Market Monitor

From ITWeb Market Monitor Thu Sep 1 07:38:32 2005 From: ITWeb Market Monitor (ITWeb Market Monitor) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 09:38:32 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: Municipal networks - a fresh broadband opportunity Message-ID: <20050901073832.022F835C1ED@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Market Monitor

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Johannesburg Thursday, September 01, 2005

FEATURE

Municipal= networks =96 a fresh broadband opportunity
Denis Smit

A global trend, whi= ch is emerging in SA, is the phenomenon of cities and municipalities deploy= ing broadband networks for internal use and, in many cases, for shared use = with residents within those cities.

The primary motivat= ors behind such initiatives are a response to excessive telecommunications = costs, perceived "market failures" in the provision of broadband to disadva= ntaged communities and the emerging belief that broadband is another utilit= y a city should provide its residents.

Over 600 cities wor= ldwide have embarked on some form of broadband self-provisioning. Each of t= hese cities has formulated its own unique approach to metropolitan network = deployment and it is fair to say no one size fits all.

Some cities deploy = these networks simply for own use, where the motive is lowering costs to go= vernment. Many others, however, have a phased approach whereby the initial = deployment is for own use, but the network is scaled-up subsequently for sh= ared use with city residents.

Almost all cities d= eploy these networks for "digital divide" reasons as they feel that the fee= s levied by the market are simply too onerous for cash strapped communities= . Indeed many cities provide free broadband to needy communities. Perhaps u= niversal to all these city initiatives is a frustration by officials at the= impotence they feel regarding low broadband penetration and excessive fees= in their cities.

Key decision slider f= or digital city implementation

Source: CIVITIUM<= /span>

The decision slider highlights how various considerations ca= n affect the roll out of a broadband network. All aspects will alter deploy= ment, uptake and outcomes.

In SA many cities a= re involved in progressive projects. Knysna has boundary-to-boundary covera= ge, Cape Town has a large mesh network, Tswhane has rolled out 45km of fibr= e and already has 4Mbps broadband into the home test sites. The City of Joh= annesburg recently completed their own "Broadband Roadmap" and installed a = PTN successfully. Many other city initiatives are bubbling. There is a lot = happening just below the surface.

Many powerful voice= s say these initiatives are illegal but others differ in this interpretatio= n. Regulatory obstacles are par for the course in 100% of city initiatives = all over the world and the same is true in SA.

BMI-T believes tele= coms regulation will evolve as the pressure to reduce the inordinate cost o= f communication drives more liberalisation. Market forces having attained a= position of power will result in legislation changing. South African citie= s are powerful stakeholders in local government and their voices will have = significant impact on the regulatory landscape.

Many of SA's larger= cities are directly involved with the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Many believe = that an astute deployment of funds for the event could yield long-term adva= ntages in terms of broadband re-use for residents of those cities.

These and many more= key issues will be discussed at the inaugural BMI-T Digital Cities Forum t= o be held at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg on 3 and 4 November 2005. A "Di= gital City in the Making" on-site tour of the Tshwane's Digital Hub will ta= ke place immediately after the Forum on 5 November 2005.

Feedback

Send your comment= s to richard@bmi-t.co.za.

Market highlights

Mobile market

Network of partnerships essential for building mobility business<= br>
Enterprises across cen= tral and eastern Europe (CEE) and the Middle East have stepped up efforts t= o mobilise their workforces and in some cases, entire corporate networks. A= ccording to a new IDC analysis of the enterprise mobility market environmen= t, the complexity of most solutions is forcing participants along the mobil= ity value chain to change the way they do business with clients and with ea= ch other.

Mobile operators in parti= cular will need to re-adjust their approach to the market. Operators will b= e able to apply the lessons they learned from supplying consumer content to= mobility solutions, says IDC. As with content, delivering services with re= al value will mean relying on external organisations rather than attempting= to create in-house teams that do it all.

Operators must recognise,= however, that the type of straightforward partnerships that emerged with c= ontent providers will not apply when creating and delivering services for e= nterprise mobility. The value chain will be more complex, include a more di= verse combination of specialists and require a much deeper level of involve= ment.

"In supplying mobility so= lutions, operators will have to open their infrastructures much further tha= n they have in the past," said Mohsen Malaki, communications programme and = consulting manager, IDC CEMA. "This means relinquishing some control and sh= aring revenue with application developers, network management firms, and IT= services organisations that specialise in business solutions and view mobi= le networks as part of a larger package designed to keep people continually= connected to databases, e-mail, and intranets. But it'll be worth it in th= e long run, as the alliances that emerge will be the key to future success.= "

As will constant access, = the foundation of the mobile worker concept. It is also the force driving a= doption of mobility solutions. According to IDC, organisations in CEE and t= he Middle East have been quick to recognise the benefits of a mobile workfo= rce but cautious when considering implementation. The main reason was the i= nability of technology to meet the expectations associated with truly mobil= e workers and the hype preceding 3G. That has started to change. Recently d= eployed mobile networks and the latest handsets, devices, and notebooks are= now able to handle the data transmission rates required for mobile solutio= ns.

