SA consumers, used to high prices for telecommunications, must be rubbing their hands in glee. The cost of broadband and voice telephony has begun falling, in some cases dramatically, as competition finally begins to take effect
SA’s technology industry grabbed more public attention in 2009 than it has in years. In spite of the recession, the news flow has been constant, and not all of it has been bad.
Undoubtedly, the biggest story of the year on the business front was Telkom’s sale and unbundling of its 50% stake in cellular group [...]
Has a secret, back-room deal been reached between mobile operators and government over interconnection fees?
All signs are pointing to a deal that stonewalls the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) and allows Vodacom, MTN and Cell C to maintain interconnection rates — the fees the mobile operators charge each other and other network providers to [...]
Interconnection rates are coming down. SA’s three mobile operators, MTN, Vodacom and Cell C, have agreed to cut the peak rate they charge other operators to carry calls on their networks by 36c, from R1,25/minute to 89c/minute.
Communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda, pictured, made the announcement in parliament on Thursday evening.
The cuts will take effect from 1 [...]
ECN Telecommunications CEO John Holdsworth says there is no reason mobile interconnection rates should not come down in one fell swoop rather than over a period of years.
MTN, Vodacom and Cell C have all argued that the rates should come down on a “glide path” over a number of years to avoid what is known [...]
ECN Telecommunications is in talks with a number of large international mobile operators with a view to setting up a cellular carrier in SA that will compete directly with incumbents Vodacom, MTN and Cell C.
ECN CEO John Holdsworth says the company is considering selling a majority stake to the right foreign partner. He confirms that [...]
AltX-listed Huge Group has hit back at recent claims that a dramatic reduction in mobile interconnection fees will destroy the business model for companies that provide least-cost routing (LCR) services.
James Herbst, CEO of Huge Group, a big player in SA’s LCR industry, says the impact of a reduction in interconnection fees charged by mobile operators [...]
