Telkom’s mobile broadband plans
Details about Telkom’s entrance into the mobile space have started to emerge, indicating that the incumbent fixed line provider will offer both wireless telephony and mobile broadband services.
According to an article published on FMTech Telkom ‘is building a 3G cellular network that will initially be available to consumers in Gauteng and Cape Town.’
FMTech said that while details about the pricing and packages are not available, it can reveal the following details about Telkom’s planned mobile service:
* Fixed voice services: a landline voice service provided over 3G cellular technology (wideband CDMA) which will offer subscribers a fixed geographic number. The technology will be offered as an alternative in areas where cable theft is rife, as well as in underserviced areas.
* Broadband: consumers will be able to buy 3G data packages of up to 10GB/month and get high-speed Internet access wherever there is 3G coverage.
This “fixed-mobile” service will use the same 3G high-speed downlink and uplink packet access (HSxPA) technology that has been deployed by MTN and Vodacom. It is not yet clear what access speeds Telkom will offer — both MTN and Vodacom offer theoretical download speeds of between 1,8Mbit/s and 7,2Mbit/s in their 3G coverage areas.
* Nomadic voice services: consumers will be offered a nongeographic number — much like the numbers offered by the mobile operators — and this service will be available using any handsets able to communicate with 3G/WCDMA networks. This means MTN and Vodacom subscribers will be able to use their 3G phones on Telkom’s wireless network.
Telkom confirmed that it plans to launch its mobile services over the next few weeks, but did not provide any details about these services by the time of publication.
The full article and more details about Telkom’s mobile plans are available on FMTech: http://www.fmtech.co.za/?p=10527
Telkom mobile broadband discussion
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