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15
Jan 2009 |
If you can't beat them join them. And if you can't join them, at least build something together.
Mobile giant MTN and SA's second national operator Neotel this morning signed a partnership agreement to co-operatively build a national long-distance fibre-optic network that could cost between R1.7 billion and R2 billion. The telecoms companies have agreed to share the costs of trenching and project-managing the 5 000km network; however, they will each provide their own fibre... |
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15
Jan 2009 |
Unbelievably South Africa has some of the cheapest and fastest mobile data in the world. No, really.
MTN has recently announced plans to build a R 2billion national fibre network in partnership with Neotel, and is progressing well on its inner-city Gauteng network. These networks will provide MTN with near unlimited national and inner-city bandwidth capacity and ensure more affordable bandwidth to the company. These large fibre projects however do not mean that MTN has lost ... |
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14
Jan 2009 |
Government gets greedy as it runs out of money for BMW's, holiday houses.
NEW licence fees proposed for the telecoms sector are so high that they would stifle competition and could even force smaller operators out of business, industry players have warned. Being charged 3% of their annual revenues for the right to operate — compared with just 0,5% in some countries — would be a disincentive to competition, the Independent Communications Authority of SA ... |
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12
Jan 2009 |
Deja vu takes over, in endless loop since 2001.
Businesses and consumers are likely to pay much less for their broadband internet as soon as the $650m, 15 000km-long Seacom undersea cabling system goes live at the end of June. "The effect is likely to be felt immediately," said Seacom CEO, Brian Herlihy. Most of South Africa's international bandwidth is trafficked along the SAT3 fibre-optic cable to which Telkom and, since April... |
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12
Jan 2009 |
Company tells everyone to chill the f*** out in a nice way.
Allied Technologies (Altech) has blasted the MTN legal team, in response to the harsh criticism it received last week over the way in which it handled itself during the MTN-Verizon merger case. The company's last minute withdrawal from the hearings into the merger, which were heard in half a day last week, left many involved disgruntled. This comes after Altech initially fought to... |
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12
Jan 2009 |
Thousands of fingers across the country relieved as nail-biting ends.
Many consumers have eagerly been awaiting Neotel’s latest broadband offering: NeoFlex. This is the first data-only service from Neotel aimed at the residential market and has theoretical downlink speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps and uplink speeds in excess of 1 Mbps. In early testing the service performed well providing real-world speeds rivaling Telkom’s ADSL service and Vodacom and MTN... |
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9
Jan 2009 |
Doomsday report witnesses cries of 'OMG WTF' from bandwidth starved public.
The market is awash with projects designed to capitalise on Africa’s lack of wholesale bandwidth, which creates attractive investment opportunities as the demand for capacity is strong and the profit margins are good. But plans for 10 submarine cables, half a dozen cross-country cables and at least three more satellites add up to “at least five projects too many”, AfricaNext says ... |
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9
Jan 2009 |
Company who gave Comms. Minister a snotklap still a hero in our books.
Not long after becoming the industry darling for its unwavering stand against the Department of Communications (DOC), Allied Technologies (Altech) has fallen from grace with its last minute withdrawal from the MTN-Verizon merger hearing. At the end of last year, Altech was hailed for its heroics against the DOC and communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, ultimately winning ... |
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8
Jan 2009 |
It's all good, bru. It's all good. We cool now my china.
In a change of tactic, Allied Technologies (Altech) yesterday announced it would no longer contest MTN's R1.4 billion decision to buy 100% of the local arm of Verizon Business. In a statement last night, Altech said it had withdrawn its case and that “MTN has given a number of general undertakings in respect of the way in which it proposes to conduct the Verizon business”. The... |
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8
Jan 2009 |
Telkom's abandoned child still flailing around in the adoption ward like a fish out of water.
Telkom's deadline for the sale of Telkom Media has once again been extended. At the end of last year, CEO Reuben September announced the deal was expected to be concluded by the end of December 2008. However, the company says the unnamed “interested consortium” planning to buy the media businesses had to deal with “certain governance issues”. According to Telkom, these issues could... |
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8
Jan 2009 |
Countless cellphone bills completely decimated as drunken revellers call, well, anyone really.
SA's main cellular operators again experienced a surge in network traffic during the festive season, but not all of them can immediately say how these traffic volumes compare to those of previous years. Vodacom declined to release detailed results of festive season SMS and call traffic. However, Dot Field, chief communications officer for Vodacom Group, confirmed the numbers were ... |
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8
Jan 2009 |
Telkom bigwigs treated for torn stomach muscles caused as laughter overwhelmed them.
Neotel today announced the appointment of Albi Modise as Media Relations Specialist: Corporate Communication, commencing 05 January 2009. Modise has a long track record in corporate communications, predominantly in Information Communication Technology working for the public sector. His previous employers include most recently the Department of Communications, State Information... |
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8
Jan 2009 |
And in other news, George Bush says he is no threat to other countries.
Wireless phone operator MTN Group said on Thursday that its acquisition of Verizon SA won't thwart competition. MTN is now much closer to sealing the R1.4bn acquisition of 69.4% of Verizon SA after Altech - an opponent to the deal - withdrew its hard-won intervention in the hearings. "MTN continues to be confident that the proposed merger will not reduce nor prevent competition... |
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7
Jan 2009 |
Cell provider's hand now to enter far more wallets than before.
THE Competition Tribunal has approved the merger between MTN and I-Talk Cellular after a long battle by some interested parties to discourage the deal. The tribunal heard statements from interested parties yesterday in the final competition hearing for the R511-million acquisition of mobile service reseller I-Talk Cellular, where MTN received full support from the Competition... |
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7
Jan 2009 |
Newlyweds ecstatic about their money-making potential.
MTN's bid to buy out the remaining 59% of its Durban-based channel partner iTalk Cellular has been given the go-ahead by the Competition Tribunal. “All conditions have now been fulfilled in order to complete the transaction and MTN expects to finalise the transaction, making i-Talk Cellular a wholly-owned company within the MTN group of companies in the next few days,” says MTN SA... |
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