| 11th December 2003 - Sentech, a leading South African
telecommunications and broadcast services company, has
launched a revolutionary new broadband wireless service
that will be available to millions of users across South
Africa by May 2004, IPWireless announced today. Utilising
the standards-based IPWireless Mobile Broadband solution,
Sentech’s new service, “MyWireless,” is
the first of its kind in Africa, and marks the fourth
announced national deployment of the IPWireless Mobile
Broadband system. The full solution will be provided to
Sentech through IPWireless’ strategic distribution
partner Axcera with their South African agent, Fastcomm,
which will be providing all equipment, as well as project
management, integration services and support for the deployment.
Commercial availability of MyWireless services will
begin in January in the Gauteng province, which includes
the metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Midrand, Pretoria,
and Soweto, followed by Durban in February, Cape Town
in March, with coverage to most of South Africa by the
second half of the year. The service brings consumers
and businesses in South Africa a high-speed Internet
access service that will work from home, work, or on
the road, all without wires. MyWireless offers speeds
as fast or faster than fixed-wire options like DSL,
and provides an instantaneous, “plug-and-play”
Internet connection that is affordable, reliable, and
cost-effective.
Because the technology works wirelessly, IPWireless-powered
networks provide an ideal broadband alternative for
consumers and businesses located in areas where DSL
is not available. In addition, unlike DSL, the IPWireless
solution offers full portability. Like popular Wi-Fi
applications but without the limitations imposed by
“hotspots,” IPWireless-powered networks will
give users in South Africa real-time access to data
wherever they are in the coverage area.
“Internet access in Africa is regarded as among
the most expensive in the world. Due to bandwidth restrictions,
the reality of Internet connectivity in South Africa
has long been characterised by low-speed, unreliable
connections at an exorbitant and fluctuating price.
Now, technological advances, such as those provided
by IPWireless, and a new regulatory framework have enabled
Sentech to launch the first true broadband wireless
service offering, capable of delivering unrestricted,
high-speed, portable, always-on Internet access at an
affordable monthly cost,” said Dr. Sebilesto Mokone-Matabane,
chief executive officer of Sentech.
“Sentech is dedicated to providing world-class
solutions to our customers that not only improve their
efficiency, but also have a positive impact in their
communities,” added Mokone-Matabane. “We are
delighted to be able to offer the reliable and affordable
IPWireless broadband wireless service across South Africa.
We believe that the speed and accessibility inherent
in the IPWireless solution will spawn a new generation
of broadband applications that will enable South Africans
to be more productive in their business and personal
lives. We look forward to spearheading an exciting new
era in telecommunications.”
“We are pleased to welcome Sentech to the growing
family of forward-thinking operators globally deploying
Mobile Broadband networks. Sentech’s MyWireless
offering exemplifies the evolution of broadband: an
‘always-on, anytime, anywhere’ experience
that changes the way people think about being connected,”
said Chris Gilbert, chief executive officer of IPWireless.
“With announced commercial nationwide networks
underway on four continents, IPWireless has proven it
has both the right technology and the ability to execute
and scale to meet worldwide demand.”
The IPWireless Mobile Broadband system is based on
the UMTS TD-CDMA standard, a global standard that can
be used by operators and manufacturers worldwide. The
commercially proven Mobile Broadband system, which includes
a complete network infrastructure, pocket-sized wireless
desktop modems, and PC cards (PCMCIA) for laptops and
PDAs, will be supplied to Sentech through a partnership
between Axcera, a strategic distribution partner for
IPWireless, and Fastcomm, a new company founded by telecommunication
industry veterans that is committed to bringing high-quality
wireless broadband to the African market. Axcera markets
its IPWireless-based solution under the Axity3G brand.
Axity3G has already received full-type approval for
the South African market by the Independent Communications
Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
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