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
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) hinted on Tuesday that it could take on cellphone operators over “astronomical” pay-as-your-go rates. The regulator’s chairman, Paris Mashile (pictured), told parliament’s portfolio committee on communications that there was an urgent need for competition in the pay-as-you-go market, which was used mainly by the poor. “This is an [...]
The majority of South Africans say cellphone costs are excessive, the results of a survey released on Friday by TNS Research Surveys show. The survey found 56% of metro adults said cellphone companies had not been charging a fair price for their services while 27% were satisfied with current rates. The remainder — around 13% [...]
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 [...]
AltX-listed Vox Telecom has moved to allay fears that the looming reduction in mobile interconnection rates could have a devastating impact on its business. Vox’s biggest subsidiary, Vox Orion, is a significant player in the market for least-cost routing (LCR) solutions. LCR players are able to profit on arbitrage opportunities, particularly when interconnection rates are [...]
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
A meeting between the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) and telecommunications operators over mobile interconnection fees has broken down. It had been hoped that operators would reach agreement at the meeting, held this morning, to reduce the fees. Mobile interconnection fees are what the cellphone providers charge one another and other operators to carry [...]
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