How? By providing free access to Microsoft’s Mzansi Digital Learning platform — a free resource that’s being taken advantage of today. As for where Vodacom comes into this — it’ll be hosting Mzansi Digital Learning on the network’s new NXT LVL platform and integrated into ConnectU — a zero-rated platform that will allow Vodacom customers to access the free resource without any mobile data or Wi-Fi.

It’s essentially turning what was already free learning into, er, free-er, learning. And we’re here for it.

Modern problems require modern solutions

“We are extremely grateful to embark on this transformative partnership with our longstanding partner Microsoft South Africa. Collaborating with a like-minded brand who share our values and ambition is [a] testament to our collective commitment to address unemployment and empower individuals through innovative digital training,” says Mathys Venter, Managing Executive for Prepaid and Loyalty at Vodacom South Africa.

The courses found in Mzansi Digital Learning focus on “important topics to help users understand the changing landscape of business in a digital world of Generative AI, entrepreneurship, and cybersecurity.” Vodacom added that the courses have been designed to align with the most sought-after jobs in South Africa and that participating customers will receive certification by completing courses on the platform.

Read More: Vodacom’s got the collecting tin out again for its annual bout of price hikes

Vodacom and Microsoft aim to reach around 300,000 South Africans through the initiative, adding to the 95,000 people already studying there.

“We are fully committed to supporting and enabling our youth as we collectively work towards closing the skills gap and empowering every person to achieve more in this era of digital transformation. It is increasingly about ensuring young people are equipped with the skills they need for the jobs that exist today and, in the future,” says Asif Valley, National Technology Officer at Microsoft South Africa.

Any Vodacom customers interested in registering for the programme can do so here, though it’s worth a reminder that non-Vodacom customers can also sign up for Mzansi Digital Learning too — though they will have to suffer the burden of mobile data and Wi-Fi requirements. That’s probably what Vodacom is counting on (at least a little).

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You’ll get what you’re paying (a substantial chunk of money) for. The purpose of the upcoming tier is to remove advertising from the service entirely.

Twitter wants you feeling Blue

Also, there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2023

Paying for access to the micro-blogging service, weirdly enough, doesn’t remove all the ads from the platform. Only about 50% of the ads you’d typically see are shown. This is an improvement but Elon Musk reckons that’s still too many. According to Musk, ads are ” too frequent on Twitter and too big”.

The plan, if it can be called that, is to offer users a more expensive version of Blue that lets them opt out of advertising on the platform entirely. As with most new features, there doesn’t appear to be a timeline or an idea of the final cost involved. You can be reasonably certain that it’ll be cheaper to use Twitter Blue on desktop than on mobile devices, what with the 30% platform tax markup.

This could justify (a little) all of the third-party Twitter apps that were hoofed off the company’s API last week. Those apps all provided an ad-free experience without sending much revenue in the mothership’s direction. Bringing that experience in-house could prove profitable. Maybe. Guess we’ll see.

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