"Of course it takes a lot= more than state-of-the-art technology to please clients," said Malaki. "In= addition to major educational campaigns, mobility alliances must establish= lasting relationships with a few representative enterprises in order to cr= eate solutions that match real needs. Alliance partners must also invest in= test cases that can later be used as full-blown case studies to effectivel= y demonstrate the benefits of a given set of services."

To do this, partnerships = for mobility solutions need to start in the right markets. According to IDC= , some of the more mature mobile markets within the CEE and the Middle East= regions have reached or are near saturation. Enterprises in countries such= as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, and the smaller Gulf States have a= lready thoroughly milked voice and basic data services (mainly SMS).These m= arkets now represent ripe environments for the roll out of wireless solutio= ns that connect everything from e-mail to enterprise applications.

"Roll out will only proce= ed smoothly if operators have taken the time to establish a solid network o= f partnerships and alliances," said Malaki. "By recognising this now and ge= tting over prejudices about sharing technology or working with former or ev= en current competitors, mobility providers can create business models for t= apping the potentially lucrative enterprise market. Moreover, these partner= ships may prove to be one of the best ways to develop a consistent approach= to satisfying customer needs in the enterprise segment."

B= MI-T's New Featured Resear= ch

IT
=B7 SA IT Market Vertical Sector Si= zing and Forecast, 2005-2009
=B7 = SA IT Security Market Sizing and Forecast, 2005-2009

Telecoms
=B7 <= /span> SA Wireless Access and= Broadband Market, 2005
=B7 = =09 SA Voice= Technologies Systems Market, 2005

Banking =B7 =09 Banki= ng in Africa, 2005
=B7=09 =09 =09 The SMB Sector =96 A Financial Profile

For more information, visit www.bmi-t.co.za, or e-mail us at i= nfo@bmi-t.co.za.

This service is brought to you by in association with and

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------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation-- From ITWeb Telecom Weekly Fri Sep 2 11:52:54 2005 From: ITWeb Telecom Weekly (ITWeb Telecom Weekly) Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 13:52:54 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: UUNET slashes call costs Message-ID: <20050902115254.834B235C5F8@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =09 ITWeb Daily - The Online News Service

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T h=20 e T e l e c o m s N e w s &n= bsp;W=20 e e k l y
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Visit ITWeb - First with = IT News

Johannesburg Fr= iday, September 02, 2005

Broadband under f= ire: Suppliers of wired and wireless data pipes are locked in a pric= e war. Read about it in the September issue of Brainstorm, on sale now.

News Hotline: = (011) 807-3294

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Sales Info

=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20

TOP NEWS

Itec, Tiyende in joint venture=

[Iain Scott] - Itec SA and Tiyende Telecommunication= s have entered into a telecoms-related joint venture. [ Business ] <= /font>

UUNET slashes call costs

[Paul Vecchiatto] - UUNET is to reduce the cost of intern= ational voice calls to between 50c and 60c per minute from the 100c to 150c= corporates are currently paying. [ = Telecoms ] <= /font>

Increased traffic to offset mobile pr= ice cuts

[Damaria Senne] - Vodacom expects cellular traffic to i= ncrease to offset some of the recent price reductions, says group CEO Alan = Knott-Craig. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

IEC call centre standing by

[Itumeleng Mogaki] - The Independent Electoral Commission = (IEC) call centre is ready for the rush once voter registration starts tomo= rrow. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

European cellphones to get faster dat= a

[Reuters] - T-Mobile International will launch th= e HSDPA high-speed mobile service in four European countries by March to im= prove Internet speed on mobile phones. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

SMEs can also benefit from VOIP

[Debbie Hunter] - VOIP is not limited to the larger ent= erprise market space; small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are much m= ore cost-conscious, should consider it, says Debbie Hunter, channel manager= at 3Com SA. [ TechForum ]=

Consumers respond to MTN offer=

More than 100 000 new prepaid subscri= bers joined MTN in two days during the past weekend's MTN Starter Pack valu= e promotion, says MTN. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Vodacom delivers peak time prepaid ta= riff cuts

