Advanced Television

south africa

ICASA to cut telco carriage rates

South Africa’s telecoms regulator ICASA wants to cut the fees telcos charge each other to carry calls between their networks. ICASA says these charges should be cut by 50 per cent. ICASA’s notice published in the Government Gazette on March 22nd that it wants mobile termination rates slashed from 9c/minute today (13c for smaller operators) […]

March 25, 2024By Chris Forrester

SABC staff threaten strike

South Africa’s SABC public broadcaster has its staff deadlocked in what are long running pay negotiations. The powerful Communication Workers Union (CWU) is now threatening a full blown strike. SABC and CWU have been talking since July 2023 about a pay rise. SABC offered 6 per cent, which was accepted by the CWU but the […]

March 22, 2024By Chris Forrester

CMC Networks takes action on South Africa internet outages

CMC Networks, a global Tier 1 service provider, has added Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite connectivity to its portfolio of solutions. This multi-orbit approach addresses the diverse connectivity needs of remote regions and challenging environments across Africa and the Middle East, removing the limits on digital transformation. […]

March 19, 2024

South Africa hit by Internet outage

Last week saw multiple cable breaks around Africa which badly affected broadband connectivity for much of Africa but especially for South Africa which is the most commercially important nation. According to Microsoft, four undersea cables off the coast of Abidjan and the Cote d’Ivoire were severed and the breaks caused by “seismic activity”. These are […]

March 18, 2024By Chris Forrester

Avanti appoints van Rooyen as Sales Director

Avanti Communications has announced the appointment of Chris van Rooyen as its new Sales Director. The industry veteran will support the company’s growing footprint in South Africa. Avanti opened its first African office in South Africa in 2018 and is now focussed on creating more local employment opportunities across the country. Gamze Aydin, Senior Vice […]

March 14, 2024

MultiChoice’s DStv raising prices

South African pay-TV operator DStv will raise its subscription fees for South Africa-based subscribers on April 1st, and admits they rises are higher than in previous years. DStv is sweetening the pill a little by saying that clients who take out a 24-month contract will not face any further rises for the length of the […]

February 21, 2024By Chris Forrester

SABC hit by internal scandal

South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC has seen three executives resign or be suspended with allegations of being involved in a “secret” contract which gave them a profit share related to the launch of SABC+. SABC COO Ian Plaatjes, group executive for video entertainment Merlin Naicker, and group executive for sales Reginald Nxumalo, allegedly concealed a […]

February 15, 2024By Chris Forrester

Starlink disconnects South Africa users

A Mozambique-based company, Starsat Africa, has reportedly been supplying Starlink equipment into South Africa. These ‘grey market’ cross-border supplies and active in South Africa have now been disconnected. The reason, says SpaceX, is for unauthorised reselling but might have more to do with not upsetting South Africa’s licensing authorities. Mozambique has licensed Starlink. The official […]

February 15, 2024By Chris Forrester

SABC complains over transmission costs

South Africa’s public broadcaster, SABC, is taking the country’s transmission operator Sentech to the Competition Tribunal, alleging excessive pricing and anti-competitive actions. Doris Tshepe, head of the country’s Competition Commission, told MPs that a commission-led effort to mediate between the parties had failed. The MPs on the country’s Committee on Communications & Digital Technologies heard […]

February 9, 2024By Chris Forrester

Starlink cuts prices in South Africa

SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services is officially not allowed in South Africa. However, various reports suggest that it already has around 14,000 users. One report says that StarSat Africa, the Mozambique-based Starlink importer, will be servicing South Africa with equipment, is set to cut prices for Starlink equipment by 13-20 per cent by the end of […]

February 9, 2024By Chris Forrester