{"id":549323,"date":"2006-06-27T10:28:54","date_gmt":"2006-06-27T10:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/wordpress\/technology\/549323-wireless-broadband-the-solution.html"},"modified":"2006-06-27T10:28:54","modified_gmt":"2006-06-27T10:28:54","slug":"wireless-broadband-the-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/technology\/549323-wireless-broadband-the-solution.html","title":{"rendered":"Wireless Broadband The Solution?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ewan Sutherland, former director of INTUG, noted that wireless broadband technologies appeared to be the way forward for South Africa. In the same way that mobile phones are eating into the fixed-line telephony market Sutherland sees similarities with the data market.<\/font> <\/p>\n

Just like the fixed-line telephony, users are increasingly forced to move over to wireless offerings as Telkom are unable or unwilling to meet their communication needs.<\/font> <\/p>\n

In many areas Telkom is no longer installing fixed lines as they have deemed it to be unprofitable. There are also areas where it may be profitable for Telkom but the incumbent is simply unable to keep up with demand.<\/font> <\/p>\n

The combination of these factors means that wireless broadband connections are becoming a very popular alternative for those who can afford them. So what are some of the challenges that these providers face?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Local Wireless Environment<\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n

The big challenge in the South African environment is to bring prices down. Wireless providers are forced to compete with the cheaper ADSL services offered by Telkom. Unlike overseas subscribers wireless connections are often the primary means of connecting. <\/font><\/p>\n

In many international telecoms environments a fixed line broadband connection is standard while wireless offerings are often purchased as a complimentary mobile solution. In the local environment the high cost of ADSL means that users have to make a choice between either getting ADSL or opting for a wireless service.<\/font> <\/p>\n

International Wireless Environment<\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n

But there are also global trends which influence the local wireless market. According to IDC researcher Scott Ellison, wireless providers who can juggle the short-term and long-term changes in the market are the ones tipped to be successful.<\/font> <\/p>\n

"The service providers that will succeed in 2006 and beyond are those that can successfully address near-term demands while adapting to the rapidly emerging dynamics of service provider competition," said Ellison.<\/font> <\/p>\n

Wireless providers overseas will have to face the challenge of providing content like music, TV and learn to accommodate different markets like children whilst still keeping abreast of the rapid developments in technology.<\/font> <\/p>\n

"Hand in hand with new opportunities like TV, music, and child wireless subscribers are new complexities like WiMAX, IMS (IP multimedia subsystem), demands of business customers for solutions to meet their needs, and the retail market model of MVNOs (mobile virtual network operator)," notes Scott Ellison, program director, Wireless and Mobile Communications.<\/font> <\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s wireless broadband providers are currently investigating opportunities to provide content. But as Brian Seligmann, senior manager for data services at MTN, noted providing these services will require changes in the industry. For example mobile TV demands that content are filmed specifically with smaller screens in mind.<\/font> <\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s Current Wireless Broadband Status<\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n

South Africa has managed to remain at the forefront when adopting new technologies. Vodacom and MTN have featured as the forerunners of HSDPA in Africa and the world. As this market grows and wireless providers get a bigger piece of the overall broadband market share it will become increasingly important for them to keep ahead of the pack.<\/font> <\/p>\n

The competition in this market is one of the most important factors spurring this innovation. This competition is also what makes wireless broadband in South Africa sustainable as each provider strives to provide an affordable service that will encourage mass uptake.<\/font> <\/p>\n

Discuss this article<\/font><\/a> <\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wireless broadband services have been touted as the saviour of the South African broadband industry but what are the global challenges facing these companies?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-549323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549323\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}