TechCentral

South Africa has a new player chasing the township fibre broadband market: Wire-Wire Networks has deployed fibre to 15 800 homes in Thembisa (previously Tembisa), a sprawling township in central Gauteng.

CEO JP Schmidtke joined the TechCentral Show earlier this week to share exclusive details about the company’s growth plans and to talk about the business opportunity for fibre companies in South Africa’s vast township economy.

Schmidtke said Wire-Wire Networks – like other industry players such as Vumatel, Fibertime and Frogfoot – believes townships present the next big expansion opportunity for fibre network operators, though the business model is rather different to the one used to deploy infrastructure in the suburbs.

Wire-Wire is offering uncapped fibre – delivered over a meshed Wi-Fi network from fibre endpoints in each home or dwelling, starting at R5 for an hour of uncapped internet access at 100Mbit/s (limited to a single device). Other price plans, which are all uncapped and offer 100Mbit/s, include:

• R9 for a one-day plan that connects one device

• R39 for a one-week plan that connects one device

• R119 for a one-month plan that connects one device

• R449 for a one-month plan that supports eight devices

• R1 120 for a one-month plan that supports 12 devices

Subscribers can connect anywhere in Thembisa where Wire-Wire has coverage and so are not confined to connecting to the network in the vicinity of their own homes.

There are no contracts or connection charges, and Wire-Wire provides a “free-to-use” Wi-Fi router and UPS (designed to keep the internet working even during load shedding and other power outages). The fibre is trenched, not delivered aerially, as it the case in many township deployments.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Schmidtke unpacks how Wire-Wire was formed, talks about its future plans and explains how it hopes to make low-cost fibre broadband profitable in township settings.

Wire-Wire’s leadership team consists of Schmidtke as well as fibre industry expert Hendrik Opperman, head of projects (external) Succeed Bvuma, head of technical David Radebe and head of projects (internal) Susan Hattingh.

Don’t miss the discussion!

South African logistics firm Bakers SA recently deployed the first electric trucks to its fleet of more than a thousand vehicles.

Working with Stellenbosch-based EV charging and software company Zimi Charge, Bakers’ deployment points a potential future in South Africa in which planet-warming trucks are replaced with electric alternatives.

Michael Maas, CEO of Zimi Charge, recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to talk about the company’s solutions, its deployment for Bakers SA and its expansion plans.

In this episode of the show, Maas unpacks:

• The projects with Bakers SA, what Zimi Charge supplied and how it works in practice;

• The background to Zimi Charge and its focus on deploying both EV charging stations and building the software stack around them;

• The current state of EV charging infrastructure in South Africa and what more needs to be done to support the growing number of EVs on South African roads; and

• The market opportunity for Zimi Charge.

Don’t miss a great discussion! TechCentral

South African logistics firm Bakers SA recently deployed the first electric trucks to its fleet of more than a thousand vehicles.

Working with Stellenbosch-based EV charging and software company Zimi Charge, Bakers’ deployment points a potential future in South Africa in which planet-warming trucks are replaced with electric alternatives.

Michael Maas, CEO of Zimi Charge, recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to talk about the company’s solutions, its deployment for Bakers SA and its expansion plans.

In this episode of the show, Maas unpacks:

• The projects with Bakers SA, what Zimi Charge supplied and how it works in practice;

• The background to Zimi Charge and its focus on deploying both EV charging stations and building the software stack around them;

• The current state of EV charging infrastructure in South Africa and what more needs to be done to support the growing number of EVs on South African roads; and

• The market opportunity for Zimi Charge.

Don’t miss a great discussion!

China’s DeepSeek rocked US technology stocks last month after the company appeared to have developed an artificial intelligence model akin to OpenAI’s most advanced ChatGPT models at a tiny fraction of the cost.

Stocks like Nvidia, Google and Microsoft cratered on the news as it raised serious questions about whether the tens of billions – if not hundreds of billions of dollars – that Big Tech is pouring into AI infrastructure makes sense and whether China is further ahead than many people had realised.

To unpack the potential implications of DeepSeek and the rise of Chinese AI models, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod spoke to South African AI expert and keynote speaker Dean Furman to unpack the subject is greater detail – including what it could mean in the South African context.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Furman discusses:

• Whether China – and DeepSeek specifically – just upended the economics of AI;

• Whether American Big Tech firms should be worried;

• DeepSeek’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to AI tools from the likes of Google, Meta Platforms and OpenAI;

• Chinese government censorship of DeepSeek’s results and whether this matters to users outside China;

• The significance of DeepSeek’s models being released using an open-source licence and what this means for the future development of AI; and

• How far the world is from AGI, or artificial general intelligence.

It’s a fascinating discussion – be sure not to miss it! TechCentral

China’s DeepSeek rocked US technology stocks last month after the company appeared to have developed an artificial intelligence model akin to OpenAI’s most advanced ChatGPT models at a tiny fraction of the cost.

Stocks like Nvidia, Google and Microsoft cratered on the news as it raised serious questions about whether the tens of billions – if not hundreds of billions of dollars – that Big Tech is pouring into AI infrastructure makes sense and whether China is further ahead than many people had realised.

