TechCentral

Nyanda slammed over R68m transport tender

A company partly owned by communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda was allegedly unlawfully awarded a R67,8m tender by the Gauteng roads and transport department, the DA said on Thursday. DA Gauteng corruption spokesman Jack Bloom said GNS Risk Advisory Services, in which Nyanda had 50% share, had benefited from a tender which was not publicly advertised. “This is [...]

TopTV: the full list of channels

On Digital Media on Thursday unveiled its plans to enter SA’s pay-TV market in May, becoming the first company to compete with incumbent operator MultiChoice and its DStv service. This is a full list of the channels the ODM service, known as TopTV, will offer at launch. BASIC Top One Top One is a 24-hour general entertainment channel, [...]

ODM takes the fight to DStv

After four years of planning, On Digital Media (ODM) has finally played its hand. The first alternative pay-TV operator to MultiChoice’s DStv will offer up to 55 channels at launch across several bouquets. The service, which will launch in May and which will be called TopTV, will cost between R99/month and R249/month. TopTV is targeted principally [...]

MWeb throws down gauntlet to rivals

MWeb, part of media group Naspers, has thrown down the gauntlet to its rival in the Internet service provider market, slashing the price of fixed-line broadband, in some cases to as much as 40% below its rivals. The company will offer uncapped ADSL data starting at R219/month for a shaped, 384Kbit/s service; a shaped 4Mbit/s uncapped [...]

MWeb wades into broadband price war

MWeb, a unit of media giant Naspers, has joined the broadband price war in SA, offering aggressively priced uncapped broadband. What follows is a verbatim press release from MWeb. See here for TechCentral’s article. South Africans are today a step closer to being able to use the internet like the rest of the world does as MWEB, [...]

Telkom set to sign roaming deal with MTN

Telkom, which will become SA’s fourth mobile network operator when it launches commercial wireless services later this year, will sign a national roaming agreement with MTN, multiple independent sources have said. The apparent deal means Telkom mobile customers will roam on MTN’s network outside the big urban centres where Telkom hasn’t yet built infrastructure. MTN has beaten [...]

Why operators are learning to share

First came the news that Cell C is planning to sell its national network of base stations to a third-party tower operator. Now MTN SA, looking to cut costs, may begin selling space on its towers to competitors. Why, suddenly, is infrastructure sharing all the rage?

BlackBerry booms as it sheds its corporate suit

SA is one of the fastest-growing markets worldwide for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM). The Canadian company is enjoying growth rates in SA similar to those in some countries in South America, according to co-CEO Jim Balsillie, who was in the country last week to ride the Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour. Sales in SA [...]

Political pressure led to price cuts, says MTN

MTN’s recent reduction in peak-time prepaid call rates was a direct consequence of political pressure. And further price cuts are coming this year. That’s the word from Karel Pienaar (pictured), MD of the mobile group’s SA operation, who says MTN is a “corporate citizen first and foremost and we have to listen to our government”. MTN slashed [...]

Broadband use in SA leaps 50% – new research

New research suggests the number of South Africans using the Internet via broadband connections has leapt 50% in the past year, thanks mainly to fast adoption of wireless broadband technologies. According to World Wide Worx’s Internet Access in SA 2010 study, released on Wednesday, the growth in the use of wireless broadband is mainly a result [...]