Telkom: where did it all go wrong? (MyBroadband column)

1 - "let go" qualified technicians and replaced them with improperly trained ones
2 - management consists of bean counters and bul****ters, very few technical people
3 - knee-jerk reaction to improvements in technology
4 - far too much BEE
5 - jobs for pals taken to the nth degree
6 - work ethic undermined by adherence to out of date rules
7 - instead of improving the company to take on competition, they go to court to have competition stifled
8 - similarly, use of underhand and illegal tactics to keep work and revenue
9 - no proper plan to supply working alternatives to ongoing copper theft
 
Reading this article just shows how FAR Behind South Africa is in terms of technology.

Such a beautiful country with such bad ICT infastructure, its very sad.
 
chrisc4290 said:
1 - "let go" qualified technicians and replaced them with improperly trained ones
2 - management consists of bean counters and bul****ters, very few technical people
3 - knee-jerk reaction to improvements in technology
4 - far too much BEE
5 - jobs for pals taken to the nth degree
6 - work ethic undermined by adherence to out of date rules
7 - instead of improving the company to take on competition, they go to court to have competition stifled
8 - similarly, use of underhand and illegal tactics to keep work and revenue
9 - no proper plan to supply working alternatives to ongoing copper theft
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You forget hired security firms and Telkom employees stealing more of the copper than anybody else.
 
I really don't know why it is always left out, but the gov controls almost 40% directly, the PIC 10% and the Government Employees Pension Fund has another 10%. So that puts the current gov stake in at almost 60% as far as I am concerned.

The truth is that if its business as usual it is going to take centuries for SA telecoms to meet the rest of the world on value of internet service. Actually never is probably closer to the truth. It is unlikely the gov will step in with radical change, because it makes money from the big players, the small players and you and me. Everybody wants to make as much money as they can and the gov will not change anything, because it makes the most.

You know there are countries out there where major network providers are trying to BS their way into being able to charge a minimal per GB charge. Not because they are not making money and thus have to, but because IF they can get it through they will make more money. There are countries out there where poor people have ftth and pay funny money for uncapped unshaped access (even former communist countries where the transition to privatization was even more difficult).

They can say what they want. They can write it on their forehead and have full symphonic accompaniment. The main reason for the troubles we have is rampant greed from the one institution that should in an ideal world be unbiased in all things to do with the business sector.
 
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Everything the government touches turns to mould. It's very sad :(
 
The Trutherizer said:
I really don't know why it is always left out, but the gov controls almost 40% directly, the PIC 10% and the Government Employees Pension Fund has another 10%. So that puts the current gov stake in at almost 60% as far as I am concerned.
Click to expand...
The PIC handles the GSPF portfolio, hence 10% not 20%.
 
Before case studies are done,research papers published,thesis submitted...one sentence..Management is out of their depth.Finish and klaar!
 
It’s way past time for government to admit that it has failed to achieve its “developmental [highlight]goal” of reducing the cost to communicate and increasing broadband access[/highlight] through its SOEs and parastatals like Telkom.
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I honestly do not believe that the ruling cANCer party ever had such benevolent and noble goals (that was merely the propaganda smokescreen), in reality it was and continues to be about self enrichment of the cANCer's elite.
 
We are still not thinking this through. Why should South Africa's ICT future in any way see Telkom as the main player for connecting everyone? The landscape is changing and ten years from now the ICT structure in thyis country will look very different. Instead of lamenting over Telkom's woes let's look at what CAN be done by other players working together, Neotel, Dark Fibre Africa, Vodacom, MTN in developing national networks. I am excited to see fibre to the home project beginning through players other than Telkom. Come on people. If government cannot be progressive enough to either help telkom move forward or sell their stakes in Telkom then let's support those who, with our support, can do something.

Players like Neotel, Vodacom and MTN need to come up with more affrdable bandwidth pricing so just as they need our support so we need theirs too. It's a two way street. I will venture to say that what is holding South Africa back is not so much the Government and Telkom, but the business sectors (primarily Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, with Neotel not far behind.). A little less greed and placing huige profits into their shareholders pockets and a little more of "Let's build South Africa ICT together will go a far way in getting us to move forward in ICT.
 
j4ck455 said:
I honestly do not believe that the ruling cANCer party ever had such benevolent and noble goals (that was merely the propaganda smokescreen), in reality it was and continues to be about self enrichment of the cANCer's elite.
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Aint that the Truth
 
And one major cock-up: Selling their stake in Vodacom in order to compete with them via Fail.ta! How DAFT was that!!!
 
All of the progress made in South Africa’s telecommunications sector has been fought for tooth and nail by the industry itself. Any advances that were made have been in spite of government’s involvement rather than because of it.
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This is true for most thing going on in our country; with the self serving (and generously enriching in the process) cANCers running rife


brentmin said:
A little less greed and placing huige profits into their shareholders pockets and a little more of "Let's build South Africa ICT together will go a far way in getting us to move forward in ICT.
Click to expand...

+1000
 
brentmin said:
We are still not thinking this through. Why should South Africa's ICT future in any way see Telkom as the main player for connecting everyone? The landscape is changing and ten years from now the ICT structure in thyis country will look very different. Instead of lamenting over Telkom's woes let's look at what CAN be done by other players working together, Neotel, Dark Fibre Africa, Vodacom, MTN in developing national networks. I am excited to see fibre to the home project beginning through players other than Telkom. Come on people. If government cannot be progressive enough to either help telkom move forward or sell their stakes in Telkom then let's support those who, with our support, can do something.

Players like Neotel, Vodacom and MTN need to come up with more affrdable bandwidth pricing so just as they need our support so we need theirs too. It's a two way street. I will venture to say that what is holding South Africa back is not so much the Government and Telkom, but the business sectors (primarily Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, with Neotel not far behind.). A little less greed and placing huige profits into their shareholders pockets and a little more of "Let's build South Africa ICT together will go a far way in getting us to move forward in ICT.
Click to expand...

+10000 - even thou it may be happening slower than everyone would like,,like you said in 10 or so year things will be different.
 
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