There is a certain irony in the fact that at the same time that our cellphone companies are announcing dramatic cuts to both their data and call rates in what appears to be a price war, we are also confronted by announcements on proposed tie-ups that, if concluded, will reduce competition in the sector. The irony is no coincidence. Cell C’s effort to win market
Browsing: AT&T
A shake-up of the telecommunications landscape in Africa may be in the offing after US giant AT&T said in an interview with Bloomberg that it was interested in acquiring UK-listed Vodafone. AT&T said, though, that it was not interested in acquiring Vodafone’s operations in emerging markets, but only its
In a move that will be seen as a boost for Telkom’s mobile operator, 8ta, the US Federal Communications Commission has given AT&T permission to purchase spectrum in a key frequency band in which the telecommunications giant wants to deploy next-generation wireless broadband. AT&T has
Government first raised the idea of a deal between Telkom and Korea’s KT Corp. So, last week’s decision by cabinet not to support the transaction comes as a surprise and a setback for the JSE-listed company and raises serious concerns for shareholders and
Telkom should be structurally separated into two businesses, wholesale and retail, to facilitate greater competition in SA’s telecommunications industry, says new Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow communications minister Marian Shinn. Speaking to TechCentral in her first wide-ranging media interview
American telecoms firms are clamouring for more wireless spectrum. Hence the interest in LightSquared, a firm which had hoovered up a chunk of airwaves formerly used by satellite operators. It planned to build a high-speed terrestrial network and rent it out to others. But on 14 February, America’s
Telkom came out guns blazing at Competition Tribunal hearings this week, warning that if it were fined the maximum allowed for alleged anticompetitive behaviour last decade, its business could be put in jeopardy. Does the fixed-line operator have a point or is it all just grandstanding? In its closing
MTN SA chief financial officer Zunaid Bulbulia came to the telecommunications industry almost by accident. It was December 1993 and Bulbulia, the son of a shoe salesman, was doing his articles for his CA degree at a Johannesburg accounting firm when he was asked by one of the firm’s senior
Years after complaints were first lodged, Telkom is finally being called to answer to charges that it abused its monopoly in the telecommunications industry. It could face a huge fine. But the foreign shareholders responsible for the excesses are gone. When SBC
Beginning next Monday, the Competition Tribunal will hear wide-ranging case against Telkom for alleged anticompetitive behavior that could see it fined as much as R3,5bn if found guilty. The case stems from an investigation conducted by the Competition Commission in 2004