Telkom tests 40Mbps

Telkom today launched a pilot programme to begin testing 40mbps high-speed broadband offerings.

Broadband speeds of up to 40 Mbps will be tested in the pilot where Telkom has deployed new generation access network kits in five areas of three provinces in South Africa: Benmore Gardens, Fourways and Waterkloof in Gauteng; Durban North in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Durbanville in the Western Cape. The pilot will run for three months until the end of January 2013.

Telkom Group CEO, Ms Nombulelo Moholi, said: “We are putting together the necessary building blocks for a network that will be unparalleled in quality and reach. This step is very significant for us on the road to supporting innovative and pervasive broadband services and truly changing the face of broadband in South Africa.”

“A core part of our strategy is to lead in the data and broadband space as well as the fixed-mobile convergence market. The timeous launch of this pilot indicates the focussed execution of our strategy,” she added.

Today’s announcement comes on the back of previous communication on Telkom’s progress on its network transformation journey. Earlier this year, the Company reported major traction on the revamp of the various layers of its network, with significant focus on its access network.

“We are again in a position to report on our progress of the network transformation. To date, 53 MSANs (Multi Service Access Nodes) have been deployed to facilitate this pilot,” said Ms Moholi.

“The objective of the pilot will be to test the integration to our BSS/OSS systems and south-bound into our network management and configuration systems. The pilot will also serve to validate and test new service fulfilment and assurance processes, assess field technical and operational readiness and evaluate the customer experience in a controlled environment,” she said.

Telkom’s Managing Director for Wholesale and Networks, Bashier Sallie said: “The Company’s technology gearing is firmly on track. Given the mix of customer broadband needs, a dispersed customer base and vast geography in South Africa, Telkom has chosen FTTx as one of the key solutions in our access network revamp.

“We can now start to truly capitalise on the investments made in underlying transmission and core network over the past few years. We have gone a long way in revamping our aggregation network, which is now able to support super-fast transmission and enable a superior browsing experience,” he explained.

“We have also transformed our transmission network, which has evolved from carrying Gbit/s to Tbit/s throughput with great resilience and manageability. Our international connectivity has received a major boost with the WACS cable becoming commercially available to ensure worldwide reach with superb capacity and resilience.”

“This pilot will inform the next steps in our ambition to provide ubiquitous, quality broadband in South Africa,” concluded Mr Sallie.

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