3.6 Mbps HSDPA held back by Telkom

By: MyBroadband

While a few select trial users are enjoying 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, the launch of a fully commercial service is being held back by Telkom.

Both Vodacom and MTN have announced this year that they are investing in their own fixed line infrastructure, and it is not difficult to see why.

MTN SA’s Managing Director Tim Lowry said that the company will invest in an extensive inner and intra-city fiber network to alleviate the high costs and extensive waiting period for transmission links from Telkom.

Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig also said that its fixed line network plans grew out of a need to serve its own transmission needs, but will later be used to deliver fixed line services to clients.

HSDPA networks 3.6 Mbps ready

It is no secret that both Vodacom and MTN have 3.6 Mbps ready HSDPA networks.  There are also plenty of mobile devices on the market - including the popular Huawei E220 mobile data modem – that are 3.6 Mbps capable.

Vodacom pointed that its 3G HSDPA network upgrade to 3.6 Mbps was completed in July 2007, and is available to selected trial users.

MTN also confirmed that their entire HSDPA network is 3.6 Mbps ready but added that the company is working on a number of other full network upgrades. Preparing for the launch of 3.6 Mbps HSDPA forms but one part of this extensive network upgrade they are undertaking.

Commercial launch held back

This begs the question as to why these two providers, who are aggressively competing for a bigger slice of the broadband pie, do not launch a faster mobile broadband offering commercially.

“Due to a lack of transmission delivery from our main supplier, Vodacom made the decision not to offer 3.6 as a commercial service to its customers at this stage. Not having enough transmission in the network will have an impact on the throughput speed and overall experience of Vodacom’s mobile broadband customers,” Vodacom’s CEO Alan Knott-Craig said.

MTN shares their gripe and the MD stated earlier this year that one of their biggest challenges when preparing their network for a commercial 3.6 Mbps HSDPA service is waiting for transmission links from Telkom.

Lowry previously said that MTN has to wait as long as 12 to 18 months for a new transmission link or for an existing link to be upgraded. 

In the fast growing mobile broadband arena these extremely long lead times can severely hamper a provider’s ability to guarantee constant throughput and ensure quality of service.

It is therefore not surprising that both Vodacom and MTN are holding back on the launch of higher speed services until they are confident that their transmission network capabilities are up to scratch.