South Africa`s broadband industry is likely to become increasingly dominated by mobile and wireless technologies such as WiMax and 3G as service providers and operators look to reach a larger segment of the market with always-on Internet access offerings.
Consumers will eventually be able choose between a range of wireless voice and data solutions ranging from fixed-lines from Telkom and the second national operator (SNO), through to WiMax (a metropolitan area wireless network standard), WiFi and cellular technologies.
Broadband wireless technologies allow operators to roll-out broadband Internet services quickly in areas where there isn`t a large enough market to justify the costs of laying down copper or fibre. Fixed operators are rolling out technologies such as WiMax, while mobile operators such as MTN and Vodacom have deployed technologies such as EDGE and 3G to provide customers with high-speed wireless data access that supports services such as fast Internet access and streaming audio and video.
For example, Vodacom recently launched Video SMS where the user can send or receive up to 30 seconds (300KB) of high-quality video for 80c.
Welcome options
Consumers are already benefiting from choice. No longer is Telkom the only company that can provide a broadband connection.
Mark Taylor, MD, Nashua Mobile.
Consumers are already benefiting from choice. No longer is Telkom the only company that can provide a broadband connection. Other options such as Sentech and iBurst have come to market to compete.
Telkom is already piloting WiMax, as are a number of other operators and service providers in Africa. Since one WiMax base station can cover a large area in a city or town, the technology is a promising way for operators in developing countries to ramp up the roll-out of broadband Internet services in areas where there is little or no fixed-line infrastructure.
South Africa`s WiFi market is also showing healthy growth as business users and international travellers start to rely on hotspots at airports, upmarket shopping malls and hotels to keep in touch. However, WiFi will benefit only wealthier consumers in urban areas until wide-area technologies such as WiMax are more widely available to provide backhaul connectivity to the Internet.
Broadband wireless is having a knock-on effect in other segments of SA`s telecom market, particularly the cellular industry. Vodacom, MTN and Cell C have all aggressively slashed the price of their data services in recent months.
More price cuts can be expected in the months to come, but the operators are also on record as saying that valued-added services will be as important to compete as the costs of their service. GPRS is widely available in SA, and penetration of EDGE and 3G is rapidly increasing.
For now, cellular data is most attractive as a supplementary connection for mobile workers, particularly when access point name technology is linked with GPRS to provide a secure, dedicated connection to the corporate network.
However, in time mobile operators may be able to package their data services as an alternative to other broadband offerings.
Collision ahead
In the short-term, mobile operators, fixed-line operators and Internet service providers may be on a collision course, but over time the lines between broadband wireless, cellular and fixed-line markets will blur.
Major players such as fixed-line operators, Internet service providers, cellular service providers and cellular operators will most likely partner to give customers simple access to a bundle of converged products (for example, a bundle that offers WiFi, GPRS, WiMax and fixed-line Internet access for mobile workers).
South Africa`s broadband industry still has a long road ahead of it. Delays in licensing the SNO have given Telkom time to consolidate its position in key corporate accounts and to build up cash-reserves that it can use to undermine its eventual rival in the fixed-line market.
According to a recent report from Genesis Analytics, Telkom`s control over most of SA`s international bandwidth has hamstrung the country`s telecom industry. Internet service providers carrying voice over Internet Protocol traffic need to buy international bandwidth from Telkom while most hotspot operators have to buy backhaul connectivity from the operator, which puts high mark-ups on its international bandwidth.
It will be some time before the SNO has the international links it needs to compete with Telkom in this area. Indeed, the SNO will probably need to buy bandwidth from Telkom until it builds up sufficient capacity of its own. That means international bandwidth will remain expensive in SA for some time.
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