Duncan McLeod is founder and managing editor of TechCentral. With more than 30 years of experience in technology journalism, he has worked for and contributed to a range of publications, including the Financial Mail, the Sunday Times and the Financial Times.
European satellite operator SES has signed a 15-year contract with Platco Digital, the company controlled by Hosken Consolidated Investments through subsidiary Sabido Investments that plans to launch a free-to-air satellite bouquet in South Africa in October called OpenView HD
The average measured speed of Internet connections in South Africa has improved by 16% in the past year, new research from Akamai suggests. However, the country is placed a dismal 80th worldwide, well behind top-ranked countries such as Korea and Japan. According to
Platco Digital, the company planning to launch a free-to-air satellite television service, has entered into partnerships with a range of companies, including satellite providers, set-top box distributors, major retailers and broadcasters as it gears up to launch the OpenView HD service in South Africa October
Vodacom is selling more than a thousand of its base stations in Tanzania to tower operator Helios in a deal worth about US$75m, according to a UK media report. This is the first time that Vodacom has sold tower infrastructure to a third party, the Financial Times newspaper reported at the weekend. Its South African
Reductions in mobile termination rates, the fees operators charge each other to carry calls between their networks, has had a direct impact on the retail price of prepaid telephony in South Africa, but tariffs are still far higher than elsewhere in Africa and further big cuts are needed
South Africa is taking concrete steps towards introducing digital radio broadcasts using a standard known as DAB+, with a trial planned for 2014. The move will usher in greater competition in the radio sector, with digital eventually likely to replace the familiar FM and AM dials. Radio broadcasters
Mobile operator Cell C has held discussions with Telkom about opportunities to consolidate South Africa’s mobile phone industry, CEO Alan Knott-Craig revealed in a radio interview on Thursday (full audio transcript below). In response to a question from Talk Radio 702 host Stephen Grootes about whether
The Competition Tribunal has given “formal confirmation” to the settlement agreement reached between the Competition Commission and Telkom, the telecommunications operator said on Thursday. The agreement has been made an order of the tribunal, Telkom said. “This agreement
South Africa is too small a market to accommodate four mobile operators, Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig told journalists on Wednesday. Replying at a media conference to a question from TechCentral, Knott-Craig said: “I think it’s too late for four. Maybe [it made sense] five or seven years ago [but] after 20
Cell C has relaunched Red Bull Mobile, its mobile partnership with energy-drinks company Red Bull, offering a new product plan aimed at the youth market through a dramatically improved footprint of retail stores. The partnership was signed three years ago, but Cell C chief commercial officer
