A joint-venture between SA`s fastest growing office automation company Itec and Tiyende Telecommunications, an understated BEE telecoms company, spearheaded by one of the industry`s most prolific figures Eddie Funde, Itec Telecoms intends becoming the country`s premier sales and marketing distribution channel, providing "converged, holistic and simple" telecoms products and services to the corporate market.
The company will trade under the Itec banner, a highly visible brand unveiled nearly a year ago, and will leverage off Itec`s 18 000 corporate customers, who spend an estimated R20 billion annually on telecommunication products.
Itec Telecoms will further extend its corporate reach through the Itec country-wide network of 65 dealers and 550 sales and technical staff. The Itec Group, which turned over R750 million last year, has further committed substantial resources to the venture.
"Telecommunications is a key growth point for our existing office automation offerings," said Jacques Duyver, CEO of the Itec Group. "Customers, particularly high-volume users, are looking for lower cost telecoms and smart office management solutions."
Itec`s current product range, which includes digital copiers, multifunction printers, document management systems, digital colour systems, printers, faxes and software, complements the telecoms solutions demanded by corporates. Through this new affiliate company, the group now offers an extensive suite of business and office solutions.
Itec Telecoms has and will continue to partner with first tier network operators to power its products and services, leveraging off their infrastructures to extract maximum scale value for its clientele.
"These agreements will enable Itec Telecoms to deliver customer-specific solutions including PBX, data, broadband and voice services to meet the current demand for lower cost telecommunications and reinforce the convergence of voice and data over corporate networks," said Antony Stafford, CEO of Itec Telecoms.
The company is also distinguished by an illustrious board, which includes Major General Ian Deetlefs, Max Sisulu, Gerrie Roodt and Eddie Funde as chairman. Other board members include Itec Group founder and CEO Jacques Duyver. Antony Stafford is Itec Telecoms` CEO and Shaka Sisulu, its chief operating officer.
"We believe the business is perfectly poised to take advantage of a number of trends in the market," Stafford said.
These include the convergence of separate voice and data networks into multifunctional networks paralleled with the convergence of standalone office automation units in multifunctional devices that are an integral component of the data network.
In addition, the changing telecommunications environment is being restructured by regulatory and market forces to support organisations that can provide telecommunications services and support to their own customer bases.
"Being an independent operator enhances our ability to design and implement solutions capable of channelling voice and data traffic in the most efficient manner, while also allowing us to terminate these services regardless of the inherent technologies. This will ensure more cost-effective, more relevant and above all simple communications across the entire enterprise for our customers," Stafford said.
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