Following recent tariff cuts by Vodac= om, the company has announced a tariff of R2.99 per minute for all prepaid = calls made during peak times from 7am to 8pm, based on per second billing.<= /font> [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Fluke solution features real-time VOI= P diagnostics

Real-time voice over Internet Protoco= l (VOIP) diagnostics are now part of Fluke Networks' OptiView Link Analyzer= and Protocol Expert network monitoring and analysis solution. [Local rep: = Bitrate] [ Computing ]=

= PwC deploys Avaya solutions in Beijin= g

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has inst= alled Avaya voice and data converged communications systems in its new offi= ce building in Beijing. [ Industr= ySolutions ]

Cell C accused of unfair competition<= /font>

[Damaria Senne] - The Community Payphone Association ha= s staged a protest against Cell C's =93unfair competition practices=94. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Cellular price war begins<= /td>

[Damaria Senne] - In response to Vodacom's rate cuts la= st week, MTN has highlighted reductions on certain call rates that it claim= s were announced first and offer better value. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Cell C to launch 3G soon

[Staff writer] - Cell C plans to offer 3G and EDGE bef= ore the end of this year. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Cell C reports strong quarter<= /a>

[Staff writer] - Mobile operator Cell C's total revenu= e for the quarter ending 30 June was R1.277 billion. [ Financial ]=

Telkom drops Hellkom suit<= /td>

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Telkom has dropped its threatened R5&= nbsp;million lawsuit against Web site Hellkom.co.za. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Gamers jailed for neglecting children=

[Warwick Ashford] - In today's technology roundup: Gamers= jailed for neglecting children, mobile phone virus hits Scandinavia, Micro= soft plans full phone functionality, integration goes open source route, an= d EDonkey dominates file-sharing arena. [ Computing ]=

Flash memory chip demand to explode

[Reuters] - Roaring demand for flash memory chips= will accelerate this year, but prices will stay weak as industry leader Sa= msung holds prices down. [ Computing ]=

= GPC selects Comverse to enable wirele= ss services

GPC (VinaPhone), Vietnam's largest mo= bile operator, has selected Comverse's Multimedia Messaging Service Centre = and Mobile Data Gateway to provide expanded multimedia and video messaging = services. [ Industr= ySolutions ]

= =20 =20

INDUSTRY NEWS

=20 = =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20


BUSINESS	Sponsored by: Dimension Data South Africa

Vodacom creates hero programme

Vodacom has launched its internal Yebo He= roes programme, which provides Vodacom employees with the opportunity to as= sist the Vodacom Foundation in uplifting the community. [ Business ]

Intelsat, PanAmSat to merge

Intelsat and PanAmSat have signed a merge= r agreement under which Intelsat will acquire PanAmSat for $3.2 billio= n. [ Business ]

SA wises up to ADSL options

[Martin Czernowalow] - South Africans are rapidly adopting ADSL = and exploring the full range of options available, say industry players. [ Business ]


COMPUTING	Sponsored by: Hetzner Africa

Fluke solution features real-time VOIP diagnostics

Real-time voice over Internet Protocol (V= OIP) diagnostics are now part of Fluke Networks' OptiView Link Analyzer and= Protocol Expert network monitoring and analysis solution. [Local rep: Bitr= ate] [ Computing ]

Gamers jailed for neglecting children

[Warwick Ashford] - In today's technology roundup: Gamers jai= led for neglecting children, mobile phone virus hits Scandinavia, Microsoft= plans full phone functionality, integration goes open source route, and ED= onkey dominates file-sharing arena. = [ C= omputing ]

Yahoo extends e-mail search functions

[Stuart Lowman] - In today's technology roundup: Yahoo exte= nds e-mail search functions, rumours surround iPod cellphone, McAfee joins = enterprise e-mail security market, and Microsoft releases beta of next-gene= ration WinFS. [ Computing ]


TELECOMS	Sponsored by: Telkom

Consumers respond to MTN offer

More than 100 000 new prepaid subscribers= joined MTN in two days during the past weekend's MTN Starter Pack value pr= omotion, says MTN. [ Telecoms ]

Vodacom delivers peak time prepaid tariff cuts

Following recent tariff cuts by Vodacom, = the company has announced a tariff of R2.99 per minute for all prepaid call= s made during peak times from 7am to 8pm, based on per second billing. [ Telecoms ]

Mitel outpaces in enterprise IP telephony

A report from Synergy Research Group show= s Mitel outpaced its competitors in enterprise IP telephony sales in the se= cond quarter of 2005, says Mitel. [ = Tele= coms ]

Mobile porn providers operate outside the law=

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Service providers that supply adult conte= nt for cellphones are technically operating illegally, says the Film and Pu= blications Board. [ Telecoms ]

