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.<\/p>\n
According to an article published on FMTech<\/strong><\/a> Telkom ‘is building a 3G cellular network that will initially be available to consumers in Gauteng and Cape Town.’<\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n * 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.<\/p>\n * 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n * 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.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n The full article and more details about Telkom’s mobile plans are available on FMTech: http:\/\/www.fmtech.co.za\/?p=10527<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n