Overhauling Telkom
All that stakeholders know is that part of Telkom’s R30bn capital expenditure over the next five years will be spent on overhauling its current service and replacing it with a next generation network that will allow the fixed line operator to send its voice and data traffic across a single Internet protocol (IP) platform.
Just precisely when Telkom will begin offering its much hyped "triple play" services – a bundle of voice telephony, broadband and TV – hasn’t been disclosed.
Taking Telkom CE Papi Molotsane at his word, anxious customers won’t have to wait longer than 2008. If regulatory constraints don’t stand in its way, Telkom’s IP TV offering could be available in SA as early as mid-2007.
Speaking on the periphery of Telkom’s recent AGM, Molotsane said that Telkom had so far made considerable progress in its bid to overhaul the legacy network. "As part of our strategy to stay competitive we’ve so far overhauled more than 50% of our network.
In partnership with Alcatel we’ve made some progress with our IP TV trial runs and have since applied for a broadcasting licence that will allow us to offer IP TV on a commercial basis."
However, Molotsane used the occasion to take a thinly veiled dig at municipalities that were now encroaching on Telkom’s dominance in its traditional fixed line domain. "They should stick to delivery of social services and leave the telecoms business to us."
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