Business News Holding

Tag: broadband

  • Arizona-Based Nextiva Expands VoIP Business

    As broadband phone services continue to rise in popularity, regional VoIP providers are finding the means to expand their businesses. Nextiva, a VoIP firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, expects to hire an additional 100 employees by the end of the year. They specialize in providing VoIP for small and mid-sized businesses, two of the largest growth areas in the industry.

    Executives from Nextiva were happy to point out that VoIP is being adopted by even the largest companies in the world, including communications corporations such as AT&T, an idea that seemed complete implausible even a couple of years ago. Nextiva has used that growth to post annual revenues well in the millions of dollars, and currently count thousands of users internationally.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources

    According to Nextiva CIO Joshua Lesavoy, VoIP can save a business as much as 70% off their standard phone service. And since the service includes fax and text messages on top of traditional voice communication, there should be no limit to the potential growth in the sector.

    Nextiva was founded in 2006, and launched their VoIP service two years later. They are owned by UnitedWeb Inc., which is also based in Scottsdale, and earns several other technology companies. And while some communications traditionalists still believe that VoIP cannot be relied on, the quality of commercial broadband services now available means a standard that is well in line with if not better than traditional calling.

    In the past few years, Nextiva has grown from a staff of just a few engineers to more than 165 people, and they even handle their customer service internally with a fully staffed call center. With more than 25 million small businesses currently in existence, chances are this particular small business will grow consistently for years to come.

  • West & Central African Com: Opportunity Abounds as Nigeria Faces "Revolution" in Broadband Deployment


    VIDEO INTERVIEW: Lanre Ajayi, managing director of PINET Informatics and president of the Nigerian Internet Group, was interviewed at the recent West & Central African Com conference held in Abuja, Nigeria.

    He talks about the changes coming in broadband and the need for businesses to position themselves for the opportunities they will bring.

    Ajayi said these will include opportunities in terms of applications, e-business, e-commerce and e-government.

  • West & Central African Com: Market "Hungry" for Internet and Access to Real-Time Information


    VIDEO INTERVIEW: Robert Aouad, CEO of Isocel Telecom, was interviewed at the recent West & Central African Com conference held in Abuja, Nigeria. He talks about the prospects for, and handicaps to, growth of the broadband market in Benin, where Isocel forecasts it will be providing Internet connections to 50% of the population by 2010.

  • Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009: South Africa to Allocate WiMax This Month

    Paris Mashile, chairman of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), has said that WiMax spectrum in the country will be allocated within 30 days with operators getting 30 MHz each.

    ICASA published its final decision on the awarding of radio frequency spectrum. The document included the selection process of suitable companies, how much spectrum should be allocated to each operator and whether licences will be awarded to national or regional players.

    On the question of how the remaining WiMax spectrum will be dished out, ICASA decided to allocate 30MHz per operator on a technology-neutral basis, and stipulated that six additional national licences will be issued in the 2.5GHz band.

    This decision drew sharp criticism from various industry players, including Neotel. It was argued that limited spectrum not only increases the cost of providing WiMax services, but also limits the speeds which can be offered to end users.

    Neotel’s CTO, Angus Hay, said: “Neotel is of the opinion that it would not be possible to operate a WiMax wireless access network at maximum efficiency, and pass on benefits if operators are each awarded only 20MHz of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band.”

    “In particular, this spectrum limit places a limit on the transmission speed possible, which is one of the key benefits of a technology like WiMax to the end customer. Neotel therefore shares the view of many WiMax experts that 30MHz per operator (a re-use factor of 3, with 10MHz per sector, three sectors per base station) is the least required for an operator to build a network to deliver true broadband services to the customer.”

    ICASA Chairman Paris Mashile recently indicated that the process for licensing the sought after 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum – typically referred to as WiMax spectrum – will be announced towards the end of July. Speaking to Biz-News Mashile, was non-committal as to the exact date, “ We have 30 days to announce, remember we are not only dealing with WiMax but all the scarce resources,” he said.

    Mashile provided insight into what is contained in this document, which includes that the spectrum will be technology neutral, that there will be a 30% HDI requirement and that spectrum will initially be handed out on a beauty contest model followed by a spectrum auction.

    The first document regarding the awarding of radio frequency spectrum states that a company to which spectrum will be allocated must be minimum 51% black owned with an emphasis on woman in line with broad based BEE. This was widely criticized by industry, and the 30% HDI requirement is likely to be welcomed by industry as a more sensible criteria.

  • Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009: Conference Starts

    The 1st Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009 Conference opened yesterday in Cape Town Convention Centre with over 60 delegates in attendance.

    By all measures, Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009 is proving to be a great success.

    The conference has attracted delegates across the globe, which gives a fair representation of the industry players. Speaking to Biz-News, Debbie Tagg, Managing Director for Terrapinn, the event organizers, said, "We are happy with market response despite the economic challenges companies are facing world wide".

