Vodacom WiMax here early 2008
Speaking at the company’s recent interim results presentation, Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig said that Vodacom is set to launch WiMax in March 2008.
Its WiMax offerings will initially be available as an ADSL replacement technology, complementing Vodacom’s current HSDPA mobile broadband offering.
Vodacom is building their WiMax network ‘on behalf’ of WBS who is in possession of a WiMax license.
Vodacom Chief Operating Officer Pieter Uys said that the company is currently trialing equipment from various vendors and will soon start to roll out a full mobile WiMax (802.16e) network.
Uys said that the larger metro-poles will be targeted and the initial aim is to set up a few hundred WiMax base stations in these regions.
Vodacom’s aggressive broadband drive, which encompasses both HSDPA and now WiMax, will put strain on the company’s transmission network. To alleviate this pressure the company is investing in its own fiber network, something Vodacom says is progressing well.
Knott-Craig said that as of November 15, 2007, 23 km of their planned ‘self provisioning of fiber rings’ has been completed.
The Vodacom CEO also said that the company is progressing well with its converged solutions developments.
Through the newly formed Vodacom Converged Solutions – which will be integrated into Vodacom South Africa – it will provide converged network services, managed hosting services, mobile and application services.
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