Telkom 'over-caters' for Confed Cup

By Candice Jones for Telkom
Johannesburg, 03 Jun 2009

The completion of Telkom's commitment to Fifa is only being held back by the construction of the remaining stadia, it says.

The company's national co-ordinator for the 2010 project office, Simon Masoko, says it has completed all additions to its core next-generation network (NGN) that will cater to Fifa's needs and additional capacity expected over the network.

He says, while the access network, linking the completed stadia to the core network, is complete, those buildings still under construction will be linked when finalised. “Aside from waiting for those buildings to be built, our connectivity is ready to go.”

Telkom accelerated the implementation of its NGN over the last year to make sure it would be available for the Confederations Cup this year and, in turn, for the Soccer World Cup next year.

The utility is responsible for the entire national backbone for 2010, including connectivity between stadiums and the international broadcasting centre, in Johannesburg. Sentech is expected to provide the satellite backup for Telkom's fibre NGN.

The company was expected to provide 10GB protected connections to the stadia for the Confederations Cup and 20GB for the World Cup. “We have over-catered in this regard. We currently have 20GB protected to and from each of the stadiums,” adds Masoko.

Enough for mobile

The last few weeks have seen the mobile operators under scrutiny over their ability to handle the incoming capacity for the World Cup.

The mobile networks' current service levels are under question, following a spate of consumer complaints, which the Independent Communications Authority of SA said pointed to capacity trouble.

However, the mobile networks say they too will have the capacity to handle the influx of tourists expected for the soccer extravaganza. The operators also noted that many of the issues experienced by customers could be traced back to Telkom.

However, Telkom says it has factored in an increase in users for both fixed-line and mobile access. The company adds that it has taken steps to ensure the right level of capacity is in place.

“We have ensured the additional capacity on our networks will be there for both Fifa and our customers,” says Masoko.

All the operators are busy laying their own networks and may no longer lease backhaul from Telkom by the time the World Cup rolls around. However, in the meantime, Telkom says the service level agreement should sustain them for the Confederations Cup.

Phone home

International connectivity is also a concern, since many tourists will want to access their own networks and services.

While the upgrade of the Telkom-hosted SAT3/WASC/SAFE cable system is still under way, Masoko says the company is confident enough capacity is currently available for the Confederations Cup. “The upgraded service will be ready in time for 2010,” he adds.

International capacity will be bolstered by the landing of Seacom, expected to be operational by the end of this month. Several other undersea cables are in the pipeline; however, it is still unclear as to whether they will be operational in time for the World Cup event.

The 2010 Local Organising Committee says it has worked closely with all the telecoms providers and is confident everything is in place.