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31
May 2011 |
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If you haven't yet registered your cell phone number, you have just a month more to do so. The Justice Department had extended the November 2010 deadline until the end of next month. The aim was to give service providers ample time to make sure the country is registered for Rica. The legislation is aimed at curbing organised crime, by allowing law enforcement agencies to intercept cellphone communications. Vodacom spokesperson Richard Boorman says they have registered just over 85% of their customer... |
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31
May 2011 |
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OB security, with conditions including a facility for voluntary severance and early retirement packages, is included in Telkom's offer to its employees, says the company. "Parties were informed that the offer on job security is subject to acceptance of the 4,5percent general increase, a 0,5percent once-off payment to those who exceed their individual targets, a two-year agreement and the retention of the VSP/VERP facility," said Telkom executive for employee relations Meshack Dlamini yesterday. The VSP/VERP... |
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30
May 2011 |
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The council of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has approved a discussion document for the controversial unbundling of Telkom's local loop, paving the way for the document to be gazetted this week. Trade unions last week raised fears of further job cuts at Telkom should local loop unbundling be implemented in November this year. Solidarity spokesman Marius Croucamp said last week that Telkom stood to lose up to 80 percent of its revenues should local loop unbundling commenc... |
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25
May 2011 |
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Two separate announcements on Wednesday morning demonstrate that competitive rivalry continues to intensify in SA's fixed-line broadband market. In the first announcement, MWeb has announced it will not charge its customers more for uncapped asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) access as Telkom upgrades users on 512kbit/s lines to 1Mbit/s. Though Telkom hasn't provided much detail about the upgrades, many users have reported that their lines have been bumped up to the higher speed in recent weeks. MWEB... |
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25
May 2011 |
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ABOUT 1650 employees have left Telkom after accepting voluntary severance and early retirement packages. In February, the majority state- owned telecommunications company offered employees early termination of their contracts in a bid to reduce costs and drive efficiency. Telkom's fixed-line business is under pressure from mobile operators offering convenience and falling rates. Trade union Solidarity said 1800 Telkom employees applied for packages, with 1650 of them being approved. Of these, 945 were... |
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25
May 2011 |
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Dark Fibre Africa has switched on a new, R350m fibre system linking Gauteng and Mtunzini on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, saying the new route should put renewed downward pressure on broadband prices. The route is the first between Johannesburg and the coastal town to operate on "open-access principles". Dark Fibre Africa believes this could have a significant impact on the cost of connectivity for Internet service providers and telecommunications operators. Mtunzini is the site of three submarine... |
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25
May 2011 |
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Around eight million South Africans have yet to comply with the SIM card registration law. Contract subscribers who don't comply, will be cut off from the end of next month, but will still be required to pay their monthly bills. SA introduced the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA) in the middle of 2009. The law is meant to cut down on crimes committed using cellphones. Anyone who owns a SIM card must register it with their service... |
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24
May 2011 |
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A NIGERIAN company backed by private equity group Helios Investment Partners and the Shanduka Group is suing Telkom for at least USD251m, which could complicate its planned sale of its Nigerian unit. This is the second lawsuit against Telkom over its loss-making Nigerian Multi-Links unit. In November, Blue Label Telecoms said it would sue Multi-Links after it repudiated its obligations and terminated its contract with African Prepaid Services Nigeria. Blue Label owns 36,72 percent of African Prepaid... |
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23
May 2011 |
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Vodacom is planning to cut its mobile broadband tariffs soon to ensure its products remain competitively priced. Group CEO Pieter Uys admits Vodacom's "general data tariffs" - those outside special offers - need to be adjusted. "At that level, we are not 100% competitive, and there will be movement around tariffs in general." Though Uys is reluctant to put a specific date on the announcement of new tariffs, he says the company is working hard to ensure the network is ready to cope with increased demand... |
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21
May 2011 |
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Vodacom on Saturday said it has fixed the problem that left thousands of customers without services for most of the day on Friday. Multiple fibre breaks affected a switch at the Midrand station on Friday morning which affected the signal and cut connectivity to various parts of Gauteng. Technicians were deployed to fix the problem and throughout the day, some subscribers still experienced dropped calls or delayed or repeated smses. Vodacoms Richard Boorman said the problem has been resolved and services... |
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20
May 2011 |
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Virgin Mobile SA, the mobile virtual network operator, believes changes in the regulatory environment, especially ongoing cuts in call termination rates, will put it in a strong position to "challenge the status quo" in SAs cellphone industry. CEO Steve Bailey says falling termination rates - the fees mobile operators charge each other to carry calls between their networks - will put Virgin Mobile in a much stronger position to compete. Virgin, which has signed up more than 300 000 subscribers (most of ... |
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20
May 2011 |
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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled in favour of a complaint lodged against Cell C, and has ordered the mobile service provider to withdraw its claim of offering the "fastest mobile Internet" in SA. The complainant, Johannes Roux, lodged the complaint in December last year, questioning the veracity of the claim "South Africa's fastest mobile Internet" as contained in a Cell C television commercial. Roux also claimed that, despite living in Johannesburg South, which was presumably covered... |
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16
May 2011 |
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Vodacom has shrugged off the pressures of a maturing mobile market and falling wholesale call tariffs between networks to turn in a red-hot set of financial results in the 12 months to 31 March 2011, boosting headline earnings per share by 28,6 percent and combined dividend pay-outs for the full financial year by 61 percent to R6,8bn. Helped by a lower effective tax rate, reduced capital expenditure, cost-containment measures and strong demand for mobile broadband, Vodacom, which is 65 percent held by the ... |
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16
May 2011 |
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The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is weighing its options on whether to strike or interdict Vodacom from proceeding with a planned restructuring of its call centres after the parties deadlocked in talks on Wednesday. Union leaders have been at odds with Vodacom over the cellular operators decision to outsource 700 agents to specialised call centre companies and offer "mutual separation agreements" (MSAs) to agents who want to leave. Vodacom said it was necessary to train agents in specific skills and... |
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16
May 2011 |
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Neotel is stepping up its focus on the retail consumer market with the launch on Monday of a new handset that, at first glance, looks remarkably like a mobile phone. The R399 device, made by Chinas ZTE, uses NeotelҒs "fixed-wireless" code division multiple access (CDMA) network. Though it resembles a cellphone, it offers only limited mobility. "Unlike other home phones, Neotels cordless phone is not restricted by residential parameters and can be used wherever coverage exists within the same geographical... |
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