SA's 3G world class , fixed broadband

Naspers CEO Koos Bekker said that while South Africa’s mobile broadband (3G) services are world class, fixed broadband access remains poor.

Speaking to Talk Radio 702’s Bruce Whitfield, Bekker said that South Africa’s Internet access diverges between mobile phones and PCs.

“Our 3G [mobile broadband] systems are as good as we get anywhere in the world,” said Bekker, adding that fixed broadband [used on a PC] has a problem with a lack of bandwidth.

The bandwidth restraints of fixed broadband access in SA, said Bekker, has a consequence on their pay-TV operations.

Bekker said in an interview with Moneyweb that they are forced to “fake the Internet” using their new DStv Explora decoder to make it possible for users to catch up on news or sporting events when it suits them.

“But we can fake the Internet a bit by putting it on satellite, loading it down into the PVR and then offering it to you as if it were the internet.”

source: www.mybroadband.co

SA,s 3G world class , fixed broadband poor : Naspers CEO

Naspers CEO Koos Bekker said that while South Africa’s mobile broadband (3G) services are world class, fixed broadband access remains poor.

Speaking to Talk Radio 702’s Bruce Whitfield, Bekker said that South Africa’s Internet access diverges between mobile phones and PCs.

“Our 3G [mobile broadband] systems are as good as we get anywhere in the world,” said Bekker, adding that fixed broadband [used on a PC] has a problem with a lack of bandwidth.

The bandwidth restraints of fixed broadband access in SA, said Bekker, has a consequence on their pay-TV operations.

Bekker said in an interview with Money web that they are forced to “fake the Internet” using their new DStv Explora decoder to make it possible for users to catch up on news or sporting events when it suits them.

“But we can fake the Internet a bit by putting it on satellite, loading it down into the PVR and then offering it to you as if it were the internet.”

source: www.mybroadband.co

Vodafone to announe GBP 7bln network investment

Vodafone could soon announce plans to invest GBP 7 billion more into its fixed and mobile broadband networks and support systems in the coming few years, LightReading reported, adding that the company is also shaking up its top group technology team. Group CTO Steve Pusey will likely retain his position. Current Group Networks director Andy MacLeod is seen taking up a new role as head of technology for the Africa, Middle East, and Asia (AME) region, while his counterpart in Europe will be Alberto Ripepi, the current CTO at Vodafone Italy. Vodafone declined to comment. The operator recently launched the Project Spring spending plan, which includes investments in fixed broadband, enterprise services support, and customer experience management (CEM) systems as well as 3G and 4G mobile broadband technology. MacLoed recently noted at a Huawei conference in London that Vodafone will be investing in a number of specialised and emerging technologies such as video optimisation and distributed content management systems, advanced microwave backhaul technology, small cells, LTE-Advanced, and SON (self-organizing networks) systems.

source:www.telecompaper.com

South Africa slipping in mobile broadband..: smile telecommunications

South Africa is slipping behind some other African markets in providing mobile broadband, Tom Allen, the chief operating officer of Smile Telecommunications, the telecoms operator founded six years ago by former MTN executive Irene Charnley.

Allen, speaking at an Alcatel-Lucent press conference at the annual Africa Com telecoms event in Cape Town, reiterated comments he made at last year’s show that Smile is keen to enter the South African mobile broadband market if it can get access to radio frequency spectrum, particularly in the 800MHz band currently used by analogue terrestrial television broadcasters.

“Smile is very interested in South Africa, if we could get spectrum,” said Allen. “We wouldn’t be interested in 2,5GHz. We have 800MHz everywhere else. If we could get 800MHz here, then we’d be keen to go for that. If there’s a competition, we’ll be there to play.”

The relatively lower frequencies at 800MHz offer better propagation than signals at 2,5GHz, which is seen as more appropriate for use in dense urban areas.

“If the regulator was to realise how far behind South Africa is compared to what’s happening in Tanzania and Uganda, I would have thought they would have moved quicker than they have,” Allen said. “The 3G network in South Africa is not great, to be honest. Compared to Europe, it’s poor.”

Smile Communications operates fourth-generation (4G) broadband networks in Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company is backed by Saudi Arabian firms Al-Nahla Technology and Atheeb Trading Company.

source: www.techcentral.co

Mideast operators join race for African telecoms

Connecting another billion people to the internet is an ambition for many mobile operators, which see the relatively untapped markets of Africa as the next big opportunity for growth.

With a lack of fixed-line infrastructure in many parts of the continent, people have embraced smartphones as their means of connecting to the web, which has placed mobile operators among the main providers of internet services in Africa.

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The number of broadband connections over cellular networks is expected to top 250m by the end of 2015. A fifth of internet traffic in Africa will be carried by mobile broadband by 2015, according to Informa Telecoms and Media, compared with 3 per cent globally.

Demand for telecoms services is high, as parts of the continent are becoming increasingly affluent. However, poorer areas also represent a good opportunity for telecoms operators that offer plans designed to get users connected to social networking sites using mobile devices.

Mobile is at the centre of life in Africa, where it has applications from sending vaccination reminders by text to credit lines for farmers. The M-Pesa mobile payment system is so successful that it acts as a quasi-currency.