655 994 ISDN Users in SA. Cape Times.

[BTTB]

Here is something interesting to ponder.

According to the Cape Times, Business Report, 8th of June 2004, ISDN increased 16.5% to 655 994 users and ADSL increased 661% to 20 000 users. Just looking at this figure one can see why Telkom considers ISDN as it's flagship product. Why should they touch something that is obviously making them a lot of money. By making ADSL attractive they would be chewing at that support base, surely?

"Telkoms profits soars 178% to R4.5bn," but "plans to cut staff numbers by between 7% and 10% per year. This was largely for financial reasons, chief ececutive Sizwe Nxana said yesterday."
However they say they have created an agency for career opportunities in the firm. Not sure how to make sense of that statement. Surely their grammer is confusing here. "In the firm"... I you retrench someone they won't be in the firm anymore.

<b><hr noshade size="1"></b><font size="2"><font color="red"><b>You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.</b></font id="red"></font id="size2">

 

[armitage]

wow how contradictory can you get? were firing ppl but were also creating an agency for career ops??

Well according to the DA telkum has to cut their tarriffs. but how much clout does the DA still have left??? actually i shouldnt be saying that their the first political party that has actually taken a look at the sad state that our telco is in this country, prbly just cause they saw the 655994 potential voters there.


Proud South african rip offs.

 

[James]

But being Telkom, would the DA actually have ANY say in the charge rate. Still can't believe they gonna start firing people. Another Proudly South African Firm, you gotta love it.

There is no peace without war!!!

 

[Gamos]

<Post removed>

 

[mbs]

See my posting on
http://www.myadsl.co.za/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3252

 

[BTTB]

Do we have any say in who they should fire.[]

<b><hr noshade size="1"></b><font size="2"><font color="red"><b>You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.</b></font id="red"></font id="size2">

 

[Dean_Henstock]

Telkom is also owned by and american comapny and when you covert to dollars, you need to make serious money ! and this is what they are going to try and do !

Keep Surfing

 

[mbs]

BTTB:

When somebody is fired, it's usually due to breach of that stipulated in their employment contract. When aspects arise which are not covered in the employment contract, these are considered within the context of overall policy to ascertain whether there has been a policy contravention or not, which then demands the following of due process to either change the policy, or to bring the person in line, which may then lead to dismissal. Other than this, there are encompassing provisions contained within certain statutes which govern the relationship between employer and employee, most notably the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, and the Labour Relations Act.

When it comes to the abortion commonly known as Telkrap/Telscum, the appointment of decision-makers usually falls within one of three determining processes (as with most parastatals), depending on seniority and political positioning of the post: (1) the 'internal' recruitment process, which may or may not be sanctioned by an Exco/Board recruitment committee; (2) the 'external' recruitment process, which is where head-hunting and filtering takes place by means of executive agencies, and where only the Board ultimately sanctions the appointment; and (3) the 'deployment' recruitment process, where parastatal posts are used to deploy those with the right political credentials to ensure delivery within the parameters of Government (a recent example of this is Maria Ramos, now head of Transnet - even though eminently qualified from a non-political viewpoint to do the job, she had to be 'endorsed' as a 'deployment' candidate, the way I see it).

So... unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to assure the firing of the incompetents that run Telkrap, other than to continue making a lot of noise.

However, there is something that will really cause an upheaval and turmoil in their comfort zone: shareholder action. For those of you who hold shares, you have a voice - at the next shareholders' meeting, proxy your shares to somebody with a loud and very 'must-be-heard' voice, who must raise the following questions:

1) What performance agreements are in place to ensure delivery from current management, to assure shareholder interests?
2) What review processes are in place to measure management performance, and provide shareholder comfort of money well spent?
3) What correcting measures are in place to rectify issues of non-performance, to ensure shareholder investment benefit?
4) What external oversight reviews are being conducted to provide shareholder comfort of investment in a responsible corporate citizen?
5) etc...

Personally I don't hold Telkrap shares, and I don't have a very loud voice, so am not available as a candidate...[]

 

[BTTB]

*BUMP*

Refer to this topic where I discuss these figures.
RPM in the news

<b><hr noshade size="1"></b><font size="2"><font color="red"><b>You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.</b></font id="red"></font id="size2">

 

[asmith]

Is that 655 994 users or lines?
How many of these ISDN users actualy use it for internet?
In many cases they are used for PABX's and backups for office WANs.