Andre Wills | Contributor | ITWeb

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Calling for service neutrality regulation

The convergence colloquium has come and gone, and now the real work begins. However, technology neutrality should not be the top concern.

Competitive bundling

While telecommunications bundling is becoming the norm in global competitive markets, SA is sadly lagging behind and losing out on an important service benchmark.

Satellite Internet access makes an impact

Local surfers always gripe about how slow their Internet access is, but satellite Internet access solves that problem by broadcasting your requested content directly to your PC.

Scoring a first

Being first to market generally allows an organisation to tie up the market and exploit its dominant status, but for Iridium scoring a first has become a double-edged sword.

Third cell operator can make it happen

Despite phenomenal growth of existing cellular operators, there is still significant growth left in the South African mobile market, which is expected double in size by 2004.

Tough times for Telkom

Telkom is facing ever-stronger competition from cellular operators, with increasingly more people opting for mobility and the cellular operators' easier and quicker connection services.

Third cell licence is on its way

After a long wait, the government, through SATRA, will this week issue the invitation to bid for one cellular licence. Dialtone examines the interesting challenges facing likely bidders and existing cellular operators. [PULL QUOTE] "SATRA has indicated that it will evaluate the economic viability of a fourth cellular licence in July 2001."

The cellular licence plot thickens

One or two? The issue of additional cellular licences is still up for debate, particularly since KPMG declared that the SA cellular market could only support one additional licence. SATRA has also begun talking about issueing "up to" two cellular licences.

Year 2000: Who will foot the bill?

Predictions indicate that come year 2000, most African countries and parts of Asia will be affected by disruptions in vital telecommunications services. This could prove disastrous for fragile economies.

Number portability: A double-edged sword

Local cell phone users could score if SA follows the UK's example and institutes cellular number portability. This would enable subscribers to keep their number when switching from one network to another

The window of opportunity

'International Internet telephony' are words that seem to strike fear into fixed line operators, especially those enjoying a monopoly market. However, do these operators need to fear they are going to see a massive migration of their international traffic from their networks to the Internet? Alternatively, is there a defined window of opportunity in which international Internet voice traffic will grow?

A wireless solution

We have seen tremendous development in wireless solutions for a host of applications ranging from wireless data through to wireless local loop. Telkom has awarded some R2 billion in WLL DECT tenders over the past year.