    The conference opened with presentations focusing on the economic benefits of developed broadband system across the world with a special focus on Africa.

    Delegates and speakers agreed that access to affordable high-speed Internet and mobile phone service are key to economic growth and job creation in developing countries, Africa in particular.

    The conference speakers agreed that for every 10 percentage-point increase in high-speed Internet connections there is an increase in economic growth of 1.3 percentage points.

    Internet users in developing countries increased tenfold from 2000 to 2007, and there are now over four billion mobile phone subscribers in developing countries.

    Most of the participants lamented the unfavourable regulatory environment that hampers the use of technologies. These technologies offer tremendous opportunities. Governments can work with the private sector to accelerate rollout of broadband networks, and to extend access to low-income consumers.

    So far, mobile platform has been identified as the single most powerful way to reach and deliver public and private services to hundreds of millions of people in remote and rural areas across the developing world.

    Commenting on the deliberations, George Finger, ICT Specialist at Development Bank of Southern Africa said that broadband provides the basis for local information technology (IT) services industries, which create youth employment, increase productivity, and exports, and promote social inclusion.

    "Access to broadband completes the information foundation for a modern economy and should be a priority in national development plans", said George.

    "Governments can play a key role in expanding broadband access by policies and incentives that encourage competition and private investment", he concluded.

  • Demand for VoIP Solutions Likely to Rise with Spread of Satellite Broadband Technology


    VoIP solutions are likely to benefit from more people around the world seeking to access the internet using satellite technology, according to research from Global Industry Analysts.

    The technology has been tipped as a possible way to provide broadband services in more remote, rural communities where it will be much more difficult to deploy conventional broadband infrastructure.

    The analysts said this could mean that web users have better use of VoIP solutions and are able to access high-speed downloads many miles from the nearest telephone exchange.

    The study said: "The satellite broadband’s capability to extend unique services such as rural telephony, e-distance learning and telemedicine services is enticing the prospective market participants in a major way."

    It added that the value of the satellite broadband market could reach nearly GBP £4 billion within six years if the interest and subsequent take-up continues to grow.

  • NextGenTel Buys Tele2 Norge Broadband/VoIP Operations


    Norway’s second largest broadband supplier, NextGenTel, has bought the broadband and VOIP business of Tele2 Norway.

    The deal will strengthen NextGenTel’s position in the Norwegian market by adding 97,000 broadband subscriptions – of these 23,000 are VOIP subscriptions.

    It also brings with it technical assets and key supplier contracts.

    A subsidiary of TeliaSonera, NextGenTel is to pay NOK 100 million (approx. USD $15.5 million) for the business, cash and debt free.

    The acquisition requires the approval of the Norwegian Competition Authority.

    But once completed, NextGenTel’s market share on the ADSL market will increase from 15 per cent to approximately 22 per cent.

    Håkan Dahlström, president of broadband services at TeliaSonera, said that both the Tele2 national network and the customers’ equipment will be easily integrated with NextGenTel’s network.

    He said Tele2’s broadband and VOIP business is an attractive asset that will strengthen NextGenTel’s position in the Norwegian market.

    "The increased customer base will also result in improved capacity utilization of the network," he said.

  • Epix Network Offers HD Movie Streaming Service


    Epix plans to offer full-length HD movies over the Internet using a dynamic-streaming feature from Akamai Technologies’ content-distribution network.

    The movie service, created by Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate, previously said it was launching as a broadband-video service in May, followed by the linear cable channel in October.

    Akamai will provide the dynamic-streaming feature through Adobe Flash Media Server 3.5.

    This allows video playback to adapt to the capabilities of users’ computers – adjusting the bit rate of the video stream according to processor speeds and Internet connections.

    Epix chief digital officer, Emil Rensing, said it intends to provide new releases, catalog titles and original content over a variety of platforms, including TV, computers and mobile devices.

    Epix has not announced carriage agreements with pay-TV providers.

    "The Epix model of commercial-free, uninterrupted current Hollywood movies will set a new online content bar," he said.

    "Akamai’s dynamic streaming solution enables us to be one of the first to provide the accessibility, quality and convenience which today’s digital consumers desire."

    Epix’s titles are expected to include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Cloverfield, Defiance, Drillbit Taylor, The Duchess, How She Move, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Iron Man.

    The service will also have the rights to all 17 remastered James Bond movies, as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

    Akamai and Adobe expect the solution to be commercially available before the end of June.

  • Virgin Tests 200Mb Broadband, Plans To Boost HD Channels


    Virgin Media has just begun a broadband customer pilot to test real-world deployment of 200 Mbps speeds – making it the fastest implementation of Docsis 3.0 technology in the world.