ICT experts tackle convergence at SATNAC

The convergence of services, networks and= broadband will be the focal point of discussion at the Southern African Te= lecommunications Network and Applications Conference (SATNAC 2005) in the D= rakensberg from 12 to 14 September. = [ Te= lecoms ]

Vodacom slashes call rates in peak time

Vodacom today announced a cut in call rat= es of up to 50% during the peak call time of 5pm-8pm, on weekdays. [ Telecoms ]


TECHFORUM

SMEs can also benefit from VOIP

[Debbie Hunter] - VOIP is not limited to the larger enterpr= ise market space; small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are much more = cost-conscious, should consider it, says Debbie Hunter, channel manager at = 3Com SA. [ TechForum ]


INDUSTRYSOLUTIONS	Sponsored by: SecureData

PwC deploys Avaya solutions in Beijing

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has installe= d Avaya voice and data converged communications systems in its new office b= uilding in Beijing. [ IndustryS= olutions ]

GPC selects Comverse to enable wireless services<= /a>

GPC (VinaPhone), Vietnam's largest mobile= operator, has selected Comverse's Multimedia Messaging Service Centre and = Mobile Data Gateway to provide expanded multimedia and video messaging serv= ices. [ IndustrySolutions ]

ADVERTISEMENT

We=92re search= ing for the industry=92s star performer.

Nominate your
candidate now!

CONFERENCE

Brainstorm Cape 2005

ICT in the Cape for the Cape

= 14 and 15 September,
Cullinan Hotel, Cape

The future of public services: Can information technology mak= e a difference?

Find out from Nirvesh C Sooful, CIO, City of Cape Town.

Early bird rates valid until 3 September!

Event sponsor

Displ= ay partners

TELECOMS SECTION

With a second telecoms operator in the offing, Telkom almost constantly mired in legal battles and Cell C quietly y= et steadily picking up new customers, the telecoms arena is as competitive and contentious as ever. ITWeb's Telecoms Section brings you all the breaking news and vie= ws you'll need to stay on top of all the happenings in this sect= or.

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------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation-- From ITWeb Market Monitor Thu Sep 8 11:22:58 2005 From: ITWeb Market Monitor (ITWeb Market Monitor) Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 13:22:58 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: Second- and third- tier banks Message-ID: <20050908112258.A20EF35C00E@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Market Monitor

A weekly IT market report exclusive to ITWeb readers=

<= /td>

You are subscribed as nitf_forum@lists.sn.apc.orgTo unsubscribe= click here

=
Johannesburg Thursday, September 08, 2005

FEATURE

Second- and third- tier banks<= br>
Taking advantage= of a leaner, meaner IT environment

Althea Bacchialo= ni

In November 2004, t= he National Treasury published the Dedicated Banks Bill and the Co-operativ= e Banks Bill for general comment. The fundamental premise of these Bills is= to broaden access to finance for South Africans not currently served by th= e formal banking sector.

Extensive research = has identified a need for the financial market to add to the banking spectr= um of the large commercial banks at one end and to the micro lenders at the= other end. The creation and development of a second-tier of deposit taking= institutions to serve the lower end of the market has been under discussio= n for over 10 years, but has proven difficult to implement.

The purpose of the = Dedicated Banks Bill will be to increase competition in the banking sector = by offering savings accounts and affordable banking services. The Legislati= on Bill will provide for two types of dedicated banks: a savings bank (narr= ow bank) and a savings and loans bank (core bank).

A savings bank can = offer deposit taking and payment activities, while the savings and loans ba= nk can offer deposit taking, payments and limited categories of loans. Howe= ver, the prudential requirements applicable to dedicated banks will be set = at lower levels than those for commercial banks.

The drivers for sec= ond- and third-tier banks in other countries have been competition from glo= bal institutions, a need for stronger management, access to financial resou= rces and the use of technology.

In the light of new= banking bills and regulations, BMI-T conducted a snap poll in order to est= ablish a number of key factors as to how the banking customer views financi= al changes that will take place over the next 12 to 18 months.

Awareness of the Dedi= cated Banks Bill

Source: BMI-T, 2005

Retailers and telecommunication companies

As seen in other co= untries, there has been some success in the partnership of banks and retail= companies. Tesco in the UK is often used as an example of such a successfu= l partnership. Local alliances would include the partnership of Nedbank and= Pick 'n Pay (Go Banking) and the recent announcement of the Standard Bank = and MTN partnership.

