations, from fantastic voyages through worlds of mythology to conquering space, "Generation G" could well offer the answer to unlocking great 21st century strategists and leaders." -
Google Setting Up a Presence In Kenya
Reader wana forwards the news that Google is establishing a base in Sub-Saharan Africa. What advanced infrastructure exists on the African continent is mostly in South Africa, and a blogger from there speculates on what Google might have been thinking in choosing Kenya over SA. -
Google Setting Up a Presence In Kenya
Reader wana forwards the news that Google is establishing a base in Sub-Saharan Africa. What advanced infrastructure exists on the African continent is mostly in South Africa, and a blogger from there speculates on what Google might have been thinking in choosing Kenya over SA. -
South Africa's Broadband Industry in Turmoil
Gldm writes from South Africa that "things are heading towards all-out war down here. Our regulatory board ICASA (think FCC) finally woke up and publihsed the results of hearings on 446 complaints about monopoly broadband provider Telkom, which was deregulated back in Febuary, and proposed new regulations to take effect in four weeks. ICASA demands the 3GB monthly traffic cap be removed, port shaping removed, minimum speed requirements be enforced, and that Telkom stop double-charging customers." Read on for the rest; it sounds like (for once!) broadband customers in the U.S. can be grateful for relatively good broadband, instead of envious of South Korea's ubiquitous high-speed access.
"Currently we pay exorbitant rates: a monthly fee for the physical line of R87, then Telkom charges a fee of R270 to R477 depending on line speed 192-512kbps, and THEN the standard ISP fee, which is typically another R300-500 or more. This means a total monthly DSL cost of around R1000 or about US $160 for a 512k line with 3GB of traffic before you get cut off, and all ports but 80 useless internationally. ICASA says Telkom should charge a fixed fee to cover the line cost when it is installed like every other country, not a monthly fee.
Telkom's response is that ICASA doesn't know how to run a network and this would make the network "unsustainable" and prevent them from recovering R1bn in investments. They've threatened to not only to stop investing in new infrastructure, but also shut down all DSL service in the country, bringing business to a standstill.
Local politcal group the Inkatha Freedom Party has sided with ICASA and is saying Telkom must not be allowed to hold the country hostage. They're calling for the Minister of Communications to step in, but so far no official word from high up in the government." -
South Africa's Broadband Industry in Turmoil
Gldm writes from South Africa that "things are heading towards all-out war down here. Our regulatory board ICASA (think FCC) finally woke up and publihsed the results of hearings on 446 complaints about monopoly broadband provider Telkom, which was deregulated back in Febuary, and proposed new regulations to take effect in four weeks. ICASA demands the 3GB monthly traffic cap be removed, port shaping removed, minimum speed requirements be enforced, and that Telkom stop double-charging customers." Read on for the rest; it sounds like (for once!) broadband customers in the U.S. can be grateful for relatively good broadband, instead of envious of South Korea's ubiquitous high-speed access.
"Currently we pay exorbitant rates: a monthly fee for the physical line of R87, then Telkom charges a fee of R270 to R477 depending on line speed 192-512kbps, and THEN the standard ISP fee, which is typically another R300-500 or more. This means a total monthly DSL cost of around R1000 or about US $160 for a 512k line with 3GB of traffic before you get cut off, and all ports but 80 useless internationally. ICASA says Telkom should charge a fixed fee to cover the line cost when it is installed like every other country, not a monthly fee.
Telkom's response is that ICASA doesn't know how to run a network and this would make the network "unsustainable" and prevent them from recovering R1bn in investments. They've threatened to not only to stop investing in new infrastructure, but also shut down all DSL service in the country, bringing business to a standstill.
Local politcal group the Inkatha Freedom Party has sided with ICASA and is saying Telkom must not be allowed to hold the country hostage. They're calling for the Minister of Communications to step in, but so far no official word from high up in the government." -
South Africa's Broadband Industry in Turmoil
Gldm writes from South Africa that "things are heading towards all-out war down here. Our regulatory board ICASA (think FCC) finally woke up and publihsed the results of hearings on 446 complaints about monopoly broadband provider Telkom, which was deregulated back in Febuary, and proposed new regulations to take effect in four weeks. ICASA demands the 3GB monthly traffic cap be removed, port shaping removed, minimum speed requirements be enforced, and that Telkom stop double-charging customers." Read on for the rest; it sounds like (for once!) broadband customers in the U.S. can be grateful for relatively good broadband, instead of envious of South Korea's ubiquitous high-speed access.
"Currently we pay exorbitant rates: a monthly fee for the physical line of R87, then Telkom charges a fee of R270 to R477 depending on line speed 192-512kbps, and THEN the standard ISP fee, which is typically another R300-500 or more. This means a total monthly DSL cost of around R1000 or about US $160 for a 512k line with 3GB of traffic before you get cut off, and all ports but 80 useless internationally. ICASA says Telkom should charge a fixed fee to cover the line cost when it is installed like every other country, not a monthly fee.
Telkom's response is that ICASA doesn't know how to run a network and this would make the network "unsustainable" and prevent them from recovering R1bn in investments. They've threatened to not only to stop investing in new infrastructure, but also shut down all DSL service in the country, bringing business to a standstill.
Local politcal group the Inkatha Freedom Party has sided with ICASA and is saying Telkom must not be allowed to hold the country hostage. They're calling for the Minister of Communications to step in, but so far no official word from high up in the government."