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17
July 2009 |
Rain clouds spotted as ICASA seeks public comment to avoid more egg on face.
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), anxious to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment that followed the sale of Vodacom shares to Vodafone, will invite public comment on the sale of struggling pay TV licence holder Telkom Media to a Chinese-led consortium. In May Telkom announced that it had sold its 75 percent stake in Telkom Media, which according to a senior em |
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16
July 2009 |
Frivolous Government spending of taxpayer money much just so much more satisfying during a recession.
New Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda has treated himself to a pair of German luxury cars, one to use in Pretoria and the other in Cape Town. In a written reply to a parliamentary question, posed by the Democratic Alliance, he said the new vehicles - both 2009 BMW 750i models - cost R1 135 500 each. His reply also reveals that the cars are fitted with R148 400 worth of extra |
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16
July 2009 |
Government cash flow from Telecoms well protected.
Jurisdictional disputes continue to keep the competition authorities from effectively policing the telecommunications sector. This is according to Competition Tribunal chairman David Lewis, speaking at the Neotel-Mail & Guardian breakfast yesterday. He said the telecoms sector is ripe for competition; however, shared policing with the Independent Communications Authority of SA (IC |
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15
July 2009 |
Cash in hand still more important to Government than the effect of cheap telecoms on the country.
The state has a 39.4percent direct shareholding in Telkom while its investment vehicle, the Public Investment Corporation, owns 6.4percent of the parastatal. The PIC owns a further 8.9percent through an entity called Black Ginger 33, which shelled out R3-billion for the shares in 2006. This essentially means the coffers of the national Treasury will be boosted when Telkom pays ou |
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15
July 2009 |
Regulator perpetuates thieving from the public, extends uselessness to boundaries of galaxy.
The draft interconnect regulations, released by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on Wednesday, have failed to mention (never mind mandate) cost-based interconnect, something which industry players and analysts feel should've been at the core of the new regulations. There have been continual delays with the publishing of this set of draft regulations |
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15
July 2009 |
No crystal ball necessary to envision outcome.
South African Competition Tribunal chairperson David Lewis said on Wednesday that the South African telecommunications industry needed robust enforcement of competition rule and consumer protection. However, it would take a while before the amendments to the Competition Act allowed the competition authorities “to get stuck into the telecommunications industry”, even if there were |
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14
July 2009 |
Why get a contract when you can pay more for prepaid calls AND add to your credit card debt!
MTN is letting customers buy prepaid airtime directly from the operator, using a cellphone and credit card. The service, MTN Eazi Recharge, requires customers to register their Visa or MasterCard details using an SMS-based service. Once registered, the cost of airtime will be directly debited from the customer's credit card account. According to the company, the airtime can be se |
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14
July 2009 |
Payouts likely to be spent on horrendous Telkom bills.
TELKOM’S share price plunged yesterday morning ahead of the company paying out special dividends worth R2-billion. Among those set to score is the controversial Elephant consortium, which holds a 5.8 percent empowerment stake, and which will pocket about R113-million out of the deal. Telkom opened 10 percent weaker on the JSE, with news of the payouts, primarily from its recent s |
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14
July 2009 |
Government creates new channel for identity theft, syndicates totally pleased.
A number of serious problems were highlighted when RICA, or the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act, was required to come into full effect in 2006. At the time, then-CEO of Vodacom Alan Knott-Craig questioned how possible the enactment of this law would be. Issues which didn't (and still don't) make sense: like the d |
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13
July 2009 |
Scoffs heard as Nigerian involvement indicated.
In what is believed to be South Africa’s biggest computer scam to date, a Vodacom technician and co-accused (allegedly both syndicate members) appeared in the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court yesterday on charges of fraud involving around R7 million and contravening the Electronic Communications Act. The Vodacom employee, Mbokodana Christopher Khoza, 39, of Olifantsfontein, wa |
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13
July 2009 |
Mountain of evidence inadvertently prompts honesty.
A number of community members have contacted Moneyweb in recent weeks, complaining about billing problems. One particular incident saw a community member receive what he thought was someone else's bill with his details. His usual usage was around a few hundred rand, but he then got slapped with a bill of a few thousand. His cellphone number and address details were on his bills.
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13
July 2009 |
You're safe, because corruption is non-existent in South Africa.
Cellular subscribers' personal information is strongly protected under RICA, with the network operators and their contractors facing potentially heavy fines and sanctions, should there be any breech, says Swist Technology Solutions (Swisttech) MD Yanesh Ramiah. Stellenbosch-based Swisttech is an operational systems support developer that specialises in providing systems to the tel |
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11
July 2009 |
Knight in orange armour charges ahead, promises bandwidth for all and sundry.
Neotel could be putting itself under pressure by promising to build a 600km fibre-optic network by the end of the year. This week, the second network operator said it would complete the first leg of its long-haul fibre optic network between Durban and Johannesburg in less than six months. While Neotel continues to withhold subscriber numbers, the company feels it is eating into T |
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8
July 2009 |
Thank you for all the SMS's, suckers! Much love, MTN.
MTN has stopped its controversial SMS competition just over a week since the National Lottery Board determined it to be illegal. According to spokesperson Sershan Naidoo, the board sent a letter with its findings to MTN on the 26th of June. On Tuesday Naidoo said the board is yet to decide whether further steps will be taken against the cellphone service provider. MTN stopped th |
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7
July 2009 |
Shady scheme bites the dust, no mention of refunds.
MTN has decided to pull its controversial 15th birthday SMS competition, processing the last entries a month early. “Whereas this competition generated a lot of excitement and participation, it unfortunately reached a stage where the debate surrounding it was not consistent with MTN's values and detracted from the intended spirit of the game for our customers,” the company says.
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