| |
 |
|
13
March 2009 |
News article threatens public with promise of lower prices.
The great broadband price war is finally here. Well, almost. After years of having their wallets drained by telecommunications operators, consumers can expect prices to fall off a cliff in the next 12 months as the big telecom providers jostle for market share in what is being seen as the next big growth area in SA telecoms. Vodacom wants to lead the price-cutting charge. Wally... |
| |
|
|
12
March 2009 |
SA consumers get heavy dose of deja vu.
The gloomy presence of global recession means now, more than ever, the SA market will be looking forward to the dramatic decrease in bandwidth connectivity pricing predicted to occur six or seven months into our 2009 new year. This is according to Ajay Pandey, CEO of Neotel. According Pandey the excitement of a shifting telecoms landscape experienced by the local market in the... |
| |
|
|
12
March 2009 |
When we reach the cliff is any amateur fortune teller's guess.
The great broadband price war is finally here. Well, almost. After years of having their wallets drained by telecommunications operators, consumers can expect prices to fall off a cliff in the next 12 months as the big telecom providers jostle for market share in what is being seen as the next big growth area in SA telecoms. Vodacom wants to lead the price-cutting charge. Wally... |
| |
|
|
12
March 2009 |
Nigerians add 6.6 million new users, fresh 419 scams imminent.
Telecommunications operator MTN on Thursday reported a 33% increase in adjusted headline EPS to R9,04 for the year ended December 2008 from R6,82 a year ago as demand for mobile services continued to impress on the upside in key markets Iran and Nigeria. Basic headline EPS increased by 43% to R8,37. A cash dividend of R1,81 share has been declared. The group recorded 90,7m... |
| |
|
|
12
March 2009 |
Provider to roll out more high frequency wireless signals, turns country into giant microwave.
Telecommunications operator MTN Group on Thursday reported strong financial results, including a 33% increase in adjusted headline earnings per share to 904.4c for the year ended December 2008. MTN South Africa performed well despite challenging economic conditions. Its overall subscribers increased by 16% to 17.2 million, while MTN`s market share remained stable at 36%. Postpaid... |
| |
|
|
12
March 2009 |
Only title to remain in stock is ABBA's Money Money Money single.
New Clicks Holdings (NCL) said on Thursday that it is to sell up to 17 Musica retail outlets to MTN and to release space for MTN in six other Musica stores. In terms of the agreement, MTN will take over Musica's rental obligations, certain store-related service contracts and permanent staff in the 17 stores.The six stores where space has been released will be converted into... |
| |
|
|
12
March 2009 |
Lies, damn lies as Cell C bitchslaps Vodacom's odd use of English.
Advertising agency Net#work BBDO, on behalf of Cell C, recently lodged a competitor complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) against a print advertisement for Vodacom's Yebo4Less tariff plan for Prepaid customers. The advertisement is headed "PAY FOR 1 MINUTE AND GET UP TO 99 FREE WITH YEBO4LESS". The subheading states: "Now Prepaid customers can get... |
| |
|
|
11
March 2009 |
More wallets ordered, material to be changed from leather to extremely stretchable spandex.
MTN and Telkom are the two South African companies that rating agency Fitch yesterday predicted would benefit most from a wave of consolidation expected to sweep across Africa’s telecommunications sector, which it said would experience faster growth than other developing markets despite the global economic meltdown. In a report, Fitch said Africa potentially offered lucrative... |
| |
|
|
11
March 2009 |
Fifteen-fold increase better than 30-fold increase, mathematicians say.
AFTER protests by telecoms companies, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) has reduced proposed licence fees to 1.5 percent of operating profit generated from licensed activities. Icasa initially proposed a levy of 3 percent of annual gross revenue. The industry opposed this as it would have meant a thirtyfold increase to R3 million for former value-added network... |
| |
|
|
10
March 2009 |
Aging granny needs a hug, new caregiver.
TELKOM could be an acquisition target for international firms seeking telecoms assets, a telecoms advisory firm said in a report. “It’s very possible that Telkom may become a target for acquisition yet again this year, despite it still being quite a sizeable buy - even without its mobile unit Vodacom Group,” emerging-markets firm Delta Partners said in the report published today.... |
| |
|
|
10
March 2009 |
Minister of Trade and Industry causes 'that sinking feeling' in 825,103 people simultaneously.
Presenting a report of somewhat mixed achievement to a media conference held in both Pretoria and Cape Town on Tuesday, Minister of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa noted that one of the successes of the economic cluster of ministers was that telecommunications costs have been cut over the past three years by 45%. He promised that further cuts were in hand, and would be brought... |
| |
|
|
9
March 2009 |
Hammocks for sale as regulator does some useful work.
A second draft of licence fee regulations was published on Friday, drastically reducing the previously proposed license fee structure. The new proposed annual licence fees are now set at 1.5% of Gross Profit - as opposed to the previous 3% of Gross Revenue- where such Gross Profit accrues from licensed activities. This is the same percentage to be paid by class and individual... |
| |
|
|
9
March 2009 |
Contract subscribers feel like suckers again.
MTN is the latest cellular operator to offer its prepaid customers extra value for money in their MTN 1-4-1 loyalty programme. MTN subscribers who join the programme before 31 March 2009 get 20% of the airtime they spent in February 2009 back. Subscribers will also get bonus points for all airtime they have used over the last two months. The bonus points can be used to purchase... |
| |
|
|
9
March 2009 |
If apathy and uselessness were time, those in charge of SA's telecoms sector would live forever.
According to a report released this week at the Internet Governance Forum, South Africa has fallen a long way in the African rankings since 2000, when it had 2.4 million subscribers representing 53 percent of internet users across the continent. In 2009 South Africa represents only nine percent of Africa's total internet subscriber base, with 5.1 million users. Between December... |
| |
|
|
9
March 2009 |
Regulator so anti-consumer they make Mugabe look like saviour of the people.
ICASA has quietly shelved the handset regulations which it once touted as protecting consumers from misleading marketing practices and ensuring greater choice in the use of mobile services. This happened after Vodacom threatened legal action against ICASA and issues were raised by MTN, Vodacom and Cell C surrounding these regulations. What is of concern is that ICASA did not... |
|
