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Government wants to drastically reduce broadband cost (http://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/14474/government-wants-to-drastically-reduce-broadband-cost/)
Government wants to drastically reduce the cost of broadband through the introduction of more competition into the tightly regulated market says Communications Minister Dina Pule. Opening the ICT Indaba Africa Conference in Cape Town on Monday, Pule said most of more (http://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/14474/government-wants-to-drastically-reduce-broadband-cost/)
dominic
05-06-2012, 06:41 AM
//mmmmm....should be less quotation marks around in that article
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 06:43 AM
//mmmmm....should be less quotation marks around in that article
straight from the horse's mouth! :p
buyeye
05-06-2012, 06:48 AM
No mention of fixed line costs:cry:
jasweb
05-06-2012, 07:00 AM
Less talk, more action please!
License LTE ASAP, get digital TV rolling and let the competition BEGIN...
The_Librarian
05-06-2012, 07:19 AM
Less talk, more action please!
License LTE ASAP, get digital TV rolling and let the competition BEGIN...
...not to mention keeping grubby little oinkerfingers out of the pie!!!
Xzib1t
05-06-2012, 07:26 AM
Its like they know what to say, but can't seem to deliver?
While at the same time drastically increasing the cost of electricity, water, rates, etc.
theJonster
05-06-2012, 07:39 AM
blah blah blah blah - that's all i hear when goveeern-ment speaks
TimTDP
05-06-2012, 07:50 AM
blah blah blah blah - that's all i hear when goveeern-ment speaks
+100
dominic
05-06-2012, 08:04 AM
straight from the horse's mouth! :p
preferred end to speak from....
I am actually very heartened by the couple of lines of the speech which were relevant to SA
@buyeye: fixed costs are an issue but my view is that they are not as much of an issue as mobile data costs...
Randux
05-06-2012, 08:07 AM
Make press statements when you've done some actual work minister
Government wants to drastically reduce broadband cost (http://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/14474/government-wants-to-drastically-reduce-broadband-cost/)
Government wants to drastically reduce the cost of broadband through the introduction of more competition into the tightly regulated market says Communications Minister Dina Pule. Opening the ICT Indaba Africa Conference in Cape Town on Monday, Pule said most of*more (http://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/14474/government-wants-to-drastically-reduce-broadband-cost/)
Gee whiz, it's about time - we haven't heard a cabinet minister talk about reducing broadband costs for at least three months ... :)
This as the government interferes with the KT deal, which appeared to have a real potential for dropping costs.
Inevitability
05-06-2012, 08:14 AM
Off topic a bit, but how can 42 million people be using mobile phones?? Our poulation is 50m, and in the last census we had about 30% of the population under the age of 14 (and we can expect about half of those to be below the age of 7).
Are we then saying that 100% of people in SA above the age of 7 has a mobile phone????
:confused:
Off topic a bit, but how can 42 million people be using mobile phones?? Our poulation is 50m, and in the last census we had about 30% of the population under the age of 14 (and we can expect about half of those to be below the age of 7).
Are we then saying that 100% of people in SA above the age of 7 has a mobile phone????
:confused:
They're probably counting all activated SIM cards. Remember many people have more than one phone, there are all those cell modems, and lots of car tracking devices, alarms, prepaid electricity meters, etc, all on the cellphone networks.
Sl8er
05-06-2012, 09:52 AM
...not to mention keeping grubby little oinkerfingers out of the pie!!!
We all know government officials are spawned from "government official" eggs. These critters are born with their fingers in the pie. :o
Sl8er
05-06-2012, 09:54 AM
Gee whiz, it's about time - we haven't heard a cabinet minister talk about reducing broadband costs for at least three months ... :)
Didn't you know that they have this marked in their calendars? Every three months there's a note reminding them to blow some hot air about this. It's just a reminder to talk ***...that's where it ends. :p
The Trutherizer
05-06-2012, 10:01 AM
Oh now I understand.. That's why Telkom is going into the cellular business against all common sense. The gov wants to user their strategic ASSet (Telkom) to push mobile broadband! Sigh...
eshwar
05-06-2012, 11:12 AM
Na I think, competition is not the solution here. case in point - Neotel, Cell C and Virgin mobile. They have helped but not fully.
