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23
Sept 2010 |
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A new telecommunications services provider, which is 50 percent-owned by former Vodacom chief executive Alan Knott-Craig and targeting the small and medium business market in South Africa, will launch next week. ARC Telecoms, which plans to provide connectivity, voice, managed services and application delivery through cloud computing, presented its brand to the media yesterday. The chief executive, Steve Briggs, said the company had launched with more than 100 active customers and had agreements with... |
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23
Sept 2010 |
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THE Communication Workers Union (CWU) of South Africa is embroiled in a labour dispute with Africas cellular mobile network giant, MTN, over the dismissal of workers on Wednesday allegedly without following procedures. The CWU is threatening to take MTN to the courts of law while there are also efforts to engage renowned business mogul-cum-politician, Cyril Ramaphosa, to intervene in the dispute. CWU spokesman, Matankana Mothapo, told our reporters that the expulsion of the workers would not be taken... |
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23
Sept 2010 |
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MTN has raised the ire of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) with yesterday's sacking of nine employees. The dismissals are linked to the company's decision in 2009 to retrench a portion of its permanent workforce and clamp down on the number of temporary workers it employs. At the beginning of the year, the CWU approached the Labour Court on behalf of some of the workers selected for retrenchment. An out-of-court settlement gave the union the opportunity to engage with the cellular operator on the... |
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22
Sept 2010 |
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Mobile network MTN today is the first mobile voice and data network to launch the IPhone 4, the generation next in Smartphones. The device, to be unveiled this evening at an event in Midrand, marks the next phase in communication technology and the progressive convergence of function. MTN's network, significantly upgraded for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, is well positioned to support the increased functionality and bandwidth demands of new generation Smartphones. Chief Marketing Officer at MTN... |
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22
Sept 2010 |
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A High court ruling yesterday vindicated Vodacom from relief sought by Gogga Tracking Solutions, an internet services provider which accused Vodacom of manipulating prices to push it out of business. In April Gogga wanted the Competition Tribunal to force Vodacom to sell it bulk data products at the same price Vodacom was selling to the public. However, the tribunal struck the case off the roll reportedly as Gogga's shareholder agreement does not allow for the company to engage in litigation without... |
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22
Sept 2010 |
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Alternative pricing structures from mobile operators MTN and Vodacom for the newly unveiled iPhone 4 will likely drive accessibility for the high-end device in the local market. Apple's next-generation smartphone hit retail stores at midnight last night and MTN and Vodacom have since revealed launch offerings. MTN says the device will retail at R6 000 for the iPhone 4 16GB model, and approximately R7 000 for the Apple iPhone 4 32GB model. The mobile operator is also offering the following packages: iPhone... |
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22
Sept 2010 |
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Ongoing regulatory uncertainty, increased competition and the impact of lower mobile termination rates (MTRs) on the least cost routing (LCR) market would result in slower growth for the telecommunications (telecoms) sector in the next few years, information and communication technology market analysts BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T) said this week. BMI-T estimated the total telecoms services market, excluding interconnection fees, and wholesale services and equipment spend, to have been worth about R103-billion... |
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21
Sept 2010 |
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Submarine cable infrastructure company Alcatel-Lucent says it has been selected by eFive Telecoms, a South African telecommunications company, to build a new submarine cable network linking the west coast of Africa to South America. The system will comprise two trunks, the first one connecting South Africa to Angola and Nigeria, and the second trunk linking Angola to Brazil. This is a significant development for South African telecoms, which is already benefiting from additional international bandwidth... |
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20
Sept 2010 |
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The iPhone 4 will be launched in South Africa on Wednesday by both Vodacom Group and MTN Group. The product was launched in June in the USA, UK and some other European countries as well as Japan. Sources at Vodacom have confirmed a launch party at its Vodaworld campus in Midrand, Johannesburg on Tuesday night with a midnight launch of the iPhone 4. MTN has also confirmed that it will be stocking the Apple device, exclusively available from Vodacom until now. MTN is rumoured to be also planning a midnight... |
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20
Sept 2010 |
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Vodacom has quietly finalised the sale of its 24 percent stake in Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) Holdings to the companys other shareholders. The cellular operator hopes its disposal of its shareholding in iBurstҒs parent company will clear the way for it to successfully bid for radio frequency spectrum in the 2,6GHz and 3,5GHz ranges. Vodacom is just one of the many SA operators jostling for the coveted 2,6GHz and 3,5GHz spectrum. It has been talking about selling its stake in WBS since May. The... |
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20
Sept 2010 |
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SOUTH African Telecommunications operator, Telkom, has secured operating licences in east, south and west Africa, the company revealed on Monday in an interview with our reporter. Responding to questions, Telkom spokesman Pynee Chetty said the telecoms giant had secured operating licences in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Swaziland and Namibia. "Telkoms ambition is to become a significant Information Communication Technology (ICT) player in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the... |
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15
Sept 2010 |
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Internet Service Provider (ISP) MWEB has made a significant investment in its operations over the past three months in order to bring additional redundancy into its networks, improve latency and to mitigate the effect of any major network failures. MWEB CEO Rudi Jansen told I-Net Bridge that while it was difficult to put a number to capital expenditure, it would amount to "far more than tens of millions of rands." Investments include moving a portion of its customers onto Telkom's SAIX wholesale network... |
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15
Sept 2010 |
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Cell C today unveiled its 4Gs network in Bloemfontein, the second of 10 South African cities expected to get connected to the high-speed HSPA+ network. Port Elizabeth was the first city to receive access to the network, which was unveiled at the beginning of the month. The operator noted at the time that it would roll out the network in two more cities before the end of the month. Cell C says it plans to cover 90 percent of the population of Bloemfontein by end of 2010. The operator has also committed to... |
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15
Sept 2010 |
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We're in a fortunate position, with South Africa's cellular infrastructure ranking amongst the best in the world. But it doesn't matter if you're in South Africa, the USA or the UK - mobile broadband isn't cheap. However, Cell C took the next step with its new, high-speed HSPA+ offerings. Cell C's "4GS" network promises speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps, a boon for those constantly on the move. But the best part about Cell C's new offering is the price-point. For a once-off fee of R1499, you get the lower-end 7.2... |
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14
Sept 2010 |
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FOR Telkom the path from state-owned network to private telecommunications operator has been rocky at times. While government still owns a large stake in the company, Telkom should be thinking and acting like any other private organisation. As customers and shareholders, South Africans want to see Telkom succeed. We are not critical for the hell of it. As the shift from clueless parastatal to profit-driven company continues, it also wouldn't hurt Telkom to tear a leaf from the book of another operator... |
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