Browsing: Duncan McLeod

In between another crazy news week and TechCentral deputy editor Candice Jones winging her way off to the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, we’ve managed to squeeze in another episode of TalkCentral, TechCentral’s weekly business technology podcast.

It’s here three days later than usual (thanks to a crazy newsday last Friday), but the latest episode of SA’s business technology podcast, TalkCentral, is now ready for download. In this week’s packed show, hosted by Duncan McLeod and Candice Jones, we talk about — yup, you guessed it — Telkom’s launch of 8ta, SA’s fourth mobile operator

State-owned Sentech is reviving plans to build a national broadband network. It wants a second chance and is promising to do things differently this time. However, as much as Sentech’s heart is in the right place, government must not allow it.

Episode 11 of TalkCentral, SA’s business technology podcast, is now available for download or audio streaming. This week your hosts Candice Jones and Duncan McLeod talk about the imminent launch of Telkom’s mobile offerings and its “Heita” marketing campaign.

Wondering what all the Heita branding is about? It’s all pointing to a teaser campaign by Telkom ahead of the launch of its mobile network next week. But can the fixed-line operator really take on the cellphone incumbents at their own game?

We’re back. Yes, after a three-week break — during which time TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod went adventuring in the Namibian sand dunes — SA’s business technology podcast, TalkCentral, is back for its 10th episode. And there’s plenty to talk about this week.

In the past month, news has emerged of plans to build yet more high-capacity undersea cables to wire up Africa. With the continent about to be awash in bandwidth, attention needs to shift to bringing broadband to consumers.

Events conspired against us and we missed last week’s TalkCentral recording. But we’re back with a bumper episode 9 of SA’s business technology podcast, and there’s plenty to talk about. Your hosts, Duncan McLeod and Candice Jones, delve in detail into Cell C’s launch of its broadband wireless network and look at how it’s taking the fight to bigger rivals MTN and Vodacom.

South Africans are a cynical lot. When it comes to telecommunications, that cynicism is often justified. Too often, SA operators are big on promises and short on delivery. But Cell C’s new strategy may indeed shake up SA broadband. Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt is a dynamic and colourful character. His colleagues at the cellular network operator say he works harder than anyone they’ve met, often pulling stints late into the night and insisting that his team be available to work similarly long hours.

Sentech is dysfunctional. That’s the gloomy picture painted by the state-owned company’s board in a presentation it was meant to give to parliament last week. But the company was prevented from delivering the presentation, entitled “Strategic Plan 2010 – 2011” because it failed to supply supporting documentation, needed by members of parliament ahead of time, before the scheduled meeting.