14 October 2010 : Telkom mobile begins

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SUPERMAN89

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Telkom will take the wraps off its new mobile telecommunications network in just three weeks from now, on 14 October, and in the process launch SA’s fourth cellular operator.
That’s the obvious conclusion to be drawn from an invitation that the JSE-listed telecoms group issued on Tuesday, in which it has invited media and VIPs to an event at Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg.
The invitation is headlined “The time has come — Telkom is stepping into a new era with unlimited possibilities”.
Accompanied by a picture of a rising sun over a lake, the invitation (pictured at top) does not give much detail away.
However, with Telkom having promised to unveil its mobile service before year-end, all indications are that the group is preparing for a mid-October launch.
Telkom SA MD Nombulelo Moholi has indicated previously that Telkom will offer both post-paid and prepaid services, and says the company’s market research has shown it should do well in both segments.
The corporate market, where Telkom is already strong with fixed-line and data services, is likely to be a key focus area for the group. Here, it will be able to cross-sell solutions and offer discounts to big business customers.
Competitors Vodacom, MTN and Cell C will be watching Telkom closely in the next few weeks. They’ll be concerned that the fixed-line incumbent may seek to trigger a price war to gain market share in a mature cellular market.
Moholi told TechCentral in July that Telkom is “responsible” and will not do anything that destroys value for its shareholders. But, she said at the time, “if it’s value-enhancing, we will do it”.
Telkom is also expected to unveil new branding for its mobile offering. The new business will not be called Telkom Mobile, though Moholi has been coy about the name the company has chosen. Perhaps the word “time” in the invitation is a clue.
The company, which will roam on MTN’s second- and third-generation networks outside of its mainly urban coverage areas, is spending about R6bn on infrastructure roll-out. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral
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From TechCentral
 
yes telkom is dumb asses.. instead of investing in cable and sub letting their own infrastructure, NOT THE ONE THE JOE PUBLIC PAID TAXES TO IMPLEMENT SINCE 1980!!!

There is no room for a new cellular operator especially not one that doesn't have a lot of coverage.


That said, I don't think there is ever enough competition.



Why are only the rich bitch companies allowed to provide people with communication and the poor people have no choices other than to pay up or sit with nothing
 
Telkom gateway already has a section in the shop covered with telkom paper,a shop in the shop. Heita I guess
 
KZN is flushed with Telkom Mobile 2G & 3G signals

Imminent said:
yes telkom is dumb asses.. instead of investing in cable and sub letting their own infrastructure, NOT THE ONE THE JOE PUBLIC PAID TAXES TO IMPLEMENT SINCE 1980!!!

There is no room for a new cellular operator especially not one that doesn't have a lot of coverage.


That said, I don't think there is ever enough competition.



Why are only the rich bitch companies allowed to provide people with communication and the poor people have no choices other than to pay up or sit with nothing
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I am only giving credit where credit is due.

I am in Durban on the Ridge.

I travel alot North South & West. I am totally surprised when i do a network search almost everywhere telkom has 2G/3G signal on my mobile phone.

I think this is excellent for an Operator that has not even launched yet.

Remember coverage only expands after launch.

So we in Durban are well taken care of.

Rumour has it that they are planning on network call rates never before seen in SA.

Rumour also has it their On network tariffs are gonna make Cell-C's woza free minutes a joke.

Lets see how far rumours GO.

Data prices are also on the FREE FALL

MTN & VodaCom PLEASE donot reduce tariffs now. ( i fact could you increase data and Voice Tariffs PLEASE ) Keep the Zone & Yebo4Less% Discount going its working well 2.

Milk your loyal & Faithful Customers to DEATH please.

DXL - Team

Telkom & Cell-C are just throwing bones. Leave them to have fun.
 
DXL said:
Rumour has it that they are planning on network call rates never before seen in SA.

Rumour also has it their On network tariffs are gonna make Cell-C's woza free minutes a joke.
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The only reason they would introduce low prices is if the market forces them to. They're not a new entrant so they will get many customers just from pure public ignorance and from cross-selling and leveraging their existing market base and sales infrastructure regardless of price. Apart from the new Cell C promotion, mobile data prices are NOT yet on a "free fall"; all others are still basically charging the usual ridiculous pre-CellC cartel rates and presumably busy anxiously doing a lot of financial (and network) modelling while 'waiting and seeing'. However, Telkom may turn out to be in a spot of trouble on this; they made the decision to invest in this (and evidently slow down on expanding their DSL footprint) at a time before Cell C had introduced mobile data pricing competition ... they wanted a piece of the sky-high-data-prices pie, but with the new Cell C offering (which, granted, is labelled a 'promotion') suddenly all the other companies' offerings look downright lame (and Telkom's will likely too at launch). The TechCentral article indicates they may focus on the corporate market, which may be their way of saying they expect their offering might look a bit lame now, but it does seem a bit curious though considering the way they're going about it (very retail-y with a lame "buzz" style marketing campaign etc.). Mobile call rates are still sky high though, no signs of a price war there, so there is a lot of life left in this market, but on the mobile data front Telkom were probably hoping for a new "easy cash cow" to save them (as SAn telecomms operators love their easy cash cows, they don't know how to "do" competition). There is certainly "room" for four or five or even 7 or 8 mobile cellular operators though, the "no room" myth is bullsh-t propagated by old cartel propaganda; if we do see a price war, Telkom won't die, they'll just have to streamline and learn to be efficient and operate in a competitive market. SAns will be talking on cellphones for a long time to come. If there is no price war, Telkom will just steadily grab a reasonable percentage of the market over a few years, just by leveraging their current size and marketing heavily and playing the "sell feel-good not actual value" card that the others play. LLU is nowhere on the horizon and Neotel the "second network operator" doesn't care about the fixed line market and Telkom would likely get subsidies courtesy of the taxpayer even if it started making a loss so they aren't going anywhere but they're not likely to retain their former status as a huge dominant player, they'll be 'one of a bunch' --- and that's the way it SHOULD BE. Technology and modernisation are globally turning telecomms from "big business" to "not quite so big business", we just haven't caught up yet with that mental paradigm shift.
 
MickeyD said:
Jeez, I would love to read your reply... but PLEASE put some spacers (paragraphs) in there!!
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I was happily reading through Tick's post until my eyes jumped down to your post. Now it feels a bit claustrophobic in there. :)
 
Couple weeks to their big launch, seen the shop today and the "Pink" is surely their colour of their brand.

Today iv seen the service has dropped once again to below 1mb/s on the speedtest. I could't log-in into local website, and boy did my rep drop! Did see a change in recharge,they send you an sms now (WOW) lol
 
They are having their big shindig at Lanseria Airport. I even have a Telkom cell tower 20m from my office (at least I think it is, there is no branding on the 'box' and the installation guys would not tell me if it was MTN or Voda)
 
50c per sms - Flat Rate
(Send 5 messages in 1 day and get 50 free for the rest of the day)
65c heita to landline

That is all i know for now
 
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