Author: Kaluka wanjala

OPPO has announced a new partnership with Ericsson that includes global patent cross-license, technical cooperation, market expansion and other collaborations. The global cross license covers standard-essential patents (SEPs) related to cellular communication technologies, including 5G.  Feng Ying, Chief Intellectual Property Officer of OPPO, said, “We are pleased to announce that we have reached a global cooperation agreement with Ericsson. The global patent cross license between two companies covers cellular standard-essential patents including 5G. This agreement reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property and lays a solid foundation for our collaboration. OPPO has always respected intellectual property,…

Sophos has released a sector survey report, “The State of Ransomware in Critical Infrastructure 2024,” which revealed that the median recovery costs for two critical infrastructure sectors, Energy and Water, quadrupled to $3 million over the past year. This is four times higher than the global cross-sector median. In addition, 49% of ransomware attacks against these two critical infrastructure sectors started with an exploited vulnerability. Data for the State of Ransomware in Critical Infrastructure 2024 report comes from 275 respondents at energy, oil and gas, and utilities organizations, which fall under the Energy and Water sectors of CISA’s 16 defined…

Recently, Binance’s Global Chief Compliance Officer, Noah Perlman, sat down for podcast appearances with notable content creators in the space: Fraud Eats Strategy, TRM Talks, and Chainanalysis Public Key podcasts. On these occasions, Noah shared many insights about steering Binance to pioneer an industry-standard compliance program amid the maelstrom of global regulatory evolution of the crypto space. Below are a few recurring topics that Noah covered across all three podcasts.  On joining Binance in the middle of the storm When Noah Perlman joined Binance in January 2023, the company had been navigating turbulent waters. This period saw Binance facing significant scrutiny, eventually culminating…

 Sama, the leader in providing data annotation and model evaluation for some of the world’s biggest artificial intelligence (AI) models, today announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with The University of Nairobi (UoN) designed to advance the Generative AI (GenAI) industry in Kenya. By virtue of this partnership, UoN students and faculty will gain exposure to the rapidly evolving GenAI environment through part-time employment opportunities with Sama. Sama will provide the appropriate training, equipment, materials and work areas to facilitate this engagement. Speaking during the signing of the agreement, Prof Stephen Kiama, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of…

Over 250 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, such as government, civil society, donors, academics, students, and private industry experts have convened for DataFest Africa 2024 conference, organised by the Aga Khan University and Pollicy. The conference, themed Opportunities for all: Harnessing Data & Technology for Africa’s Transformation, is celebrating the use of data in East Africa and creating a platform to address and leapfrog challenges that stymie the development of data ecosystem in Africa. Speaking during the opening ceremony of the conference and on behalf of the Office of the Data Commissioner, the Deputy Data Commissioner Oscar Otieno commended Aga Khan University and Pollicy…

On Monday, e-Taxi drivers held demonstrations in Nairobi demanding better pay. They claim the rates offered by the platforms are not sustainable. Bolt has issued a statement regarding this but the company is yet to confirm if ity has reached any agreement with the drivers. “Bolt is aware of the drivers’ strike and we respect their right to peaceful demonstrations. As a business, we consistently work towards enabling our driver partner’s entrepreneurial journey through our platform,” the company said. Bolt did not address specific issues raised by the drivers but went ahead to say, “ Bolt upholds local legislation and…

In a move that can be termed ‘ridiculous’, Posta Kenya is planning to raise annual Mpost rates by up to 2,000%. The corporation published a notice on X (Twitter) indicating that the new rates have been in effect since 5th July 2024. The corporation has taken down the X post as of writing this. From the notice shared, corporate customers will now be required to pay Ksh 9,450 per year while individual customers will be paying Ksh 2,000 every year. Mpost has confirmed these price changes saying, “Dear all our valued client, our pricing structure has transitioned from ksh 400…

Absa Bank Kenya and Old Mutual have today partnered to unveil a new bundled insurance product dubbed, Linda Biz. This product offers assets, medical and life insurance addressing the specific risks faced by SMEs. Speaking during the launch of Linda Biz, Absa Bank Kenya MD and CEO Abdi Mohamed underscored the need to invest in the SME sector, which continues to be underserved by insurance solutions, ensuring their comprehensive risk management and financial stability and access to credit. Linda Biz Benefits Linda Biz offers insurance for losses against fire, political violence, riots and strikes, floods, business interruption, burglary, loss of money…

Safaricom has added 598 5G sites in Kenya in just one year. The company revealed this in its latest annual report. As of March 2024, the telco had 803 active 5G sites up from the 205 sites it had last year. With 803 sites, Safaricom is the leading 5G operator in Kenya dwarfing Airtel’s 690 sites. Airtel Kenya launched its 5G services in Kenya last year while Safaricom 5G went live in Kenya back in October 2022. “Since the activation of our 5G service in March 2021, and its subsequent launch in October 2022, we have greatly expanded network access,…

In a world where technological advancements often leave behind the most vulnerable, Zero Bionic stands out as a beacon of hope, using the power of innovation to create a more inclusive society. Co-founded by Kevin Opondo, Zero Bionic is revolutionizing assistive technology, making significant strides in prosthetic innovation to empower individuals with disabilities. This was one of the innovations showcased at the launch of 7th edition of the National Science and Technology Annual Exhibition 2024 by Young Scientists Kenya [YSK]. Zero Bionic’s flagship innovation is a state-of-the-art robotic arm designed to translate signs and gestures into speech, addressing the communication…