Telkom launches 40Mbit/s DSL trials

The pilot is open only to customers of Telkom's Internet service provider. By Duncan McLeod.

Added by Duncan McLeod on 2 September 2012.
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Telkom Group CEO Nombulelo Moholi

JSE-listed telecommunications operator Telkom has begun rolling out fixed broadband connections offering speeds of up to 40Mbit/s on a trial basis in selected areas in Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town.

The pilot, which will run until the end of January 2013, is open only to subscribers to TelkomInternet, the company’s Internet service provider (ISP). It appears likely that customers of other ISPs will need to wait until the higher-speed broadband connections are made available commercially.

Although broadband digital subscriber line (DSL) users interested in gaining access to the faster speeds will pay more for the privilege, Telkom on Sunday was being coy about exactly how much the services would cost, saying TelkomInternet would communicate this separately.

The launch by Telkom of the trial comes several months later than expected, according to Bashier Sallie, MD of the company’s wholesale and networks business. Sallie ascribes the delay to a legal challenge brought by ZTE Mzanzi, a losing bidder for the tender for the refresh of Telkom’s access network. The contract was awarded to Alcatel-Lucent Technologies and Huawei.

The trial will take place in five areas where Telkom has already rolled out its next-generation “last-mile” technology. They are Benmore Gardens (4 900 ports) and Fourways (3 600 ports) in Johannesburg; Waterkloof (4 500 ports) in Pretoria; Durban North (1 100 ports) in KwaZulu-Natal; and Durbanville (1 300 ports) in Cape Town.

Telkom Group CEO Nombulelo Moholi says the trial forms part of a broader plan to deliver Internet access across SA, from business parks at the high end, which will receive speeds in excess of 100Mbit/s using fibre, right down to rural areas that will be served using slower wireless and satellite solutions.  — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media

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  • Davebee

    Calling Pinky, calling Pinky………….Pinky I’m still stuck here on 384 and you were promising me an upgrade. What happened?
    Signed
    Slow Coach from Bedfordview.

  • http://pauljacobson.org/ pauljacobson

    Telkom’s 40MB/sec trial seems like a lot of fluff when Telkom can’t sustain decent bandwidth across its network. We still battle to maintain a stable connection on three lines hypothetically capable of 4-10MB/sec in suburban Highlands North. We rarely come close to 4MB/sec and I don’t see anything close to 40MB/sec in this area unless the exchanges are radically upgraded and nearer hubs installed.

  • David

    Are you seeking a free upgrade?
    Or is 384k the best you can get where you are?

    Of course Telkom want a big gap between the bottom rung and the next rung up otherwise people wont upgrade?

    Why not upgrade? I think you get 2Mb at the bnext level up

  • Anonymous

    The 384 upgrades only begin from 1st of October and will take about 6 weeks.

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