Local-loop unbundling in limbo
Whatever happened to cracking open Telkom’s last mile of copper cables into homes and businesses to rival broadband operators? The industry regulator has gone silent on the issue, leaving industry players wondering whether local-loop unbundling has quietly been shelved
Didata in R326m Kenya acquisition
Dimension Data is set to acquire Kenyan technology supplier and corporate Internet services company AccessKenya Group for R326,4m. Didata has made an open-market offer to purchase all of AccessKenya’s 218m shares at a purchase price of Ksh14/share, a premium of 42% over last Friday’s close
Icasa owed R500m by licensees
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is owed more than R500m by companies and government departments related to their use of spectrum and other electronic communication issues, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday. According
Gov’t to tax Internet use
It looks likely that Internet users will have to tighten their belts from next year. Finance minister Pravin Gordhan has raised the idea of introducing a tax on broadband use from 2014.
The minister has suggested that a rate of 50c/MB should apply, with a built-in escalation in the rate in subsequent tax years
Telkom, commission drop fine appeals
Telkom and the Competition Commission have dropped their separate applications to the competition appeal court related to last year’s decision by the Competition Tribunal to hand down a R449m fine on the telecommunications operator for past anticompetitive abuses. Competition Commission
Think of Telkom’s users
News last week that the Competition Commission is in early-stage talks with Telkom with a view to possibly reaching a settlement ahead of the tribunal hearings should be welcomed if the outcome benefits consumers. The tribunal hearings relate to a broad complaint brought by industry players against
Telkom in antitrust settlement talks
The Competition Commission has entered into talks with Telkom with a view potentially to resolving a second broad-ranging investigation against the fixed-line operator outside of the process of formal competition hearings. The move comes just months after the Competition Tribunal
WirelessG ‘desperate’, says Vodacom
The legal action brought by Wi-Fi hotspot specialist WirelessG against minority shareholder Vodacom is a “desperate attempt” to save its business, the mobile operator has argued in papers filed at the high court. The allegation is a contained an affidavit signed by
‘Vodacom walked all over us’
Vodacom is facing a court challenge from Wi-Fi specialist WirelessG, which claims the mobile operator, South Africa’s biggest, has reneged on a shareholder agreement that grants its partner exclusivity over any Wi-Fi infrastructure Vodacom wants to build or operate. WirelessG CEO Carel
Reed, MacRobert step down at Vox
Vox Orion CEO Jacques du Toit will take the reins at Vox Telecom with immediate effect after a decision by co-CEOs Doug Reed and Angus MacRobert to step down. MacRobert, who is a former CEO of Dimension Data division Internet Solutions, will leave Vox Telecom, which was
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