Scores of South African Internet users are signing up for Sentech's broadband wireless service which was launched in Gauteng in January. A large number of units have been sold so far and applications are pouring in on a daily basis. About 30 new units come on line every day.
Instead of using a traditional telephone line to connect to the Internet, wireless modems connect users over the air at high speed.
Winston Smith, portfolio manager of broadband products at Sentech, says coverage areas are being extended based on demand. "In addition to the areas in Gauteng that are already covered, we are planning MyWireless coverage for areas such as: Bez Valley; Cresta; Linden; Rosebank; Sandton; Sunninghill;
Johannesburg Airport (part of Kempton Park and Edenvale) and Samrand," he says.
Some of the areas that will be covered in Pretoria are: Centurion; Elarduspark; Hennopspark (Includes Eldoraigne) and Littleton while KwaZulu/Natal coverage will be extended to Rockford; Overport; Umlazi and Phoenix.
In the Western Cape, coverage is planned for Blouberg; Cape Town Central; Camps Bay; Sea Point; Cape Town International Airport; Salt River; Wynberg; Goodwood; Newlands; Parow; Milnerton; Durbanville; Tigerberg; Amanda Glen Loevenstein and Constantia.
Sentech has launched MyWireless to its customers in the Western Cape on Thursday 27 May 2004.
Says Smith: "The take-up of MyWireless has been phenomenal and means that South Africans are ready for broadband wireless Internet connections. People who want to receive services can check whether their area or region is covered by using the zone locator on www.sentech.co.za. Our call centre is also ready to assist with technical enquiries and can be contacted on 0860 736 8324."
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Sentech is a commercially operated, state-owned enterprise that began its operations in 1992 under the auspices of the SABC, as a signal distributor for all transmissions related to the SABC.
Sentech provides the following services:
a. Terrestrial broadcasting coverage in analogue format to 98% of SA broadcasters;
b. Satellite distribution for linking both radio and TV transmissions networks through its C-band capacity;
c. Business broadcasting, data casting and interactive distance learning;
d. Fast Internet access;
e.. Broadband services, delivered via both satellite and terrestrial networks.
Sentech's Broadband services first became available in August 2003. The first package, VSTAR Custom, is a satellite-driven broadband service with Internet access as a core offering aimed at the broad business market. Sentech also offers a standard VSTAR Internet product to access the Internet at speeds as high as 512 megabits per second and as low as 128 megabits.
Sentech's latest addition to its broadband wireless product offering is the new Internet service, called MyWireless offered in three packages, starting with MyWireless 128, which offers a shared 128Kbps connection, mainly for residential users, and two higher bandwidth offerings, namely MyWireless 256 and MyWireless 512, aimed at the small office home office (SOHO) and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Sentech has:
a. 207 transmission high sites;
b. 552 TV transmitters;
c. 719 FM transmitters;
d. 16 medium wave transmitters;
e. Over 20 microwave multipoint distribution systems.
The company is also in the process of rolling out the MyWireless network throughout the country.
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