Arvato Mobile SA and Telkom Do Broadband have teamed up to offer a bundled product that combines broadband access with digital content.
Telkom`s Do Music offering will be enhanced with the addition of Arvato`s digital service provider, Getmo, with its range of music, movies and mobile content.
A Telkom statement says it will offer its existing Do Broadband customers the Getmo service at a discounted monthly subscription. The Getmo club cards will be available through Telkom Direct stores across the country.
"Telkom invested in this partnership to avail a differentiated, world-class, all inclusive entertainment product to our Do Broadband customers at an attractive price," says Godfrey Ntoele, Telkom`s group executive for national sales and marketing operations.
One step forward
Arvato Mobile SA country manager Hans Klaus Renkl says the move to bundle services is an evolutionary process in the life span of digital content in any country. He explains that for the process to happen, the country needs to embrace new technology, such as MP3 players, as a way of consuming entertainment.
"The mentality of certain key players needs to be changed with regards to their views on music piracy and digital downloads."
Renkl adds the infrastructure needs to be in place in order to support the digital service industry.
"Some countries have unhindered broadband services, which give the potential to download vast amounts of data and, in the end, the cost of downloading is no longer a factor. SA is heading in that direction," says Renkl.
Ambitious targets
"There are more than 450 000 broadband subscribers in SA and, even though that is a small proportion of the country, it is still a strong consumer base," says Arvato SA director Jehan Mackay.
However, Africa Analysis media analyst David Moore says the number of clients Getmo hopes to draw is "a bit ambitious". The analyst points to foreign markets, such as the US and UK, where the concept of buying individual MP3s took a while to catch on.
Rhythm Online founder and director Albert du Plessis says any competition in the online music market is good. "A free market has always been beneficial to all those who work hard at providing the best service - we would welcome an awareness and increase in market activity in the MP3 downloading field."
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