Several new wireless voice services in the local market now offer a viable alternative to a conventional fixed-line telephone service and include internet connectivity. <\/p>\n
The latest offering is iBurst’s Office In a Box, a small unit that provides PBX, wireless phone handsets, internet access and Wi-Fi functionality for up to eight users and was launched earlier this month. It costs from R578 a month, including the equipment and internet connectivity, plus an installation fee of R1500, and is aimed at small businesses, says iBurst MD Alan Knott-Craig jnr. <\/p>\n
The Wi-Fi function allows users to move around the office with their laptops and remain connected to the service, he says. <\/p>\n
Earlier this year iBurst launched its WebPhone wireless voice and data service for consumers and small businesses. <\/p>\n
He says that the service allows consumers and one-man businesses to connect to the internet and make phone calls over the iBurst wireless network at R199 a month, including the phone handset and modem, and a per-minute call charge, with no installation fee. <\/p>\n
Phone calls cost 10% to 20% less than the conventional fixed-line telephone service for local calls, up to 30% less for national calls, 60% less for international calls and 20% less when phoning a cellular subscriber, he says. <\/p>\n
“Calls made across our network to others using our service are free.” <\/p>\n
In May this year Neotel launched NeoConnect Prime, a CDMA-based wireless service for the consumer market that includes telephony, high-speed broadband internet connectivity at up to 2,4 megabits per second, and SMS functionality, says Mukul Sharma, executive head of Neotel’s consumer business. <\/p>\n
The service costs from R399 to R999 and includes internet connectivity, the equipment, and a bundle of free minutes and SMSs, depending on the package, he says. <\/p>\n
Neotel also recently introduced an entry-level service, NeoConnect Lite, that offers speeds up to 156 kilobits per second and costs from R299 to R469, depending on the data download capacity required. <\/p>\n
Sharma says both services come with a combination desk phone and modem that has a wireless antenna and plugs into the USB port of a PC or laptop. SMSs can be sent and received from the phone itself, which is equipped with a display. <\/p>\n
Primetel recently launched a CDMA-driven voice and data service that is branded WDSL and provides consistent speeds of 4, 8 or 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and even higher depending on the service option, says MD Michael Alter. <\/p>\n
The service takes about two weeks to install and costs R670 per month for the 4Mbps version, which is about 10% more than a 4Mbps fixed-line ADSL service, he says. <\/p>\n
With the 4Mbps option, a 1Mbps portion is allocated to voice communication that is delivered at close to the quality of a conventional fixed line phone service, says Alter. <\/p>\n
“The 4Mbps service will support 40 to 60 simultaneous calls, as well as one to two Mbps for data without degrading the service.” <\/p>\n
“We signed up a customer recently that had been left without a service for eight months due to cable theft.” <\/p>\n
He says they provide coverage in Bryanston, Fourways, Sunninghill, Randburg, Roodeport, Parkwood, Klopperpark, Boksburg, Kempton Park, Edenvale and within a 15km to 2km radius of these locations, and is gradually extending this to other areas nationally. It requires five customers to justify setting up an antenna that provides coverage over a 15km radius. <\/p>\n
“A company was so desperate it signed up for five services and another gathered a group of five businesses together to justify the service,” says Alter. <\/p>\n