Broadband definitions and needs vary from person to person. Aiming for unprecedented levels of flexibility and agility, Telkom has tasked itself with delivering on the varied broadband requirements of a nation.
Telkom group COO Dr Brian Armstrong concedes that Telkom "fell off the pace slightly" some years ago. But, with some introspection and an aggressive revitalisation plan, Armstrong is says the group is back to leading the field in the biggest communications challenge yet to face service providers - broadband.
"There are many definitions of what broadband is, and what speed and capacity should be considered acceptable," he says. "My view is that broadband should be seen as permanent connectivity to the Internet, with sufficient bandwidth and speed to allow a user to do everything they want to do, without waiting." For some, this will mean 1Mbps to 2Mbps. Others will require 20Mbps - 40Mbps. "We recognise that the bar keeps rising. Now, people want high-speed access wherever they are.
"But broadband is about more than just the connection - it's what goes behind the connection. You might have a high-speed pipe, but this is pointless without a sufficient data allowance, so the question of uncapped data is becoming increasingly important. In future, people will expect unlimited access and seamless switching from fixed to mobile. Different users will require different blends of speed and data."
What customers have in common, though, is a growing appetite for data. "We see inevitable and inexorable growth in demand and consumption," says Armstrong. Telkom is seeing around 100% compound annual growth rate on fixed data, expected to top an average of 50Gb for residential consumers in five years, and around a quarter of that on mobile.
Much of this consumption is driven by video, and this trend will likely continue for the next three to five years, says Armstrong. "After that, the Internet of Everything will likely also drive significant data traffic," he predicts.
As part of its revitalisation strategy, Telkom's network transformation programme aims to meet this rapidly growing demand for broadband. "We have put in place a high capacity, super resilient core and a huge upgrade to the international bandwidth; and we are now increasing backhaul aggregation and enhancing the last mile, to ensure all components of the network grow with each other and have the capacity to meet demand," says Armstrong. "We believe the future is about fibre, and now have 80% of all the fibre in place in South Africa. With our LTE and wireless capabilities, vast spectrum and base station coverage, we are now able to offer highly competitive wireless data offerings and unmatched combinations of fixed and wireless access."
But, competition never stands still, Armstrong notes, and in an increasingly competitive market, staying in the lead requires agility. "Telkom is focused on delivering a superior value proposition for our customers. And we will keep improving to meet customer needs in a future where everything will be connected and intelligent, communicating all the time, in an increasingly diverse communications environment.
"Telkom is constantly refining its core value proposition and operating model, and looking for new opportunities to grow and serve customers better. The days of incumbent monopolies are long gone. Now, we are open to partnerships and alliances. We have become more agile, and are aiming to become even more so in future."
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