kaspaas
27-11-2003, 05:05 PM
Remark by Kaspaas:
The proof is in eating the pudding.
1) Will this be a quality service?
2) Will this force Telkom to offer beter priced Internet Access products?
We will see by June 2004 [;)]
<b>Wireless internet hits SA in January</b>
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=24146
Johannesburg, South Africa
27 November 2003 16:14
A new fixed-cost wireless broadband internet service will be launched on January next year. In just six weeks, South African internet users will be able to connect at high speed to the internet without a physical telephone-line connection.
Sentech on Thursday announced plans to deploy the new services, starting in Gauteng, followed by Durban and Cape Town. Sentech is the state-owned but commercially run TV and radio signal distributor and is licensed to carry the traffic for local and international telecommunications operators, including audio, data and video.
The new portable wireless broadband internet service, called MyWireless, will be offered as three packages -- 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 and small- to medium-sized enterprises.
"Simply, MyWireless is an internet service whereby users are able to send and receive data at high speeds over the air," says Winston Smith, portfolio manager of Sentech's wireless broadband products.
Until now, the primary medium for internet connections has been through fixed-lined networks run by Telkom.
"Wireless broadband traffic is routed over our secure, world-standard high-powered radio networks. We have transmitters on several high sites and users with a Sentech wireless modem within range of these zones are able to hook up to the internet and do anything from send and receive e-mail to visit their favourite websites," says Smith.
MyWireless offers a shared internet connection that is centrally managed to ensure a good quality of service to the end user. And there is no capping of traffic -- users can send and receive as much data as they like without having to pay any additional charges.
Sentech's initial broadband internet package will be a bundled service comprising a Sentech modem or PCMCIA wireless card, a connection and unlimited internet access for a fixed monthly fee. The modems can be attached to virtually any desktop or notebook computer.
MyWireless pricing is good news for consumers -- at an all-inclusive R649 a month for the 128Kbps service, R849 per month for the 256Kbps and R1 449 for the 512 product, this is apparently the most cost-effective internet connection on offer. A one-off activation fee of R500 is payable when purchasing any of the products.
It's important to make the distinction between broadband wireless and other wireless technologies like wi-fi (wireless fidelity) and general packet radio services (GPRS).
Smith explains: "Wi-fi is an unregulated, short-range application with a small hotspot footprint that requires a connection to an internet access technology in order to allow the end user to surf the web or use e-mail. By contrast MyWireless broadband transmitters have a 3km to 5km radius in metropolitan areas and up to 20km in certain topologies from the base station, providing a hot zone of internet access directly to all the users in the coverage area.
"They are, however, complimentary technologies and a Sentech broadband wireless connection can terminate in a wi-fi hot spot.
"GPRS is a data service offered over cellular networks but its high usage charges make it quite expensive for a primary access connection and its maximum speed is relatively slow for large file downloads."
Data traffic on the Sentech broadband wireless network is monitored and delivered more efficiently through the organisation's sophisticated network operations centre. -- I-Net Bridge
South Africa needs World Class Broadband at World Competitive Prices.
The proof is in eating the pudding.
1) Will this be a quality service?
2) Will this force Telkom to offer beter priced Internet Access products?
We will see by June 2004 [;)]
<b>Wireless internet hits SA in January</b>
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=24146
Johannesburg, South Africa
27 November 2003 16:14
A new fixed-cost wireless broadband internet service will be launched on January next year. In just six weeks, South African internet users will be able to connect at high speed to the internet without a physical telephone-line connection.
Sentech on Thursday announced plans to deploy the new services, starting in Gauteng, followed by Durban and Cape Town. Sentech is the state-owned but commercially run TV and radio signal distributor and is licensed to carry the traffic for local and international telecommunications operators, including audio, data and video.
The new portable wireless broadband internet service, called MyWireless, will be offered as three packages -- 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 and small- to medium-sized enterprises.
"Simply, MyWireless is an internet service whereby users are able to send and receive data at high speeds over the air," says Winston Smith, portfolio manager of Sentech's wireless broadband products.
Until now, the primary medium for internet connections has been through fixed-lined networks run by Telkom.
"Wireless broadband traffic is routed over our secure, world-standard high-powered radio networks. We have transmitters on several high sites and users with a Sentech wireless modem within range of these zones are able to hook up to the internet and do anything from send and receive e-mail to visit their favourite websites," says Smith.
MyWireless offers a shared internet connection that is centrally managed to ensure a good quality of service to the end user. And there is no capping of traffic -- users can send and receive as much data as they like without having to pay any additional charges.
Sentech's initial broadband internet package will be a bundled service comprising a Sentech modem or PCMCIA wireless card, a connection and unlimited internet access for a fixed monthly fee. The modems can be attached to virtually any desktop or notebook computer.
MyWireless pricing is good news for consumers -- at an all-inclusive R649 a month for the 128Kbps service, R849 per month for the 256Kbps and R1 449 for the 512 product, this is apparently the most cost-effective internet connection on offer. A one-off activation fee of R500 is payable when purchasing any of the products.
It's important to make the distinction between broadband wireless and other wireless technologies like wi-fi (wireless fidelity) and general packet radio services (GPRS).
Smith explains: "Wi-fi is an unregulated, short-range application with a small hotspot footprint that requires a connection to an internet access technology in order to allow the end user to surf the web or use e-mail. By contrast MyWireless broadband transmitters have a 3km to 5km radius in metropolitan areas and up to 20km in certain topologies from the base station, providing a hot zone of internet access directly to all the users in the coverage area.
"They are, however, complimentary technologies and a Sentech broadband wireless connection can terminate in a wi-fi hot spot.
"GPRS is a data service offered over cellular networks but its high usage charges make it quite expensive for a primary access connection and its maximum speed is relatively slow for large file downloads."
Data traffic on the Sentech broadband wireless network is monitored and delivered more efficiently through the organisation's sophisticated network operations centre. -- I-Net Bridge
South Africa needs World Class Broadband at World Competitive Prices.