Screamer Telecommunications, which is accused using spectrum in the 2,6GHz band without a spectrum licence, has pleaded innocence, with its lawyers arguing on Wednesday that a contract between it and signal distribution company Sentech entitled it to use the spectrum in question and that the real question
Browsing: Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa’s) complaints and compliance committee was meant to hear a complaint laid against Screamer Telecoms this week but has had to postpone the matter until September because its star witness, Sebastian Meyer, who investigated
The dispute over Screamer Telecommunications’ alleged unlawful use of radio frequency spectrum owned by state-owned broadcasting signal distributor Sentech is finally coming to a head, with the complaints and compliance committee of the Independent Communications
“Sentech is dysfunctional.” These were the opening words of a column my colleague Duncan McLeod wrote in September last year. Make no mistake: the state-owned signal distributor was in more trouble
The cash-strapped state-owned signal distributor, Sentech, appears to have cut an illegal deal to sell wireless broadband spectrum that benefited politically connected businessmen, led by Eddie Funde, the controversial former chairman of the SABC who is now South Africa’s ambassador to Germany.
Screamer Telecoms was still using Sentech’s radio frequency spectrum as recently as October 2009, internal Sentech documents leaked to TechCentral have revealed. This is despite the state-owned company cancelling the agreement with Screamer
A former senior Telkom executive, Setumo Mohapi, will be appointed as the new CEO of broadcasting signal distributor Sentech later this month. TechCentral has learnt from a reliable political source that
Sentech’s board has nominated a new CEO to lead the troubled stated-owned company. But it will only be a position to name the individual chosen once cabinet has approved his appointment, probably later this month. That’s the word from Sentech chairman Quraysh Patel
The basic salary paid out to former Sentech CEO Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane more than doubled between 2009 and 2010 — from R1,7m to R3,2m. This is in spite of the company’s steep financial decline over the past year, which has resulted in its auditors
State-owned signal distributor Sentech is in dire straits. A submission from the company’s board to parliament reveals its auditors are concerned about its ability to continue as a going concern. TechCentral is in possession of a strategic presentation the company was supposed to deliver to parliament on Tuesday this week in which it has revealed that its auditing firm — which it doesn’t name — has raised concerns about its financial standing.