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Tag: neotel

  • Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009: Neotel Showcases CDMA 2000


    Neotel showcased and demonstrated various telecommunication products for the African market at Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009, the continent’s flagship Wireless broadband event held recently.

    The key technology showcased at this event was the CDMA2000 1x-EvDO and is the most widely deployed of the global 3G standards today.

    According to Chief technology Officer at Neotel, Dr. Angus Hay, the new technology has been well received by the market and offer faster internet
    connection better than other technologies on the market in South Africa.

    "This technology is faster than the ADSL it’s reliable and offers total solutions to connectivity," he said.

    The CDMA 2000 1 offers a smooth migration path from basic voice to high-speed internet through EV-DO, offering peak data speeds of 2.4 megabits
    per second (average data speeds 400-600 kilobits per second).

    CDMA2000 1x-EvDO provides a satisfactory customer experience for all standard internet usage, including sending/receiving emails, browsing the internet,
    and downloading content as well as applications.

    According to Dr Hay, Neotel plans to continue delivering leading-edge technology to suit the editorneeds of its customers, and its choice of the CDMA2000 1x-EvDO technology reflects this principle.

    Evolutions of CDMA2000 1x-EvDO technology are already in the pipe-line, with EV-DO Rev A offering peak 3.1 megabits per second, EV-DO Rev B in the near future which will deliver peak speeds in the region of 15 megabits per second and EV-DO Rev C in the longer term, which will deliver peak speeds of over 70 megabits per second.

    Dr. Hay also emphasized that the laying of fibre cable which is set to cover a distance of 5 000km, connecting major centres across South Africa is proceeding earnestly will be complete by 2010.

    The optic fibre network will provide Neotel, Vodacom and MTN with almost infinite bandwidth capacity to carry more information – voice and data – at
    higher speeds over greater distances using far less power than copper cables.

    The deployment of high-speed, quality voice and data transmission is of importance for the industry to remain competitive.

    Neotel is South Africa’s first converged Telecommunications network operator that aims to reduce the cost of doing business by enhancing the operational
    efficiencies of companies through the optimal use of advanced communications technologies.

  • 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.