Siemens in South Africa has developed two international Siemens GSM products, which lift cellular telephony to new levels of interconnectivity in terms of the vertical integration of communication mediums. The products, a telephone handset called "Euroset GSM" and a connection box or access unit called "Combiset GSM", are already being deployed by privatised telecommunications companies in deregulated environments, such as Germany. They were launched at the recent CeBit exhibition in Hanover, and South Africans will be able to see them at Africa Telecom `98 to be held at Nasrec in May. Paul McKibbin, head of Siemens Mobile Networks division in South Africa, said that his company had been awarded the product development on the basis of its expertise in GSM value-added product development. Part of the product development was subcontracted to another local firm, Cape Town-based Psitek. Siemens Mobile Networks has in fact been recognised as the "centre of competency" for Siemens world-wide for some of its GSM value-added products, proof of the general regard the rest of the world has for South Africa when it comes to cellular technology matters. The two products developed in South Africa are cellular local loop (CLL) terminals, which facilitate the delivery of a telephone service to a home or an office without the need to lay cables. Both run off an AC mains supply and, like a cellphone, operate via a SIM card. The "Combiset GSM" is the really exciting CLL product in terms of the interconnectivity of data, fax and voice. It is a small "black box" which allows enhanced interconnection applications through the connection of any combination of a telephone, PABX, modem or fax machine to the unit. Thus, in a situation where no fixed-line service is available, a "Combiset" could be connected to each of the outgoing lines of a PABX thus enabling the PABX to be connected to the GSM network. The other CLL product, the "Euroset GSM", is a streamlined telephone handset with an inbuilt cellular receiver, offering the user the features of a dedicated line handset and the service benefits of the GSM network. Unlike a cellphone, the "Euroset GSM" is not portable. It is literally the equivalent of a modern, streamlined telephone handset, the difference being that it operates within a GSM network which obviates the capital costs of setting up a land-line network. It can receive short messages (SMS) on a two-line liquid crystal display, and it also has call barring and call forwarding options. The product forerunner to the "Combiset GSM" is the "Cellular Telephone Interface", or CTI. Whereas the CTI is based on pure telephony, however, the "Combiset GSM" provides the advantage of interconnectivity with other communication mediums. McKibbin said: "The CLL products are well suited to emerging market applications, such as in African countries, as it is cheaper to run a GSM network than set up or extend a land-line network." Although the South African market is not yet deregulated, McKibbin envisages the new CLL products may find an immediate use in applications where there is no fixed-line telephony. For example, in community or rural service applications by a cellular network operator. The granting of a third network license will also provide a marketing opportunity, as increased competition means that network operators will seek ways of building subscriber figures by offering new technology. The fact that these two CLL products have been built to accommodate not only the current 900 MHz standard, but also the latest 1800 MHz standard gives them an advantage. McKibbin says that the local design and development of the CLL products also offers the opportunity of manufacture in South Africa with the possibility of a world-wide export market. Siemens has recently entered into a strategic partnership with the Department of Trade & Industry for the promotion of local design and local manufacture of products of this nature. The specific intent of this partnership is the maximising of local added value, coupled with export promotion and job creation.
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