Telkom’s fixed-line broadband network is getting faster, but so far only for some consumers.
The JSE-listed telecommunications company announced on Wednesday that some users of its digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband service would enjoy an increase in line speeds to up to 10Mbit/s, from the fastest 4Mbit/s now.
But Telkom hasn’t spelt out where the service will be offered and when. Until now, the company’s DSL products have been available in three varieties: 384kbit, 512kbit/s and 4Mbit/s.
“Speeds of up to 10Mbit/s, up from 4Mbit/s available in September 2009, have been installed in selected exchanges,” Telkom says in notes accompanying its annual financial results, published on Monday.
Selected gated communities will also “receive the full benefit of this enhanced, 10Mbit/s DSL service”.
At the same time, Telkom says it is making “every effort to increase the bandwidth available to our customers and are currently negotiating a triple-play partnership in order to provide our customers with enhanced content”.
But subscribers to Telkom’s Internet service provider, Telkom Internet, will be disappointed that the company still hasn’t reacted to aggressive price moves in the DSL market in recent months. In the past year, per-gigabyte prices have fallen dramatically, and some service providers have introduced uncapped offerings at relatively affordable prices.
Telkom says it is “aggressively promoting its broadband packages through focusing our efforts on particular customer groupings and up-selling higher-end broadband packages which offer substantial value”.
It says it has also put in “maximum effort to promote entry-level DSL packages with competitive pricing”. — Staff reporter, TechCentral
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