Africa is being repositioned as a technology pacesetter at a global event jointly hosted by broadband service provider Sentech and its implementation partner FastComm. Sentech has brought the first global summit of the Universal Mobile Technology Standard - Time Duplex Division (UMTS-TDD) Alliance to SA. The prestigious event took place at Kwa-Maritane near Sun City from 16 to 18 May. Delegates - the 64 Who's Who of the global broadband revolution - came from 30 companies in 21 different countries of 6 continents.
UMTS-TDD is the world standard for delivering wide area wireless broadband and related high-speed, packet-based communication services. The alliance around this new technology brings together the world's leading operators of broadband services and developers of broadband solutions.
Some of the alliance's key goals are to offer a forum for information sharing among members, support collaborative technology deployment and also educate stakeholders regarding the economic viability of broad wireless IP solutions.
Sentech is a founder member of the alliance. Its roll-out of broadband wireless services to parts of Johannesburg, Midrand, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town at the end of May is seen worldwide as one of the most significant deployments yet of UMTS-TDD technology.
Sentech's MyWireless products take affordable, always-on Internet to average salary earners and small business, using high-powered radio frequency on regulated and licensed spectrum for service delivery.
UMTS-TDD is the standard across a full range of markets and is fast becoming a benchmark for implementation of the broadband future.
The mid-May timing of the alliance's global summit will enable delegates to break away at the conclusion of proceedings to witness final tests ahead of the extension of Sentech MyWireless to Cape Town as well as attending the Futurex exhibition, where Sentech and its technology suppliers are exhibiting.
Marcel Raath, Executive: Marketing and Sales at Sentech, noted: "It is difficult to overstate the importance of the alliance summit. It brings leading players in a cutting-edge technology to Africa at a significant time - just after our celebration of 10 years of democracy and just ahead of southern Africa's first exhibition - Futurex - dedicated to future technologies in the ICT arena.
"Summit delegates will be able to see for themselves that Africans are not simply considering new solutions, we're deploying them. Sentech's implementation of MyWireless and VSTAR puts SA ahead of many fully developed nations in the practical utilisation of broadband wireless.
"Some of the world's most influential opinion leaders in the realm of modern communications will see Africa in a new light - progressive, technologically proficient and eager to embrace the future. In the telecommunication field, our summit is perhaps the strongest signal yet that South Africans really are intent on making this the 'African Century' for communicators."
Several speakers with international reputations have confirmed their participation in the alliance summit. They include Christian Irmler, the CTO of Airdata based in Germany, and Alan Jones, MD of Andrews in North America.
Sentech's Winston Smith, Portfolio Manager: broadband wireless, will present a paper on the deployment of MyWireless in the South African deregulated multimedia environment, while Pragasen Nagan, Head of Sales at Sentech, will elaborate on strategies for back-office operations.
Points of focus during the summit's working sessions include:
* Key trends in computing, communications and entertainment impact.
* The residential broadband market.
* The mobile enterprise market.
* Voice over IP.
* Virtual network operator.
* Deployment strategies.
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Sentech is a commercially operated, state-owned enterprise that began its operations in 1992 under the auspices of the SABC, as a signal distributor for all transmissions related to the SABC.
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;
* Fast Internet access; and
* 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; and
* 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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