Getting set for a wireless war
TELKOM WILL LAUNCH its 3G mobile data network to take on Vodacom and MTN next month. The service will have coverage initially in the Johannesburg/Pretoria areas and will expand to Cape Town and Durban by March 2009 if all goes according to plan.
Telkom group executive for network infrastructure provisioning Marius Mostert says it’s in the process of rolling out a wide band CDMA (the technology that powers 3G) network to complement its existing fixed ADSL service and fixed wireless WiMax services. Its WCDMA network will be compatible with the existing 3G networks, so people who have already bought 3G modems will be able to use them on Telkom’s network by simply buying a SIM card.
Mostert says while it would be possible to offer mobile voice services on the network, Telkom’s shareholder agreement with Vodacom prevents it from doing that. Instead it will be using it to provide fixed voice services and mobile data services.
Apart from offering a mobile data service, Mostert says Telkom will use its new network to provide voice services in areas where continuous cable theft has made it uneconomical to replace its fixed infrastructure. He adds thousands of its customers are affected by cable theft. The network will also deliver services to under-serviced areas.
Telkom has been positioning itself to compete in the mobile market once its inevitable divorce from cellular operator Vodacom comes through. By going the 3G route it’s able to deploy a network at a considerably lower cost than would be the case if it had to build a conventional cellular and a 3G network as well. That strategy isn’t without precedent. In Britain cellular operator 3 runs a similar 3G-only network, although it’s using it for mobile voice as well as data solutions.
Mostert adds the 3G network wasn’t Telkom’s only project aimed at improving access technologies. He says Telkom is investigating technologies that would enable it to deliver fibre optic to the home. He says that technology is essential for the next generation of broadband services, such as video on demand and IP-TV, because using copper cables or wireless had limitations in terms of the amount of data it could transmit.
Finweek
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