I would rather approach it from a regulation perspective. Basically setting a maximum rate that the networks can charge for a given service e.g. R 10 for 100MB maximum. Other thing, if they moved their sorry slow asses on LTE, etc, then we could have a nice Open Access Network where everyone's costs come down. Its not entirely fair to expect the full saving to come from the network operator's side. I think its quite nice and convenient where one company builds the towers and so on and the various users get a stake in it. Its really that simple
evilstebunny
05-06-2012, 12:51 PM
We all know the solution, and we all know why it hasn't happened yet ..
Government has been protecting Telkom's monopoly despite calls to the contrary for how many years now?
Its like the joke of Zuma actively fighting corruption .. to get rid of corruption, you have to get rid of the corrupt .. not entrench them.
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 12:54 PM
We all know the solution, and we all know why it hasn't happened yet ..
Government has been protecting Telkom's monopoly despite calls to the contrary for how many years now?
DoC and ICASA are busy with LLU but, notably, the mobile operators cried foul when they were hauled into the LLU debate. The Minister has now changed tack and looks like she is aiming for them AS WELL.
The Trutherizer
05-06-2012, 01:07 PM
DoC and ICASA are busy with LLU but, notably, the mobile operators cried foul when they were hauled into the LLU debate. The Minister has now changed tack and looks like she is aiming for them AS WELL.
I remember this. The problem is of course that there are many silo'd private networks that sprung up all over the place, because this farce has been going on so long. Do you know what the norm is for wireless networks in developed countries? Do the companies share infrastructure?
Mouse
05-06-2012, 01:26 PM
We all know the solution, and we all know why it hasn't happened yet ..
Government has been protecting Telkom's monopoly despite calls to the contrary for how many years now?
Its like the joke of Zuma actively fighting corruption .. to get rid of corruption, you have to get rid of the corrupt .. not entrench them.
+1
Step one should be that govt sells its stake in Telkom.
She said the reduction would be made through a licensing process, during which government would identify capable internet service providers (ISPs) that would make use of radio frequency spectrum to push broadband prices lower.
So that would just be Afrihost and MWeb?
Na I think, competition is not the solution here. case in point - Neotel, Cell C and Virgin mobile. They have helped but not fully.
Are you kidding? HAve you not seen the massive price reduction in the last few years due to competition, maybe one phrase will jog your memory "uncapped is not sustainable".
What really needs to happen is government needs to get out of the Telecoms game and concentrate on regulating it ONLY. You can't be the player and the ref... If they starting selling of Telkom shares and using that same money to create incentives for ALL operators to roll out networks (focussing on the wholesale guys) as well as forcing Telkom to separate the wholesale and retail devisions officially I think we would be fine. In fact I think getting VC and MTN to separate wholesale from retail could be pretty good too...
We all know the solution, and we all know why it hasn't happened yet ..
Government has been protecting Telkom's monopoly despite calls to the contrary for how many years now?
Its like the joke of Zuma actively fighting corruption .. to get rid of corruption, you have to get rid of the corrupt .. not entrench them.
j4ck455
05-06-2012, 04:34 PM
She said the reduction would be made through a licensing process, during which government would identify capable internet service providers (ISPs) that would make use of radio frequency spectrum to push broadband prices lower.
So Telkom does not have to lower ADSL line rentals?
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 04:58 PM
So Telkom does not have to lower ADSL line rentals?
I think her comments were referring to wireless services as they are already busy with the wireline services.
TheGuy
05-06-2012, 05:07 PM
Would approving the KT deal not have been a good start?
