The digital revolution continues to accelerate, as enterprises adjust to the post-pandemic marketplace.  With SDN now well established, the next challenge is the adoption of SASE technologies, adding security and access into the mix.  But what is the best way to secure enterprise networks in an ever-escalating threat environment?  Aryaka purchased Secucloud in 2021, and over the last year has quickly moved to integrate and expand the technology across its platform. With us today to talk about Aryaka’s approach to secure connectivity is industry veteran and Chief Product Officer Renuka Nadkarni.  … [visit site to read more]

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The Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) has signed a ten-year contract with authentication solutions company Authentix, under the terms of which Authentix will provide a marketplace governance programme to BURS for the digital marking and tracking of tobacco and alcohol products.

This is described as a digital tax stamp programme aimed at preventing illicit trade and counterfeits while also ensuring that citizens receive genuine and safe products.

The new digital track and trace system will, Authentix says, boost tax revenue collections levied on manufacturers and importers by increasing industry compliance, reducing illicit trade, and preventing the underreporting of volumes. The new contract covers the marking and digital tracking of an estimated 500 million product units per year.

AuthentixTransAct, a secure SaaS-based IT data platform, along with direct printing of secure, serialized digital product codes, will combine to form what is described as a high-security digital tracking and enforcement solution.

The system will, says Authentix, reduce and deter fraudulent activities – protecting the public from the harmful effects of contraband and ensuring a level playing field for all legitimate industry stakeholders. 

The countrywide programme will encompass implementation, training, technical support, hardware installation, ongoing maintenance and programme management provided by the Authentix-Botswana Operations Office.

Authentix provides advanced authentication solutions for governments, central banks, and commercial products. Authentix Marketplace Governance programmes have, the company says, helped ensure the authentication and traceability of products while recovering billions of dollars in tax revenue.

Authentix has offices in the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, Asia and Africa.

Philippines-based integrated telecommunications giant PLDT has been in the news recently after announcing plans to close down its 3G network. It has also announced the activation of a trans-Pacific cable system.

The plans for PLDT’s 3G network, announced late this week, involve a shutdown by next year. This, it seems, will allow PLDT to redeploy what were 3G frequencies to other technologies.

In any case, as PLDT chief finance officer Annabelle Chua said, “Less than 5 percent of devices” use 3G. Interestingly, while 3G shutdown is not seen as a major hurdle, PLDT-Smart president and CEO Alfredo Panlilio has been widely quoted as saying that “the bigger challenge is bringing the 2G users to 4G”.

These announcements were made in the context of a broadly favourable earnings situation: PLDT has reported that consolidated revenues stood at P94.3 billion (about US$ 1.7 billion), up 5% from a year ago. However, this may not last. PLDT expects that, over time, higher inflation will impact customers’ pockets as well as its own operating costs.

Nevertheless, quite a lot of expenditure is planned in areas like capacity, a new data centre, managing the sale and leaseback of towers and the building out of additional towers by tower companies.

There is also PLDT participation in international subsea cables. In fact last Friday PLDT activated the Jupiter Cable System, a trans-Pacific cable system that PLDT has suggested will triple its international capacity to about 60 terabits per second.

PLDT has reportedly invested some $136 million into Jupiter, a submarine cable system spanning 14,000 kilometres and connecting the company’s cable landing station in Daet, Camarines Norte, to Maruyama and Shima, Japan, and Los Angeles, California.

Jupiter is just one of a number of international submarine cable networks in which PLDT is involved. The completion of two more major international cable systems – Asia Direct Cable (ADC) and the APRICOT cable system – is expected in the next two years.

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A newly completed acquisition in the data centre market promises to create the leading colocation and interconnection provider in Africa, according to Digital Realty, a global provider of cloud-and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions.

Digital Realty has announced the successful completion of its agreement, announced in January, to acquire a majority interest in Teraco, a leading carrier-neutral data centre and interconnection services provider in South Africa, from a consortium of investors, including Berkshire Partners and Permira, in a transaction valuing Teraco at approximately $3.5 billion.

The acquisition of Teraco adds South Africa to Digital Realty’s three existing markets on the African continent: Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria. The company points out that the strategic importance of these four markets has been enhanced by the recent and ongoing implementation of new subsea cable networks encircling Africa.

Combined with Digital Realty’s highly connected facilities in Marseille, it says its customers now have a range of strategic connectivity hubs from which to serve all corners of the African market.

As South Africa’s largest and most densely interconnected data centre platform, Teraco supports the rapid growth of the continent’s internet community through its expanding portfolio of data centres.

The partners in the deal say that Teraco’s experienced management team, growing multi-national customer base, quality infrastructure and ownership of NAPAfrica, the continent’s largest internet exchange point, are key differentiators that position the company for sustainable growth.

Following this acquisition, Teraco will be known as Teraco: A Digital Realty Company.