iBurst ‘under new management’
iBurst recently announced that Jannie van Zyl has been appointed as the new WBS/iBurst Group CEO. Van Zyl will head up all of WBS/iBurst’s operations which include iBurst South Africa and Broadlink.
A new company structure was also announced, which includes Van Zyl taking over from previous iBurst MD Alan Knott-Craig Jnr. who resigned in March. Ian Halliday becomes iBurst SA MD while the previous WBS CEO Thami Mtshali is now WBS’s executive chairman.
The new management structure at iBurst became effective today which means that Van Zyl and Halliday are now officially tasked with ensuring that iBurst is competitive in a fast changing telecoms market.
The iBurst network
According to Van Zyl iBurst is one of the very few network operators who fully own and operate its own network.
The iBurst wireless network consists of more than 250 towers countrywide serving around 80,000 subscribers. These towers are interconnected via carrier-grade microwave rings (for redundancy) and the same microwave backhaul network is also used to provide backhaul services to around 300 business clients.
“The microwave rings in Gauteng are, in turn, interconnected via a fibre ring. Plans are underway to roll out similar fiber rings in the other major centers. We can also provide fibre services directly to our customers,” said Van Zyl.
iBurst is approaching completion of phase 1 of its mobile WiMax network which will be a similar size as the iBurst Wireless network, making it the largest WiMax network in South Africa. “This network is now going into production and is already serving around 100 customers, both on broadband and assured services,” said Van Zyl.
“We expect the uptake of the WiMax services to accelerate rapidly as we bring all the towers online and marketing and sales kick in. CPE availability was a bit scarce in the past but this is now resolved.”
“We also have our own satellite capabilities (using our own spectrum) and are serving a number of customers via this medium. International connectivity is via third parties and Seacom will become part of this mix.”
The new iBurst CEO says that iBurst is a fully fledged network operator and uniquely positioned in South Africa to play in the new, liberalized telecoms space.
“We’re not the size of the big boys, but we have a more complete offering and much better agility. On the other hand we are not one of the hundreds of new startups, and are already well established with a market share of just under 10%. This positioning will be fully utilised to drive the strategy going forward,” Van Zyl said.
The way forward
iBurst is however facing challenges in the form of increasing competition, delivering high quality services to consumers and ensuring that back end systems – and specifically billing systems and customer support – do not let the company down.
The broadband provider has often come under fire from subscribers for consistent billing problems and shoddy customer service. This is something which Van Zyl seems to be well aware of and will actively address.
Van Zyl said the initial focus will fall on two major areas:
–The delivery of a world-class ERP/CRM system which will clear up billing and support issues and allow for more agility in adapting to customer demands
— New products aimed at both the consumer and business markets
Better billing, customer service and network performance
Van Zyl expects the first phase of the new ERP and CRM systems to be rolled out within 6 weeks after which “customers will start seeing the benefits of the new system.”
iBurst has also initiated a customer quality measurement program to “get a proper feel for how customers experience the network”.
“This will be used as a base to ensure customer service levels are at the expected levels, especially with regards to network performance,” said Van Zyl. “MyBroadband forum members can send their test results to Shaun Green in the iBurst sub-forum.”
New products
Van Zyl said that consumers can expect new products aimed at both the consumer and business markets.
“Obviously I’m not going to divulge a lot on our ideas but as the MyBroadband forum knows, I love to hear any great ideas and will implement any such product that makes sense. Shaun Green already asked for feedback, so better get it in if you want to have your say,” Van Zyl told MyBroadband.
Van Zyl asked consumers to give the new management team a chance and that they should not expect fireworks in the next few weeks. “We will first focus on getting the basics right,” said Van Zyl.
“But then expect to hear a lot from iBurst as we drive forward with a range of innovative offerings for our customers. iBurst Business will formally launch this month and more information on its services will be available at that time.”
“It’s a very exciting time at iBurst and I’m extremely positive about the changes coming and the new areas we will be entering,” Van Zyl concluded.
New iBurst management – give your views
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