Getting closer to the customer
Telecommuting also becomes more feasible, because broadband allows employees to access corporate back-office systems from anywhere, says Alpohnzo Samuels, broadband officer at Telkom.
It also allows families and friends to share experiences live over the internet using a webcam, or create a closed user group to share photos and video clips using website services like FaceBook.
He says Telkom’s vision is to have 850 000 t a million broadband users by 2010. This will give the company a substantial user base to support triple-play services, which include multimedia content such as video on demand and internet protocol TV (IPTV).
To date Telkom has 300 000 users of its fixed-line ADSL broadband service, up from 256 000 at the end f March, Samuels says.
ADSL services are available direct from Telkom or through a number of reseller service providers.
He says ADSL service coverage is mainly in metropolitan areas and large towns, including townships.
Samuels says the average time to install an ADSL line is 17 days, depending on coverage and availability.
“We are required by regulation to install the service of a qualifying customer within 30 working days in areas where there is coverage.”
He says Telkom is monitoring broadband coverage demand through customer feedback and forecasting models.
Today, in SA, ADSL is mainly used for basic internet access, for which the fastest of its services is more than adequate, Samuels says.
But speeds will need to increase as the market starts moving to more bandwidth-hungry applications like video on demand. In preparation for this, Telkom is implementing advanced ADSL+ technology, and has started moving the supporting equipment closer to the customer,” he says.
However, it will require more fibre cables in the ground and it will take time to do this.
Telkom recently set up Telkom Media, to deliver online entertainment-related content to consumers.
Loading ...