Broadband Infraco outlines its plans to compete

[Ping]

	Broadband Infraco outlines its plans to compete Newly established state-owned telecommunications infrastructure provider, Broadband Infraco, will build five points of presence in SAs major centres this year and will begin offering national backhaul connections on its fibre network at speeds ranging from 155Mbit/s to 10Gbit/s. The company, which received a licence from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) in October last year to provide wholesale infrastructure services, has promised to provide an alternative and cheaper national...  Read the rest of this article...

[Tamago]

I've heard a lot about this so-called provider on the blue forum.

Infraco, which was the brainchild of former public enterprises minister Alec Erwin

This is the same chap who has contributed to Eishkom's current demise?

But Smith says the company has no intention of competing in the consumer and business markets

So the consumer loses again... and Telkom continues to smile, by the looks of things.



So let me get this straight, this is a local infrastructure provider? If so, this means nothing as what SA needs is not internal infrastructure, it needs cables connecting it to overseas destinations!

[King Monty]

I think it's bullshit.

They basically got handed existing multi-billion rand infrastructure that was officially earmarked for the Second National Operator (now known as Neotel) - a negation on a deal which pretty much crippled Neotel's ability to compete with Telkom for many years to come. And now they're going to be allowed to compete as a state entity with the private sector who until 3 years ago was not even allowed to dig a cable trench between their own properties?

Competition Commission: clear your desk - I foresee a few anti-competitive claims coming your way soon.

[Prometheus]

When gov sticks its nose into something it's bound to be another f***up.