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 05:08 PM
Would approving the KT deal not have been a good start?
That's the confusing part...
Rands
05-06-2012, 06:21 PM
Would approving the KT deal not have been a good start?
KT didn't offer enough bribes....err... Consultants fees, so the deal was cancelled
Mr.CookieMonster
05-06-2012, 06:40 PM
I hope they do, I fear LTE will be R500 for 1GB of LTE data
ponder
05-06-2012, 07:11 PM
What really needs to happen is government needs to get out of the Telecoms game and concentrate on regulating it ONLY.
I would prefer a deregulated market.
I would prefer a deregulated market.
I don't know about that, it could open they way for some major problems, VC and MTN with deep pockets can run "promotions" until the competition go bankrupt, that would be the worry. That and people blocking spectrum from others. So agree there is too much regulation and it is too complicated, but don't agree that there should be none.
Point was more that you can't be objective about the rules if you are also a player.
zamicro
05-06-2012, 08:58 PM
I am just worried about the part where government will identify who is a capable isp...
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 08:59 PM
I am just worried about the part where government will identify who is a capable isp...
one guess who?
j4ck455
05-06-2012, 09:15 PM
I think her comments were referring to wireless services as they are already busy with the wireline services.
They?
According to the following article, Telkom wants to increase the price of what will be the entry level ADSL service:
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/adsl/51661-telkom-adsl-pricing-surprise.html
I don't see how increasing the price of entry level ADSL is in line with Dinosaurus Pule's latest propaganda.
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 09:20 PM
They?
According to the following article, Telkom wants to increase the price of what will be the entry level ADSL service:
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/adsl/51661-telkom-adsl-pricing-surprise.html
I don't see how increasing the price of entry level ADSL is in line with Dinosaurus Pule's latest propaganda.
I disagree. The R10 is on the wholesale price to ISPs who have obviously taken advantage of the discounted wholesale price of the ADSL rental and used it to attract customers. Sad to say but the ISPs should absorb this R10 cost and not pass it on to their customers.
It only applies to customers who get an all-inclusive package from their ISP, which is a small minority of the total ADSL base.
j4ck455
05-06-2012, 09:33 PM
I disagree. The R10 is on the wholesale price to ISPs who have obviously taken advantage of the discounted wholesale price of the ADSL rental and used it to attract customers. Sad to say but the ISPs should absorb this R10 cost and not pass it on to their customers.
It only applies to customers who get an all-inclusive package from their ISP, which is a small minority of the total ADSL base.
Very well, but TelkomInternet is also an ADSL ISP and the same price increase must then be applied to TelkomInternet as well (and not passed on to TelkomInternet customers).
BTW, who was the "they" you referred to earlier? I suspected you meant they = ICASA (LLU) but was not comfortable making such an assumption.
MickeyD
05-06-2012, 09:40 PM
Very well, but TelkomInternet is also an ADSL ISP and the same price increase must then be applied to TelkomInternet as well (and not passed on to TelkomInternet customers).
Telkom ISP does not offer ADSL rental. You have to go via Telkom for that.
BTW, who was the "they" you referred to earlier? I suspected you meant they = ICASA (LLU) but was not comfortable making such an assumption.
I was referring to the LLU hearings and ongoing investigations in access line deficits, etc..
j4ck455
06-06-2012, 05:46 AM
Telkom ISP does not offer ADSL rental. You have to go via Telkom for that.
What about those packages where TelkomInternet wants people to get closer to Telkom, or are those not TelkomInternet at all? From my perspective the lines between Telkom and TelkomInternet are extremely blurred, the best thing that could be done by the authorities (Competition Tribunal and ICASA) is to split Telkom up into wholesale and force a selloff of all retail entities/interests.
Telkom ISP does not offer ADSL rental. You have to go via Telkom for that.
Telkom Do bundles, who exactly do they fall under? They essentially offer a discount rate including ADSL line rental.