Abdul-Kader Mohamed joins Sentech - the state-owned and commercially operated entity - as the new chief financial officer after having left the same position he held at the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Mohamed brings financial experience that spans over a decade at various corporate institutions.
Mohamed says: "My immediate goal is to bring a financial strategy and discipline that is essential for our long-term success and maximising the full potential of broadband communication.
"I intend to facilitate the unlocking of MyWireless, Sentech's broadband Internet connection, for our country to benefit from a better service coupled with reduced telecommunication costs. I am excited to be involved in the early development stages of broadband in SA, and being part of the standard setters in this industry," continues Mohamed.
Originally from Cape Town, this father of two is a Chartered Account and recently completed an Advanced Management Programme at Oxford University in the UK.
Mohamed started as an audit manager with the company BDO Spencer Steward Incorporated based in Cape Town.
His other high profile positions include head of finance at IT Sanlam Life Insurance Limited as well as the financial manager at the free to air television station, ETV. He has also lectured in accounting and taxation at the University of Cape Town.
Mohamed holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting obtained from the University of Cape Town, and is a registered accountant and auditor with the Public Accountants & Auditors Board. Additional qualifications include a Certificate in Project Management obtained from the Cape Technikon.
"My vision is to ensure that we combine cutting-edge technology with exceptional service levels so that we can become a leader in providing world-class broadband communications," concludes Mohamed.
His passions include theatre, cinema and golf. He is also a member of various industry-related bodies that include NAFCOC, Black Management Forum, etc.
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Sentech is a commercially operated, state-owned enterprise. The company's network forms the backbone of broadcasting in SA. In May 2002, Sentech was awarded two additional licences allowing the company to provide international telephony and broadband wireless services.
Sentech provides the following services:
* Terrestrial broadcasting coverage in analogue format to 98% of SA broadcasters;
* Satellite distribution for linking both radio and TV transmissions networks through its C-band capacity;
* Business broadcasting, data casting and interactive distance learning;
* Portable, always on Internet access;
* Broadband services, delivered via both satellite and terrestrial networks.
Sentech's broadband services first became available in August 2003. The first package, VSTAR Custom, is a satellite-driven broadband service with Internet access as a core offering aimed at the broad business market. Sentech also offers a standard VSTAR Internet product to access the Internet at speeds as high as 512Mbps and as low as 128Mb.
Sentech's latest addition to its broadband wireless product offering is the new Internet service, called MyWireless, offered in three packages, starting with MyWireless 128, which offers a shared 128Kbps connection, mainly for residential users, and two higher bandwidth offerings, namely MyWireless 256 and MyWireless 512, aimed at the small office home office (SOHO) and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Sentech has:
* 207 transmission high sites;
* 552 TV transmitters;
* 719 FM transmitters;
* 16 medium wave transmitters;
* Over 20 microwave multipoint distribution systems.
The company is also in the process of rolling out the MyWireless network throughout the country. For more information, log on to www.sentech.co.za.
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