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14
Oct 2011 |
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Telkom confirmed on Friday that it was in discussions to sell a 20 percent stake to Korea Telecom, the Asian fixed-line carrier, in a deal that could be worth as much as R4,6bn. If talks are successful, the company may sell new shares to Korea Telecom at R36,06 a share, it said in a cautionary statement. "Shareholders are advised that while the discussions between Telkom and KT Corporation are progressing well, there is no certainty at this stage that these discussions will lead to a formal transaction ... |
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14
Oct 2011 |
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Beginning next Monday, the Competition Tribunal will hear a wide-ranging case against Telkom for alleged anticompetitive behavior that could see it fined as much as R3,5bn if found guilty. The case stems from an investigation conducted by the Competition Commission in 2004 that found Telkom abused its dominance, charging excessive prices, refusing to allow other operators access to its "last-mile" infrastructure and engaging in price discrimination. Telkom denies the allegations. The tribunals hearings... |
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14
Oct 2011 |
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Telkom's possible investment with Korea Telecoms could be a game changer for it in the long term. Several analysts Moneyweb spoke to believe that Telkom will be able to provide better services, cheaper prices and potentially increase broadband penetration in the country, should its talks with Korea Telecom (KT Corporation) prove to be fruitful, resulting in the consumer being the biggest winner in the end. Telkom revealed on Friday morning that it has "entered into discussions regarding a potential... |
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13
Oct 2011 |
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THERE was a tense standoff between Telkom and the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) yesterday when the fixed-line operator said that proper procedure was not followed in the local-loop unbundling process. Icasa is holding hearings into local-loop unbundling regulations. Local-loop unbundling is a process that gives companies access to Telkom's telephone exchanges, which link homes and offices. This is expected to create more competition in the fixed-line market. Telkom regulatory executive... |
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13
Oct 2011 |
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Telkom is finding it hard to drag itself out of the doldrums. T The telecommunications company is trying to reinvent itself through its retail mobile service, 8ta. B ut this is coming at a price. It expects b asic EPS from continuing operations for the six months to September to be at least 70 percent lower than the comparative period last year. This translates into a drop of 105,2c to 45,2c. Other indicators show that Telkom is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Its traditional fixed-line businesses ... |
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13
Oct 2011 |
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SA's third mobile operator, Cell C said on Thursday that it would compensate its BlackBerry users for the service disruption caused by a core switch failure within parent company Research In Motion's (RIM) infrastructure. The crash of the BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry messenger services began on Monday, affecting users in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, and spreading to North America on Tuesday. In SA alone, more than 1.5 million users of the services were likely to... |
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12
Oct 2011 |
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Discussions between Telkom and the Independent Communications Authority SA (Icasa) ground to a temporary halt in Sandton on Wednesday after the telecommunications operator adopted an aggressive stance regarding local-loop unbundling and attacked the authority's handling of public hearings into the process. The hearings were halted temporarily by Icasa councilor William Stucke so that the authority could consult with Telkom in private. Opening proceedings, Andrew Barendse, Telkom's group executive for... |
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12
Oct 2011 |
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Proceedings at the public hearings into local loop unbundling (LLU) came to a halt on the second day, after Telkom voiced its concern regarding to the scope of the enquiry. Thamsanqa Kekana, a member of the Telkom regulatory division, started his presentation by citing "grave concerns" regarding the LLU hearings, which started on Tuesday. He said the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) process was not consistent. Telkom indicated that given that it did not understand the scope of... |
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12
Oct 2011 |
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Unbundling the local loop - introducing greater competition and regulating wholesale pricing in telecommunications access networks - is the "single most important regulatory intervention" available to lower the cost of broadband in SA. That's the view of the Internet Service Providers' Association (Ispa), which was presenting its views at the Independent Communications Authority of SA's (Icasa's) unbundling public hearings in Sandton on Wednesday. Ispa representative Dominic Cull says there is an... |
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11
Oct 2011 |
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Local-loop unbundling will only benefit rich people in urban areas, Cosatu affiliate the Communication Workers Union warned at public hearings on the process on Tuesday. "Who will benefit? The rich, most probably white, urban population that resides in the suburbs," union representative Vulture Ntukuli told the council of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa). This, coupled with the "risk" the process posed to "national security", meant Icasa should halt its plans that would open Telkoms ... |
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11
Oct 2011 |
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The two largest unions at fixed-line operator, Telkom have warned against local loop unbundling (LLU), arguing it will cost, instead of create, more employment. Both the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the South African Communications Union (SACU), which represent about 12 000 out of about 21 000 Telkom employees, say unbundling the last mile is not feasible.The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) is holding public hearings this week, which will aid it in developing a framework for... |
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11
Oct 2011 |
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Submarine telecommunications cable operator Seacom estimates it will take about two weeks to restore fully its link through the Mediterranean Sea, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Seacom experienced a "service affecting outage in the Mediterranean on Saturday, 8 October between Abu Talat in Egypt and Marseilles in France", it says. Seacom runs along Africas east coast, connecting SA in the south to landing stations in France and India. "The estimated time of repair is expected to take approximately two... |
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11
Oct 2011 |
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Competitors seeking access to Telkom's "last mile" of copper cables into homes and businesses should be able to choose the model they want to use to gain access to the infrastructure. That's the view of cellular network operator Vodacom, which was presenting its views to the council of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) at its public hearings into local-loop unbundling on Tuesday. Vodacom's managing executive for regulatory affairs, Pakamile Pongwana, said the operator supported Icasa's... |
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11
Oct 2011 |
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There was nothing "local" about the wireless local loop and unbundling should not be extended to mobile communications, representatives of MTN said at the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa's public hearings on local loop unbundling (LLU) on Tuesday. MTN GM for regulatory affairs Graham de Vries said unlike fixed line, the technical structure of mobile communications did not permit a local loop. He added that LLU, which would give competitors access to Telkom's 'last mile' of copper... |
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11
Oct 2011 |
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Vodacom, SA's largest cellular provider, says the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) will need to supplement its regulations for local loop unbundling (LLU). The company was presenting its position during public hearings convened by ICASA into how best to implement LLU. The hearings will aid the regulator in determining a framework for freeing the last mile, which it has to publish next month to meet its deadline. ICASA published a discussion document in June, and invited written comments ... |
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