    Services offered in Japan and the US currently reach 160 Mbps and 101 Mbps respectively.

    Through the pilot, Virgin Media will be testing applications consumers may be using regularly in the future, including entertainment services using HD and 3D TV and broadband content.

    Virgin said the pilot will be running for at least six months before results are analysed to understand potential consumer usage and to assess the commercial viability of such ultrafast services.

    A significant part of the pilot will also involve assessing related in-home technologies.

    In a separate announcement, the UK digital cable TV operator said it plans to add up to five new HD channels this year to keep pace with growing demand for high-def programming.

    Virgin Media, which just announced first quarter net losses of GBP £154m, said it is in discussions with a number of HD programmers.

    Currently the operator only carries a single linear high definition service, BBC HD, but offers further HD content solely on an on-demand basis.

    It has added 270 hours of HD material to its VOD system.

    Virgin said that 611,900 customers – 17 per cent of its digital TV subscriber base – currently take the V+ high definition PVR. This is up from 521,500 at the end of December.

    The need to beef up its HD content should be a priority.

    Virgin rival, BSkyB, last week announced it added 80,000 net new subs for its Jan-Mar trading and saw HD premium subscribers to its 32-channels of HDTV pass the 1m mark.

    Virgin Media’s total revenue in Q1 2009 was down to GBP £935.7m, compared with GBP £948.5m for the same period a year earlier. Its net loss widened to GBP £154m, from £104m.

    In its first quarter results announcement, Virgin said: "We are working to ensure our TV service stays ahead of changes in consumer behaviour.

    "We expect to increase our High Definition content steadily to complement our existing linear and on-demand line-up.

    "We are currently negotiating with several broadcasters with a view to launching at least five new HD channels in the third quarter of 2009."

  • ADVERTORIAL: Record-breaking Attendance Expected At East Africa Com


    More than 600 telco leaders are due to attend East Africa’s premier learning and networking event which gets underway on Wednesday.

    East Africa Com is a two-day, multi-streamed conference with a 40+ stand networking exhibition.

    The conference is the only event to represent the East African region and evolved from the highly successful GSM>3G World Series.

    Any biz-news subscribers taking the opportunity to reserve last-minute tickets will receive a 25 per cent discount (details below).

    Among the speaker panel of 37 are 19 operator CxOs and ministers, including:

    • Raed Haddidin, Commercial Director, East Africa Region, Zain Group
    • Michael Joseph, CEO, Safaricom, Kenya Peter Reinartz, Deputy-CEO,
    • Orange Telkom Kenya Tushar Maheshwari, CCO, Warid Telecom Uganda Ali
    • Bin Jarsh, CEO, Canar Telecom Sudan Noel Herrity, Director General,
    • Zantel, Tanzania Nkateko Nyoka, Chief Officer: Regulatory and
    • Government Relations, Vodacom Group Shiletsi Makhofane, Acting Chief
    • Executive Officer, Africa Online Holdings Deng Malok, Managing
    • Director, Bilpam Telecommunications Co. Ltd, Sudan Charles J.K
    • Njoroge, Director-General, Communications Commission of Kenya Joe
    • Kimani, CEO, Flashcom, Kenya

    Part of the Com World Series, the conference reflects the changing mobile communications market, where previously well defined boundaries between wireless and fixed technologies and providers are becoming increasingly blurred.

    The organisers, Informa Telecoms & Media, say that broadening the remit allowed attendees to benefit from a more all-encompassing prospective whilst still delivering focused, actionable and incisive intelligence.

    "Moreover, our technology agnostic stance embraces the global nature of the changes the market is experiencing but is careful to apply it specifically to our markets to allow a 360 degree view of the future landscape within the distinct territories in which we operate," according to the organisers.

    Among the innovations this year are:

    • New Keynote sessions, by popular demand, extra plenary speakers on the
    • morning and closing afternoon – your chance to hear directly from even more C-
    • level speakers
    • More interactive sessions: more engaging panels, Q+A and industry debate to
    • ensure the most productive use of your time
    • New topics: convergence, broadband strategies, value-added services backed
    • by our in-depth analysis
    • More of the region’s telecommunications ecosystem represented; more ISPs,
    • more fixed and wireless operators, more CxOs, all under one roof for you to
    • meet and do business with

    To take advantage of the biz-news subscriber discount, email [email protected] and quote "Biz News" for your 25 per cent discount off the ticket price.

    Conference details:
    East Africa Com
    1 – 2 April 2009
    Nairobi, Kenya
    www.comworldseries.com/eafrica

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    Other dates for your diary:
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    West & Central Africa Com 17-18 June 2009 – Abuja, Nigeria

    North Africa Com 27-28 October 2009 – Cairo, Egypt

    Africa Com – 18-19 November 2009 – Cape Town, South Africa

    View all ComWorldSeries 2008 events