To unpack the potential implications of DeepSeek and the rise of Chinese AI models, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod spoke to South African AI expert and keynote speaker Dean Furman to unpack the subject is greater detail – including what it could mean in the South African context.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Furman discusses:

• Whether China – and DeepSeek specifically – just upended the economics of AI;

• Whether American Big Tech firms should be worried;

• DeepSeek’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to AI tools from the likes of Google, Meta Platforms and OpenAI;

• Chinese government censorship of DeepSeek’s results and whether this matters to users outside China;

• The significance of DeepSeek’s models being released using an open-source licence and what this means for the future development of AI; and

• How far the world is from AGI, or artificial general intelligence.

It’s a fascinating discussion – be sure not to miss it!

Enviro Automotive has launched South Africa’s most affordable electric car yet, the Dayun S5 Mini SUV – and TechCentral has taken the vehicle for a test drive.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, we are joined by Environ Automotive executives Gideon Wolvaardt and Francois Malan to unpack the new Chinese EV and why they believe the S5 Mini is a gamechanger for South Africa’s motoring industry.

The four-seater compact SUV features a 31.7kWh ternary lithium battery, offering a range of about 300km and a top speed of 115km/h, making it ideal for urban commuting.

The vehicle has a modern interior equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system, multifunction steering wheel and a digital instrument panel. Convenience features include central locking, electric windows and air conditioning that can be operated remotely via an app, allowing drivers to start the vehicle before entering.

In this episode of TCS, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod takes the car for a test drive and shares his views on the build and ride quality – and much more! TechCentral

We strongly recommend watching the video version of this episode of TCS.

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Enviro Automotive has launched South Africa’s most affordable electric car yet, the Dayun S5 Mini SUV – and TechCentral has taken the vehicle for a test drive.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, we are joined by Environ Automotive executives Gideon Wolvaardt and Francois Malan to unpack the new Chinese EV and why they believe the S5 Mini is a gamechanger for South Africa’s motoring industry.

The four-seater compact SUV features a 31.7kWh ternary lithium battery, offering a range of about 300km and a top speed of 115km/h, making it ideal for urban commuting.

The vehicle has a modern interior equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system, multifunction steering wheel and a digital instrument panel. Convenience features include central locking, electric windows and air conditioning that can be operated remotely via an app, allowing drivers to start the vehicle before entering.

In this episode of TCS, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod takes the car for a test drive and shares his views on the build and ride quality – and much more!

Adam Craker has strong views on what’s needed to turn around South Africa’s fortunes and fix its biggest city, Johannesburg, which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The CEO of iqbusiness, a digital integrator in the Reunert stable formed recently though the merger of IQbusiness and +OneX, is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show.

Craker – whose career has seen him working for the likes of Accenture, Merchants, Dimension Data and Super Group – tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about his plans for iqbusiness post-merger, how it fits in with Reunert’s overall growth plans and why the transaction made sense.

He also unpacks:

• His take on the government of national unity and why he remains bullish about South Africa’s prospects;

• The news that government is considering listing some of South Africa’s state-owned enterprises on the JSE;

• His biggest concerns about the country’s future; and

• What needs to be done to save Joburg – and the role of the Jozi My Jozi initiative.

Don’t miss a great conversation! TechCentral

Adam Craker has strong views on what’s needed to turn around South Africa’s fortunes and fix its biggest city, Johannesburg, which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The CEO of iqbusiness, a digital integrator in the Reunert stable formed recently though the merger of IQbusiness and +OneX, is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show.

Craker – whose career has seen him working for the likes of Accenture, Merchants, Dimension Data and Super Group – tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about his plans for iqbusiness post-merger, how it fits in with Reunert’s overall growth plans and why the transaction made sense.

He also unpacks:

• His take on the government of national unity and why he remains bullish about South Africa’s prospects;

• The news that government is considering listing some of South Africa’s state-owned enterprises on the JSE;

• His biggest concerns about the country’s future; and

• What needs to be done to save Joburg – and the role of the Jozi My Jozi initiative.

Don’t miss a great conversation!

Microsoft Azure SQL is a fully managed and scalable cloud database service – and its myriad benefits mean your company should be considering it if it isn’t already using it.

To unpack this in more detail, Preegan Chetty, Microsoft Azure product manager at First Distribution, and Silicon Overdrive Microsoft business executive Jody Roberts join TechCentral’s business technology show TCS+.

In the episode, they unpack:

• The relationship between First Distribution and Silicon Overdrive;

• Silicon Overdrive’s market focus;

• What Azure SQL is and how it’s helping companies with their digital transformation initiatives;

• Why many South African businesses run SQL Server databases, usually on-premises, and what the advantages are of moving these databases into the Microsoft Azure cloud;

• The cost advantages of shifting, and what’s involved in doing so;

• The security considerations of shifting from on-premises SQL Server to Azure SQL;

• The features that make Azure SQL particularly secure;

• Use cases of businesses leveraging Azure SQL; and

• Azure SQL Database vs SQL Managed Instance vs SQL Service on Azure virtual machines – the differences between these options, and why businesses should choose one over another.

Don’t miss the discussion.

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TCS+ episodes are sponsored. TechCentral