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4
Sept 2009 |
Operators, Government heard scoffing at the very thought.
Neotel has called for the lowering of interconnection costs, saying rates need to be brought down to a level that is fair to all operators and consumers. Speaking at the 2009 Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (Satnac), in Swaziland, this week, Neotel CTO Angus Hay said more had to be done to lower telecommunications costs. “Lowering interconne... |
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1
Sept 2009 |
Nothing a rocket launcher can't sort out though.
Thieves are stealing fibre-optic cables to use the Kevlar armoured covering to make bullet-proof jackets for criminal activity, such as cash-in-transit heists, says Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Pieter van Dalen. “I haven't come across this myself, or even seen a bullet-proof jacket made out of this reused Kevlar. But I have spoken to a number of people on the ground and they say i... |
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28
Aug 2009 |
While Telkom costs economy hundreds of billions.
In the past three years Telkom has suffered almost R3-billion in losses because of cable theft, Parliament was told on Friday. The losses are made up of the value of the material stolen, the cost of security to guard against theft, and lost revenue as a result of the absence of phone lines, according to a written reply given to a question from the Democratic Alliance to Siphiwe Ny... |
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28
Aug 2009 |
CEO may only earn a measly R22 million this year.
MTN’s South African operations have suffered their worst six months in a 15-year history, with slow subscriber growth, a dip in the average amount each customer spends and the collapse of a deal to sell MTN’s services through Musica’s retail stores. The trio of setbacks was due partly to the recession making customers more cash-conscious, and MTN has downgraded its target of addin... |
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25
Aug 2009 |
Change in telecoms market slower than trans-continental glacial movement.
Renewed calls are being made for action to force South Africa's cellphone service providers to cut their charges, some of which are said to be among the highest in the world. The calls are becoming more strident and come at a time when the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has launched a study of the cellphone industry and the costs involved. The Icasa ... |
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22
Aug 2009 |
"Loss of business is a matter of the customers' own risk" says Telkom.
Durban residents have been left without phone, fax and Internet lines after Telkom's phone networks were sabotaged during recent pay strikes. The strike was resolved last week, with workers accepting a 7.5 percent general salary increase and a two-year moratorium on forced retrenchments but for many residents and business owners the effects of the strike are still being felt. Mou... |
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22
Aug 2009 |
Better a decade late than never, right?
ICASA has flexed its muscles by launching a blistering attack on the country’s cellphone operators for charging customers for itemised billing. The regulator this week challenged Vodacom, MTN and Cell C to reveal “publicly” why they charge contract customers for the so-called value-added service — believed to bring in more than R1-billion a year. Icasa recently released its “stan... |
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21
Aug 2009 |
"Cellular operators intent on screwing South Africans for decades to come." There, all fixed.
CELLULAR operators have responded with caution to a new legal finding that may pave the way to a huge cut in the cost of phone calls. Although their comments are guarded, it seems likely they will take legal action of their own if the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) tries to cut the fee of R1,25 a minute they add to the cost of a cross-network call. Icasa has ... |
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19
Aug 2009 |
Regulator's pointlessness past description, Thesaurus whipped out for fitting terms.
Politicians labelled ICASA a “lazy horse” and “dead duck” yesterday. They expressed their frustration – at the authority's inability to reduce telecommunications prices – to candidates vying for the vacant councillor position. This took place during the interviews of seven candidates by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications. The committee originally selected nine... |
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19
Aug 2009 |
Mass rape of SA consumer continues indefininitely, yebo gogo.
Contract subscribers could be over-paying for handsets, while the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) hides behind a set of regulations that have been postponed indefinitely. During an investigation by ITWeb, it emerged that more than a million South African contract subscribers could be paying too much, as the handset subsidies remain unclear. Last year, ICASA beg... |
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19
Aug 2009 |
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it.
Vodacom has apologised to people who entered the Vodacom Fame Brand campaign on their website after the network provider shut down the competition after "unresolved issues" over rights to broadcast the song, Beyoncé's Single Ladies, on the Internet. The competition involved sending in a video clip inspired by the TV comedy show Saturday Night Live. In that insert Justin Timberlake... |
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19
Aug 2009 |
Horror meets disbelief as regulator misinterprets law.
CELLPHONE calls could be slashed by a massive R1 a minute almost immediately if the industry regulator agrees with fresh legal opinion declaring that the fees can be forced down with no need for further market research. The hefty R1,25 a minute that operators charge to switch calls between rival networks makes SA’s calls among the dearest in the world. But advocate Gilbert Marcus... |
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19
Aug 2009 |
CEO's face contorts as pen meets paper.
Fixed-line telecommunications provider Telkom on Wednesday reported that it had agreed a final wage settlement with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to tackle the issues of annual general salary increases and the salary disparities that have resulted from historical issues. The parties have agreed to a 7,5% general salary increase, and a two year moratorium on forced retrench... |
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19
Aug 2009 |
Days of increased cellphone theft for criminal purposes on the horizon.
AFTER a slow start public campaigns on SIM card registrations have begun in earnest, with cellphone networks going all out to register users. On July 1 the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act of 2008 (Rica) came into effect. The law requires that a new SIM card only be activated on a cellular network once the user’s ... |
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18
Aug 2009 |
Stock exchange soon free of exploitative telco.
TELKOM has started the process of delisting from the New York Stock Exchange, a move which analysts said would have little impact on the company. The telecommunications operator announced on August 7 through a notice to the JSE that it would file a notification of removal from listing on the NYSE via a Form 25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about August 17. It ... |
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