Following the introduction of MTN Banking, a joint venture between MTN Group and Standard Bank, more than 20-million cellphone users will now be a phone call away from a MobileMoney account. The venture takes a revolutionary approach and builds a mobile bank that primarily resides on a SIM card.
The Communication Workers’ Union on Thursday welcomed the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa) public hearings aimed at regulating the subsidisation of cellphone handsets. Addressing the Icasa panel, Cell C and MTN representatives said they support the removal of subsidies.
Listed telecommunications group Telkom’s response to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa) findings on ADSL is a mixed bag, with the operator calling for another look into a specific area it describes as "flawed" findings.
While the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other entities welcomed Telkom’s announcement to reduce tariffs as a "good sign", they said that the fixed-line monopoly’s proposed tariffs remain high by international standards.
While the statutory Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is poised to introduce a framework that will yield lower cellphone tariffs, Cell C this month hiked tariffs and MTN and Vodacom are likely to follow suit on August 1, it emerged this week.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa’s) discussion document on cellphone pricing — due for release on Monday — will also deal with the call-centre industry which the regulator describes as part of its renewed policy imperative.
The naming of the R900-million Gautrain rapid rail’s winning bidder by Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa remains on hold until further notice as the government’s three-way team continues to mull over the finer details, it emerged on Thursday.
South Africa’s only listed mobile telecommunications operator, MTN Group, had a 45% rise in its adjusted headline earnings per share for the full year ended March 2005 to 366,6 cents, from an adjusted Heps of 253,1 cents reported in 2004, the group said on Thursday. Its subscriber base grew by 50% to 14,3-million in six countries.
Shares in telecommunications group Telkom rose to a lifetime high of R119 per share on Monday after the firm announced its financial results for the year ended March 2005. Telkom reported a 53% rise in basic earnings per share to 1241,8 cents, from last year’s 812 cents.
Dual-listed IT solutions firm Dimension Data on Tuesday announced its arrival into the Nigerian market by opening offices in Lagos and Abuja. "The Nigerian government will continue to encourage the partnership between the private sector in South Africa and Nigeria," said Nigerian Vice-President Nigeria Atiku Abubakar.