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9
Feb 2010 |
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MTN SA has joined rivals Cell C and Vodacom in announcing that it plans to build an advanced 3G network capable of delivering much higher-speed broadband access. It says it will build an enhanced high-speed packet access (HSPA+) network in 2010 and is already offering 14,4Mbit/s downloads and 5,7Mbit/s uploads across its 3G cellular network. "The MTN network underwent extensive upgrades in 2009, and this high-speed broadband service is now available countrywide," the company says in a statement. However... |
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9
Feb 2010 |
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Cellular giant MTN said on Monday it has struck an agreement with competitors Cell C and Vodacom to implement a reduced interconnection rate on March 1 following Icasa's rejection of a phased-in reduction plan. Interconnect rates are the fees levied by networks to carry traffic on each others' behalves. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and department of communications have placed pressure on cellular service providers to reduce their rates as soon as possible. Robert Madzonga, acting... |
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9
Feb 2010 |
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Vodacom is challenging a Labour Court order that it hand over a copy of a report that alleges nepotism by its former chief executive Alan Knott-Craig Snr. The cellphone company had until last Friday to submit the KPMG report to the court, but failed to do so. The applicant was Mandla Mdluli, a former Vodacom executive and whistleblower who is fighting his dismissal from the company in the Labour Court. Richard Boorman, Vodacom's spokesman, told Business Times that the order was being challenged. "The KPMG... |
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9
Feb 2010 |
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MTN has said that its high speed 3G and HSPA wireless broadband network has been upgraded and is now capable of reaching theoretical download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.7Mbps. Last year MTN stated that it had poured R7.1 billion in upgrading the network infrastructure, due in part to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. "MTN subscribers have been enjoying speeds of up to 7.2Mbps download and 1.8Mbps upload thus far, at no extra charge. This has been extended to include the 14.4Mbps do... |
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8
Feb 2010 |
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Since Vodacom launched its first 3G service in 2004 the company has seen stellar growth in the mobile broadband market. In 2008 the number of broadband subscribers on Vodacom's network surpassed that of Telkom, with the latest announcement from Vodacom revealing that they have now broken the 1 million broadband user milestone. Telkom announced towards the end of last year that it had 602,720 ADSL subscribers, while wireless broadband provider iBurst had around 80 000 Wireless subscribers. Pieter Uys,... |
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7
Feb 2010 |
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New regulations are blowing holes in the revenues of the country's biggest mobile operators. The combined revenue for the South African operations of Vodacom and MTN has shrunk by at least R360m as a result of fewer subscribers since July, when the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication Related Information Act (Rica) came into effect. The lower subscriber numbers have led to a decrease in the amount subscribers spend a month. Vodacom, which released its quarterly results... |
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7
Feb 2010 |
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Following months of bad news - including poor growth figures because of new legislation, a $400m write-off of a new investment and threats of legal action from its partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - Vodacom's management now has two reasons to relax somewhat. Its trading figures for the quarter to end-December show that the cellular giant still has some strength, particularly with the 35.2% increase in data turnover in South Africa, which is positive. It should also score a few political... |
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5
Feb 2010 |
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Arbitration into the dismissal of Motlatsi Nzeku as chief of operations at Telkom, had resumed at an unnamed venue since Tuesday. Business Report has learnt that the arbitration process started late last year. Nzeku was fired by Telkom's chief executive, Reuben September, in February last year for opposing the restructuring of certain key positions in the parastatal. Nzeku alleges that his dismissal was unlawful and seeks retrospective reinstatement from February 6 last year; payment of all legal costs... |
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5
Feb 2010 |
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General Siphiwe Nyanda, the minister of communications, started his term boldly. He earned the nickname "General Surprise" because nobody in the media had tipped him for the post in president Jacob Zuma's new cabinet, but the sobriquet has become increasingly apt. Within weeks, he launched an attack on the telcos, berating them about their high prices, and leading the charge to reduce interconnect fees. His prompt splurge on luxury cars - two of them, worth more than a million each - did not... |
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5
Feb 2010 |
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MTN has disclosed details of its data network upgrades to Fin24.com in the wake of upgrade announcements from competitors Cell C and Vodacom. MTN has been upgrading its 3G network throughout 2009 to accommodate speeds of up to 14.4Mbps, and plans to roll out HSPA+ (classed as 3.5G) in 2010. In a statement prepared for Fin24.com, the group said: "MTN South Africa has commercially activated HSPA 14.4Mbps download as well as 5.76Mbps upload across its 3G/HSPA Mobile Broadband network during the course of 200... |
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5
Feb 2010 |
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Mobile telecommunications group MTN said on Friday it was revising a plan for the way forward on reducing interconnect tariffs, following bold statements from rivals Vodacom and Cell C about their intentions to cut fees. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) had earlier rejected the cellphone operators' proposal on the reduction of interconnect tariffs. "MTN's intention is to implement the rates that have been the subject matter of much debate. "There are however regulatory... |
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5
Feb 2010 |
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Newly established state-owned telecommunications infrastructure provider, Broadband Infraco, will build five points of presence in SAs major centres this year and will begin offering national backhaul connections on its fibre network at speeds ranging from 155Mbit/s to 10Gbit/s. The company, which received a licence from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) in October last year to provide wholesale infrastructure services, has promised to provide an alternative and cheaper national... |
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4
Feb 2010 |
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Cellphone giant Vodacom will reduce its tariffs next month, despite the Independent Communications Authority of SA's (Icasa) rejection of its proposals. "Vodacom is committed to the reduction of the interconnection rates as announced by the minister [of communication] in November last year," company chief executive officer Pieter Uys said on Thursday. "We do not believe that the debate around glide paths or the formal regulatory process should delay the reduction in interconnection rates." Vodacom support... |
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4
Feb 2010 |
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Cell C has not been approached by the Competition Commission, says Nadia Bulbulia, executive head of regulatory affairs.
The Competition Commission will this month start hearing evidence as to whether SA's mobile operators fixed interconnect fees among themselves. The hearings, and the investigation, are expected to be dealt with in the first half of the year, possibly bringing to an end an almost six-year-long probe into the mobile industry. However, the matter could be referred to the Competition Tribunal... |
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4
Feb 2010 |
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Mobile phone giant MTN does not live up to the spirit of its employment equity plan, the Communications Workers' Union (CWU) said on Thursday. "The CWU deplores the manner in which MTN handles matters relating to Employment Equity as enshrined in the Employment Equity Act of 1998," it added in a statement. It said that in terms of the Act, joint structures between representatives of the workers and management for the purpose of development and implementation of Employment Equity Plan had to be established... |
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