| |
 |
|
10
Jan 2011 |
|
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) is taking a bold gamble in its efforts to unbundle the local loop, the last mile of Telkom's copper cables that connect consumers to the fixed-line network. The authority is hoping facilities-leasing regulations, in place since last year, can be used to allow other licensed telecommunications companies access to Telkom's last-mile network. The process is likely to prove controversial. However, it may help promote competition. Many countries that have ... |
| |
|
|
10
Jan 2011 |
|
Telkom looks set for a big management shake-up in the next few months as government moves to appoint a permanent CEO and a chairman to lead the telecommunications group. The two crucial roles are likely to be filled before governments special rights in the group expire on 5 March. Those rights give it the ability to appoint the chairman and give it a say in who is appointed as CEO. Talk in the management corridors at Telkom is that government may replace chairman Jeff Molobela, who was appointed to the... |
| |
|
|
6
Jan 2011 |
|
The communications regulator stands firm by its November deadline for local loop unbundling (LLU). This is despite Telkom's warning that the deadline is unrealistic, given the regulatory challenges and lack of clarity holding back the process. However, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) maintains the regulatory process for ensuring the LLU implementation will unfold during the course of 2011, through a full public consultation process, to iron out any "uncertainty". The last mile, or ... |
| |
|
|
6
Jan 2011 |
|
Icasa has dropped a bombshell on the telecommunications industry. The regulatory authority reckons Internet service providers and other telecoms licensees are entitled - right now - to access Telkom's local loop. The regulatory framework already exists for telecoms licensees to demand access to Telkom's copper infrastructure to provide services, without having to wait for specific directives on local-loop unbundling. The remarks, by Icasa councillor Thabo Makhakhe, are likely to prove explosive in a... |
| |
|
|
5
Jan 2011 |
|
Third mobile operator Cell C has had little respite from its mobile rivals, who continue to slam the company's controversial advertising campaign. In the latest salvo, the country's second-biggest mobile operator, MTN, launched its third attack on Cell C's advertising claims at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The advert in dispute, which appeared in various newspapers towards the end of last year, was in the form of a letter written by Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt addressing the South African cell... |
| |
|
|
4
Jan 2011 |
|
Telkom says the deadline for unbundling the local loop, the "last mile" of copper cables that connects consumers to its network, is "unrealistic". Telkom's chief of corporate governance, Ouma Rasethaba, says there are too many variables to consider for the November 2011 deadline to be met. Communications minister Roy Padayachie has told the partially state-owned company - government directly holds 39,8 percent of its equity - that it must provide access to its copper network to competitors by that date.... |
| |
|
|
22
Dec 2010 |
|
There's no cheer this Christmas for Neotel employees. The operator has notified staff that retrenchments are looming, blaming the weak global economy for the move. But company insiders say Neotel, which has more than 1 000 employees, has sailed into troubled waters and a shake-up in senior management is imminent. The planned retrenchments reinforce a widely held view that Neotel, which is controlled by India's Tata Communications, is struggling to make headway in what has become a highly competitive... |
| |
|
|
21
Dec 2010 |
|
Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN's new chief executive-designate, would have to steer the cellular provider through increased competition from other African operators, an intense battle for revenue in a mature South African market and the responsibility of controlling costs, analysts said yesterday. Dabengwa is MTN's chief operating officer and will succeed president and chief executive Phuthuma Nhleko when the latter retires at the end of March next year. Announcing Dabengwa's appointment yesterday, MTN said it woul... |
| |
|
|
21
Dec 2010 |
|
Mystery surrounds a decision by iBurst to take down a controversial base station in Craigavon in Fourways, north of Sandton. The company has been under intense pressure from some residents, who have wanted the tower removed as they claimed - among other things - that radiation from the mast was harming their health. Craigavon resident Tracey-Lee Dorny, who has led the community's fight against iBurst, says she is relieved the tower has been removed. However, she says she can't comment on the reasons it... |
| |
|
|
19
Dec 2010 |
|
Despite much emphasis being placed on job creation and skills-transfer in SA, neither government nor labour organisations reacted recently when it came to light that a foreign company brought its own workers to complete a telecoms contract. Labour unions will try to persuade Telkom to ensure that local labour is protected during the roll-out of 8ta's base stations.
Chinese cellular equipment manufacturer ZTE last month brought in 400 contract workers to complete its R2.9 billion contract with third mobile... |
| |
|
|
15
Dec 2010 |
|
Things have gone awry at Telkom. It's already facing a growing barrage of lawsuits and competition complaints, and anonymous dossiers leaked to the media in recent weeks suggest a deeper malaise. Can the group be fixed? The rot at Telkom set in years ago when the board - no doubt under pressure from government, its largest shareholder - appointed former Transnet executive Papi Molotsane as its CEO, replacing Sizwe Nxasana. Molotsane lacked telecommunications experience. It showed. On his watch, Telkom... |
| |
|
|
15
Dec 2010 |
|
Things have gone awry at Telkom. It's already facing a growing barrage of lawsuits and competition complaints, but now anonymous dossiers leaked to the media in recent weeks suggest a deeper malaise. Can the group be fixed? What Telkom needs now is a stable management team and a top-class CEO who will be given the freedom to root out the problems The rot at Telkom set in years ago when the board - no doubt under pressure from government, its largest shareholder - appointed former Transnet executive Papi... |
| |
|
|
14
Dec 2010 |
|
PROCEDURES used in the suspension of two Communication Workers Union (CWU) shop stewards linked to the release of the Telkom dossier are being questioned, with the union accusing the operator of transgressing its own whistle-blower policy. The dossier documents corruption, bribery, nepotism and fraudulent procurement by at least 16 senior Telkom staff, much of it related to Nigerian unit Multi-Links. The Freedom of Expression Institutes executive director, Ayesha Kajee, expressed concern about the effect... |
| |
|
|
14
Dec 2010 |
|
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled against mobile operator MTN's complaint that claims made by smaller rival Cell C in its advertising are misleading and unqualified. The authority has subsequently dismissed MTN's calls for sanctions to be imposed on Cell C. MTN - Africa's biggest cellular provider - recently lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) against a Cell C print advert that features a photograph of a cheetah mid-run, and is headed: "Speed - It's official... |
| |
|
|
14
Dec 2010 |
|
New allegations of mismanagement and corruption at Telkom are another reason for the lack of investor confidence in the country's largest telecommunications operator, says Investec Asset Management analyst Rob Forsythe. "Currently, Telkom is a bit of a rudderless ship. The current status quo means that it is not behaving in the interests of its minority shareholders, but at the same time, its largest shareholder (the South African government) has not given a clear indication of what it wants Telkom to... |
|
