Page 21 - Issue 3 2023

ARTICLES FROM Next phase of RS DesignSpark launched

OUR NEWSLETTERS RS Group announced the launch of the next phase of
DesignSpark, RS’ fast-growing online community for
engineers. It offers a suite of design tools including
YOU MAY HAVE DesignSpark Mechanical and DesignSpark PCB, plus
comprehensive 2D/3D and electronics part libraries, and
MISSED a host of design resources such as technology articles,
projects and community forums.
The new DesignSpark will offer three subscription
levels, respectively, called: ‘DesignSpark Explorer’,
Twice a week EngineerIT publishes a ‘DesignSpark Creator’ and ‘DesignSpark Engineer’, which
newsletter. Here are some of the articles that will enable members to select their own level of access
were published which you may have missed. according to their requirements for design tools and
resources. Read more
Power crisis threatening Internet access in SA

The ongoing power crisis is starting to threaten one of the
fundamental drivers of South Africa’s digital economy:
Internet access. That’s because one of the biggest unforeseen
consequences of Eskom’s persistent load shedding is the
increasing failure of both telecommunications and Internet
services to homes around the country. Paul Colmer, exco
member at Wireless Access Provider’s Association (WAPA),
says that the impact of load shedding on mobile networks,
exacerbated by rising incidents of battery theft, is nothing new.
But he sees a silver lining: the reliability of Wireless Internet
Service Providers (WISPs) over their mobile network and fibre-
to-the-home counterparts. Read more
How ChatGPT can influence cyber security

Vodacom lands 2Africa subsea cable in the Kaspersky is exploring how the appearance of ChatGPT in the
Eastern Cape hands of the general public could change the established rules
of the cyber security world. The move comes a few months
The 2Africa subsea cable, the largest subsea cable system
in the world, has landed at the Vodacom network facility in after OpenAI released ChatGPT3 – one of the most powerful
Gqeberha. This is the first submarine cable landing in the AI models to date. ChatGPT-3 can explain complex scientific
Eastern Cape region, promising greater internet capacity concepts better than many teachers, write music and generate
and acceleration of connectivity across the province and almost any text based on the user’s request. ChatGPT-3
is primarily an AI language model that creates convincing
supporting South Africa’s growing digital economy.
The 2Africa Consortium includes eight international texts which are difficult to distinguish from those written by
partners, China Mobile International, Meta (Facebook), humans. Hence, cyber criminals are already trying to apply this
MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, center3 (stc), Telecom Egypt, technology to spear phishing attacks. Read more
Vodafone/Vodacom and WIOCC, who have partnered to
build 2Africa. Launched in May 2022, the subsea cable Teraco secures multi-billion Rand syndicated
project aims to significantly increase the capacity, quality loan for growth
and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and
the rest of the world. Read more Teraco, a Digital Realty Company, announced the conclusion
of a syndicated loan facility worth R11.8 billion, of which
R5.7 billion will be used to finance the company’s continued
growth and R6.1 billion will refinance and extend the
average maturity profile of existing drawn debt. The new
facilities mature in December 2028, providing a 2.9-year
extension of the weighted average tenor. The growth funding
is for the expansion of Teraco’s key interconnection hubs
located within the Isando, Bredell and Cape Town campuses,
and a significant renewable energy generation programme
aligned to the company’s long-term Environmental, Social
and Governance (ESG) goals. Read more

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