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Sept 2006 |
LAUNCHING some five years after it was first mooted, the competitor to Telkom has onerous hurdles to overcome before it achieves the critical mass it needs to tackle the monolithic encumbent head on.
But right now Ajay Pandey, MD of Neotel, the newly named second network operator, is less interested in market share than in “getting the train to leave the station”.
Pandey finally got the wheels rolling this week, a feat many observers never thought possible — even after the operator was licensed in Dec... |
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Sept 2006 |
Neotel, South Africa's second fixed-line telephone operator, was launched yesterday with an announcement that it plans to spend R11 billion on setting up its network over the next 10 years.
As predicted in the four-year run-up to the launch, Neotel said it would provide international internet connections for commercial customers immediately, but private telephone users hoping that competition will bring down call charges will have to wait until March to see if the newcomer challenges fixed-line incumbent... |
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Sept 2006 |
ALMOST a dozen companies are already using the services of Neotel, the new second network operator that officially launched yesterday as a rival to Telkom.
Neotel will pump R11bn into its networks over the next decade, with the bulk of the spending happening in the next cash-guzzling two or three years.
Cell C was the first customer to place a call over the new network, said Neotel CEO Ajay Pandey. Vodacom and MTN are also routing some of their international calls over Neotel’s bandwidth. Even Telko... |
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Sept 2006 |
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Sept 2006 |
CONSUMERS and businesses are already benefiting from the arrival of Neotel, the second national operator (SNO) that launched yesterday, four years after Telkom’s monopoly expired.
Although Neotel’s services are only getting off the ground, its debut had forced Telkom to cut the cost of its voice and data services in anticipation, said CEO Ajay Pandey yesterday.
Now, several more benefits are on their way. Chief among them will be the investment of R11bn in technology infrastructure to grow its nation... |
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Sept 2006 |
PROSPECTS are not looking bright for Neotel, the new second network operator. The long-awaited rival to Telkom would have been a rip roaring success had it swung into action in May 2002, as it was supposed to. But four years on, the industry is a vastly different place.
Neotel is knocking at the doors of potential customers, but the doors are only inching open. “It’s quite distressing to see it desperately trying to get customers, but people are not signing,” said David Gale, Storm Telecommunications di... |
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Sept 2006 |
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has welcomed the launch of Neotel and expressed hope that it would contribute to the success of the telecommunications sector and the success of the nation.
During the long wait for its arrival, SA’s telecommunications landscape had undergone some fundamental regulatory changes to help the country compete in the global economy and close the gap on more developed nations, she said.
Neotel should help SA to become more competitive, create more social equal... |
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Sept 2006 |
>March 2001:
Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri confirms that a new national network operator will be licensed to promote competition, with the SNO due to launch on May 7 2002 when Telkom’s monopoly expires.
>November 2001:
State-owned Transnet and Eskom are named as the first shareholders in the SNO and begin building a joint R1,7bn national telecommunications network ready for action.
>December 2001:
The invitation to apply for a stake in the SNO is issued.
>June 2002:
Se... |
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Sept 2006 |
South Africa's Internet users responded en force yesterday to a call for a national newspaper advert protesting the lack of momentum in telecoms in South Africa.
By the 48-hour mark since the campaign was launched, it had recorded pledges totalling nearly R40 000. While most pledgers hovered around the R200 mark, there were a number who pledged the maximum R1000 amount.
"I guess my personal motivation is that Telkom has cost me personally, my friends and family, and South Africa, a whole lot more tha... |
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Sept 2006 |
Some of the world's most powerful personalities in the ICT sector will meet with president Thabo Mbeki near the Kruger National Park this weekend to discuss how ICT impacts the socio-economic development of the country.
The Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development (PIAC on ISAD) meets yearly to thrash out how SA can take advantage of opportunities presented by ICT in pursuit of economic growth and poverty eradication.
On several occasions, policy determination... |
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Sept 2006 |
An emergency search and seizure operation by forensic investigators at Verizon's Gallo Manor offices was completed yesterday, and the information will now be subject to a legal investigation.
This is according to Eugene Bester, attorney at Cliffe Dekker (representing Verizon). “The Anton Piller procedure is almost complete – forensic investigators have nearly finished compiling the findings [of yesterday's search and seizure exercise].”
He says the forensic search “for the documents for which the Anto... |
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Sept 2006 |
The second national operator (SNO), which yesterday launched under the name Neotel, will not have an easy time taking market share away from Telkom, suggest market commentators – an opinion the operator has quashed.
Neotel's long-delayed introduction was greeted with fanfare at a function in Kyalami yesterday. In unveiling the service, MD Ajay Pandey promised broadband as never seen before in SA. He also promised competitive pricing and increased levels of service.
The operator, which received its PST... |
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Sept 2006 |
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Sept 2006 |
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Neotel, South Africa's second fixed-line telephone operator (SNO), was launched yesterday with an announcement that it plans to spend R11-billion on setting up its network over the next 10 years.... |
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Aug 2006 |
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