40Mbps VDSL trial: MWEB wants in

MWEB wants to take part in a trial of the network upgrades Telkom announced earlier in 2012, to better understand how to offer consumer services using the new infrastructure.

“Telkom has recently informed us that they’re about to start doing a technical proof-of-concept or non-commercial trial and we’d obviously like to be a part of that,” said Derek Hershaw, CEO of MWEB ISP, in a recent interview with technology podcast Let’s Talk Geek.

Hershaw said MWEB has expressed interest in participating in the proof-of-concept so that they can understand exactly how the traffic will flow over the network and how to do traffic management. “And then, how to turn that into a commercial model that makes sense for the consumer,” Hershaw explained.

In March 2012, Telkom announced plans to refresh its network by rolling out 3,700 multi-service access nodes (MSANs) throughout the country, replacing the existing 2,700 older generation cabinets and adding 1,000 to their number.

However, ZTE Mzansi obtained an urgent interdict against Telkom preventing the company from continuing its roll-out claiming that they were unfairly disqualified from the tender.

Telkom opposed this and ZTE South Africa has moved to have the interdict overturned. ZTE South Africa owns a minority stake in ZTE Mzansi.

Related articles

ZTE vs. ZTE Mzansi on Telkom interdict

Telkom high speed broadband network delayed by legal action

Telkom 40Mbps VDSL pilot timeline and locations revealed