Interconnection
Thursday, July 1. 2010Dirty tricks of telecoms interconnect laid bare
Vodacom, MTN and Cell C accused of dirty tricks in the local call termination market. Here are the accusations.
Vodacom to Icasa: give us your lunch money, or eat a lawyer sandwich
It takes a certain audacity, not to mention arrogance and long experience, to walk into a public hearing – open to any of your customers who may wander along – and tell the regulator that controls your entire industry to take a hike, because that regulator wants to force you to stop price-gouging your customers. That is pretty much how Vodacom approached the Independent Communications Authority of SA on Monday, and if ever there was proof that money spent on lawyers can be money well spent, this was it.
No wonder they did so badly...
Wednesday, June 23. 2010Resentment over Gourcuff treatment behind implosion
There is a symbolic aspect to the power struggle in the heart of the team and the ills of wider French society. Yoann Gourcuff could be forgiven for thinking the whole world is against him. Having been ignored by many of his team-mates for the past three weeks, France’s mercurial misfit saw his unhappy World Cup come to an end even more prematurely than that of his colleagues when he was sent off for an elbow in the first half against South Africa yesterday. [...] The rift between Gourcuff and several high-profile players, including Nicolas Anelka and Franck Ribery, was the trigger to Les Bleus’ dramatic implosion over the last few days.
Poor Gourcuff. I really hadn't been following this much and just assumed that the French were having a bad run of things because well they are French and temperamental. But for issues of class to be making its way onto the soccer field, that's really not adding to the "beautiful game". And that members of the team would oust Gourcuff based on his social class sets a terrible example for youth (who quite often worship these guys, they are their role models) all over the world. I am disgusted and now even more glad that Bafana Bafana kicked their butts for them.
Internet 'kill switch'
Tuesday, June 22. 2010Obama Internet 'kill switch' proposed
US President Barack Obama would be granted powers to seize control of and even shut down the Internet under a new bill that describes the global Internet as a US "national asset". Local lobby groups and academics have rounded on the plan, saying that, rather than combat terrorists, it would actually do them "the biggest favour ever" by terrorising the rest of the world, which is now heavily reliant on cyberspace. The proposed legislation, introduced into the US Senate by independent senator Joe Lieberman, who is chairman of the US Homeland Security committee, seeks to grant the President broad emergency powers over the Internet in times of national emergency.
PPI Act
Monday, June 21. 2010Protection of Personal Information, marketing and communication
Businesses will have to dramatically rethink their marketing and communication strategies once the Protection of Personal Information (PPI) Bill is enacted into law.
Yay for not being called/called less by telemarketers!
Server hardware revolutionised
Friday, June 18. 2010SeaMicro drops an atom bomb on the server industry
Coming out of stealth, SeaMicro is dispelling the Silicon Valley myth that you can't innovate in hardware anymore. The startup is announcing today it has created a server with 512 Intel Atom chips that gets supercomputer performance but uses 75 percent less power and space than current servers.
Incredible.
More from telecoms
Tuesday, June 15. 2010The Competition Commission will not back down in its investigations into alleged abuse of dominance by Telkom, despite the real possibility of Telkom going to court to stop the commission in its tracks. The commission expects Telkom to argue that it has no jurisdiction over the telecoms sector, a move that will be reminiscent of Telkom's failed court action last year. In 2009, the commission referred five complaints against Telkom to the Competition Tribunal – the country's highest competition authority.
Use Universal Service Funds to Pay for Civil Society Participation in Telecom Regulation
Telecommunications markets are notoriously difficult to regulate effectively. [...] One way that they achieve this is by taking advantage of the regulator’s function of public consultation to provide extensively-researched legal and economic arguments that defend their interests.
New sub cable...
Thursday, June 10. 2010Mega submarine cable to rival Wacs
Yet another undersea cable system is coming to connect SA and other African countries to the global Internet, bringing the promise of an international bandwidth glut and lower broadband prices for consumers and businesses.
In the news: copyright debate and SA spectrum
Wednesday, June 9. 2010Ox Wagons, Trains and Cars: Once upon a time farmers could only get their crops to market on ox wagons. A few of them used their own wagons but it took too long so most of them sold the food they grew to ox wagon owners who themselves could take the produce to market . The farmers often didn't get good prices especially those who were far away from towns. One day someone invented the combustion engine, and people started to make new machines; trains and cars. Trains could carry more food, faster and cheaper than ox-wagons. ...
Icasa under fire over spectrum auction
A top regulatory expert has lambasted the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) over its planned auction of spectrum for wireless broadband services, saying the process is deeply flawed.
September gone in November
Monday, June 7. 2010Telecommunications group Telkom (TKG) on Friday confirmed the exit of its group CEO Reuben September but it provided no details as to why September would be stepping down. The company said September would retire from his position and resign his directorship at the expiry of his contract in November 2010.
Why September lost his job at Telkom
The ongoing poor performance at Telkom’s Multi-Links subsidiary in Nigeria may have been the trigger that group chairman Jeff Molobela needed to engineer the exit of the group’s CEO, Reuben September.
Lots of change...
Its like its from a SciFi movie!
Tuesday, June 1. 2010Tropical Storm Agatha creates giant sinkhole in Guatemala City
Downpours caused by Tropical Storm Agatha have created a giant sinkhole in Guatemala City, while throughout Guatemala officials have reported 120 dead and at least 53 missing.
How freaky is that! It looks photo-shopped but apparently its genuine.
What's the frequency...
Wednesday, May 26. 2010Industry representatives have greeted the Independent Communications Authority of SA's (ICASA's) spectrum auction plans with mixed reviews. One insider described them as “bizarre”, while another said they were at least better than the “beauty contest” first proposed.
Telkom in the news
Wednesday, May 26. 2010Two of Telkom's top executives, Thami Msimango and Naas Fourie, have taken voluntary retrenchment packages that the telecommunications utility has been offering as part of its downsizing exercise.
Telkom probes cable fraud allegations
Telkom has tasked a forensic investigator to look into allegations that high-level management staff colluded with security companies hired to protect Telkom's copper assets.
Lower Telkom tax urged
In what looks like an interim measure for Internet service providers (ISPs), the industry association is calling on the regulator to force Telkom to bring down line rental costs.
Oh wouldn't it be lovely?
Monday, May 17. 2010Bring on 100 Mbps broadband: ICASA Councilor
Local broadband users have been spoilt with mobile broadband speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps, but on the fixed line side maximum ADSL speeds have remained at 4 Mbps for the last few years. Telkom is planning to increase speeds to 10 Mbps in the near future, but according to ICASA Councilor William Stucke we should look towards 100 Mbps or even 1 Gbps connections to the home.
Universal access
Wednesday, April 21. 2010Universal broadband by 2019 – Nyanda
South Africans will have universal access to broadband by 2019, communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda said in his budget speech in parliament on Tuesday. "We have finalised the broadband policy whose vision is to ensure that South Africans have universal access and services to broadband by 2019," Nyanda said. "The benefits accruing from the policy will include the provision of multimedia and e-government throughout the country."
