Independent telecommunications hub NewTelco SA has signed a contract with Alink Telecom, the first foreign telecoms provider to make use of its carrier-neutral co-location hub.
Part of the Jasco Group, NewTelco SA launched operations in 2010 and offers an independent telecoms hub for local, regional and international carriers with a presence or looking to establish in SA. It is a joint venture with Germany-based co-location firm NewTelco GmbH.
The South African subsidiary of Alink, an Ivory Coast-based cellular and Internet service provider with operations spanning West Africa, offers services and support to locally-based companies that conduct business with West African companies.
Yegen Moodley, from Alink's South African office, says the company's recent launch of international calling cards in SA led to the agreement between the two telecoms players. “[The calling card] is already operational in the Ivory Coast, targeting the West African community living in SA with attractive call rates. To get this calling card working, we needed a point of presence in SA and a carrier-neutral co-location centre to switch calls internationally between countries.”
This allows Alink to maximise revenue opportunities from clients calling into foreign customers and allows them to operate their calling cards within South Africa. Alink's network carries the traffic while NewTelco SA provides a seamless interconnect by switching traffic to the relevant destination.
Business development manager at Jasco ICT Solutions Eckart Zollner says the West African market is one of the areas the company has targeted for growth, making Alink a “highly-strategic” customer. “This agreement with Alink will help us to grow traffic into SA from a variety of territories.”
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