Emerging Markets

India bans Facebook free internet services

The world’s largest democracy has finally taken a stance on free internet services. This comes after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on…

What actions can we take to bridge the digital divide?

Every day we wake up in the morning and take a glance at our smartphone devices to monitor social feeds and happenings around the…

Getting the next billion online: why emerging markets need a lighter internet [Tech4Africa]

There are so many high profile initiatives to bring free or affordable internet to countries in the developing world that it’s difficult to keep…

Facebook launches Internet.org in Malawi

The Internet.org project by Facebook is now available in Malawi through the TNM and Airtel Malawi. The project is an initiative by Facebook to…

Could Stellar be the answer to enable financial inclusion around the globe?

When the internet first came round in the mid-nineties, people didn’t expect to see impactful tools like open-source libraries like Wikipedia or renting sites…

Possibilities for Bitcoin’s social value in developing world discussed at SXSW

A US non-profit charity is using Bitcoin to build on Mpesa’s existing infrastructure, making the transfer from US Dollars to Kenyan Shillings that much easier. Connie…

What Twitter’s ZipDial buy tells us about mobile in emerging markets

The chirpy blue bird has just acquired India’s ZipDial, which is a popular mobile marketing and analytics platform for emerging markets. TechCrunch estimates the…

3 tech phenomena you only encounter in the emerging markets

There’s a stage when, after travelling too much, or meeting too many people from the emerging markets, your perception of the world shifts. At…

How vocal apps are reaching illiterate populations in emerging markets

Illiteracy has been dramatically decreasing over the 20th century, but there still are large areas of the world where reading and writing skills are…

Screw the robot apocalypse, our tech future is all about doing good

After a 20-something-hour flight, I am about to face an immigration officer in the United States – not always the best experience. It’s my…

Here’s why you shouldn’t treat Naspers’ numbers as evidence of a tech bubble

One of the most followed stories and right in the heart of the debate around tech bubbles and valuations (especially in the emerging markets…

How Chinese tech companies are (finally) going global

In light of the Alibaba IPO and the ecommerce giant’s plans to expand in the US, there’s a lot of talk on how Chinese…

Think the iPhone is still just for developed markets? The BRICs would beg to differ

There’s a great deal of focus on iPhone sales trends in North America and Europe, particularly from the tech blogger echo-chamber. That’s understandable, given…

5 Chinese online trends every developer needs to know about

With 1.3 billion people supporting a booming mobile and software development industry, China is the blue whale of emerging tech markets. China will be…

Life after Koos Bekker: where to next for Naspers?

There’s a quote from outgoing Naspers chief executive Koos Bekker buried right at the end of Sunday’s City Press article that tells you an…

Battling WhatsApp in India, messaging app Hike grows to 15 million users

There’s even more focus on messaging apps after Facebook’s buy-out of WhatsApp. The acquisition has also highlighted the many strong alternatives that there are…

How Chinese New Year changed how people use their mobiles

Everything’s getting back to normal in China as the New Year festivities dwindle to a halt. The daily lives of Chinese people dramatically break…

MTN’s $50 Steppa smartphone changes (almost) everything

It’s been astonishing to see how quickly mobile operator MTN’s Steppa smartphone has been written off, when the devices have hardly made it to…

India’s massive online population keeps growing, looks set to hit 243-million

Cheaper internet plans and devices made 2013 a catalyst year in terms of increasing internet penetration and number of web users in India. Internet…

China’s massive internet numbers: 618m online, 500m connected to mobile web

China now has 618-million internet users and 500 million mobile web users, according to new figures from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC)….

Underestimating how technology has changed education in Africa is a serious mistake

As technology evolves, it continues to enrich lives all over the world. This is especially true in Africa, which has risen to the top…

8 Chinese tech trends to keep an eye on in 2014

The new year is a time for reflection, but it’s also a time for looking forward. In this regard, we’ve taken a broad look…

Smartphones and emerging markets: where we’re headed in 2014

There are few emerging market countries that are particularly mature in terms of their cellphone and smartphone usage and buying patterns (China, in particular…

Bolt launches Business Delivery in South Africa during COVID-19 lockdown

Another cable break wrecks SA’s internet access, but a fix is on the way

Eskom sees huge power demand drop as SA’s COVID-19 lockdown deepens

Nigerian music startup MePlaylist nets investment from Beyoncé’s father

Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [30/03/2020]

World Bank launches AG Innovation Challenge to address food security in SADC region

Huawei P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro Plus: South African pricing

Huawei P40 series: these are the leaked specs for the P40 and P40 Pro

Watch the Huawei P40 series launch live on Memeburn on Thursday [Sponsored]

The Suzuki S-Presso is now South Africa’s cheapest passenger car

Mazda 2 road test: a compelling, compact Japanese hatchback

Tesla has hit the magical million mark this week