Browsing: interconnection rates

MTN SA appears to have put the worst of its troubles, including its damaging billing-system problems, behind it and has gained market share in the past six months on the back of a jump in prepaid subscribers. Data revenues have leapt higher as demand for broadband Internet access continues to grow and the group has revised its full-year SA subscriber expectations sharply upwards on the back of a strong first-half performance.

The stage is set for a battle of epic proportions at public hearings in Johannesburg next week. That’s when operators will make their arguments for and against proposed cuts in wholesale call termination rates. MTN, for one, has warned of dire consequences for its business and for the entire mobile ecosystem if industry regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), proceeds with its plans to cut wholesale mobile call termination rates to 65c/minute this year. Other operators have also lodged strong objections

Outgoing Telkom CEO Reuben September has warned the group’s customers not to expect an automatic cut in fixed-to-mobile call charges that are directly in line with reductions in wholesale mobile call termination rates. In March, Telkom elected to pass on the entire 36c/minute saving when peak-time mobile termination rates were reduced from R1,25/minute

This week, Ben Kelly, Duncan McLeod, Toby Shapshak and Simon Dingle tackle Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Kindle apps and e-books, the interconnect agreement, this week’s broadband colloquium, Apple’s iPhone profits, and much more…

Communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda announced a token cut in peak-time interconnection rates between mobile operators, to take effect in February and March next year. The cut was half as big as the reduction the regulator had earlier contemplated, and off-peak rates weren’t cut at all