Success factors<= br>
The success of seco= nd- and third-tier banks depends on these institutions taking full advantag= e of lower opex and capex =96 eg, little to no IT legacy systems and the fl= exibility to outsource or co-source business processes that are not core to= the business of banking. Additional opportunities for the newer banks are = likely to be found in niche areas such as dedicated Internet banking or car= d banking.

Second- or third= -tier banking customers

On a global basis, = the average banking customer has a preference to be single-banked (70%); th= e average South African banking customer has an even higher preference to b= e single-banked (76%).

Thus two questions = arise: will these existing banking customers move from their current bank t= o a second- or third-tier bank; and will there be an adequate level of prev= iously unbanked customers to sustain these new banks?

The existing banks = will also face the dilemma of future customer strategies =96 should there b= e a drive to acquire new customers or should products be added for existing= customers? Additional customer acquisition inhibitors for new banks are th= e growing base of Mzansi customers, the high levels of unemployment and lac= k of revenue to even consider using a bank. (The Mzansi Account, launch= ed in October 2004, is based on a minimum standard of functionality and int= eroperability. The account was conceived out of the requirements set out in= the Financial Services Charter (FSC) and is supported by ABSA, First Natio= nal Bank, Nedbank, Standard Bank and the PostBank.)

Apart from the =91Big= Four=92, how many more banks or banking providers does SA need?

Source: BMI-T, 2005

The ICT opportunities

From a technology p= erspective, there are a growing number of providers focusing on the ICT nee= ds of these "technologically leaner and meaner" second- and third-tier bank= s.

One of these vendor= s =96 CR2 based in Dublin =96 focused on electronic and mobile banking, ATM= s, call centres, POS and card facility requirements for banks, which utilis= e BankWorld as the online banking platform and run on Windows 2000 and SQL2= 000. CR2=92s offering is written in C++ with some Java and is sold as appl= ication licensed software.

CR2=92s differentia= tor is to offer access through the Internet, PDAs, POS, WAP, ATMs, call cen= tres, IVR and SMS. The software takes four months to implement and its main= opposition is often the in-house IT department of the client banks. <= br>
Strategy and foc= us

New second- and thi= rd-tier banks in SA will still face their "bigger brothers=92" banking stra= tegies but on a reduced scale. These global banking initiatives include pro= fitability and performance management, regulatory compliance, enterprise pa= yments, security and fraud management and customer-centric focus. On a glob= al basis, first-tier banks tend to consolidate silos, while second- and thi= rd-tier banks adopt a more enterprise wide approach. These banks are moving= towards a consolidation of high and low value, domestic and multi-currency= payment systems and a single software platform.

Local banks will ne= ed a dual-focus =96 the provision of world-class services for customers, su= ch as online banking and in banking branches, value-add services, cross-sel= ling and financial needs analysis. Additionally, basic services through low= cost channels that have a wide geographic spread and cater to a multi-ling= ual customer base where instances of low literacy levels remain, must be pr= ovided.

Issues to be overco= me by the industry include a lack of banking director education, a danger o= f over-regulating the industry, low service delivery to the customer, perce= ption of high charges, high unemployment levels and the volatility of the r= and. In the industry=92s favour is the ongoing dialogue between key players= regarding new bills, pressure from the underbanked sector, pressure from t= he retail sector, a strong banking "safety net" now in place, adoption and = use of technology, the FSC and Mzansi growth.

Feedback

Send your comment= s to richard@bmi-t.co.za.

Market highlights

PC market

Notebook shipments more than double in t= he Middle East and Africa in 2Q05

2Q05 saw an explosion = in notebook sales in the PC markets of the Middle East and Africa. Accordin= g to IDC's second-quarter PC Quarterly Tracker, total shipments rose a heal= thy 37.4% to 2 million units and 35.5% in revenue to $2.1 billion compared = to the same period last year.

Notebooks, however, stole= the show, with unit shipments soaring by more than 108% compared to the se= cond quarter of 2004. Desktops and x86 servers also had solid shipment gain= s of 23.5% and 13.4%, respectively. In Saudi Arabia and Turkey, notebooks a= lready make up close to 50% of total PC shipments. In the UAE, they already= outsell desktops.

"These high numbers are g= reat for vendors but they need to be kept in perspective," said Tomas Oupic= ky, senior analyst, IDC CEMA's Systems Group.

"The second quarter is al= ways a big one for the region, especially in the Middle East. While we expe= ct the market to remain on a path of healthy growth, especially in the note= book segment, it probably won't be quite so dramatic in the next few quarte= rs."

The two countries with th= e largest PC markets in the region in 2Q05, Turkey and SA, accounted for ju= st over a third of total shipments. They also represented the two fastest g= rowing country markets overall. When looking exclusively at notebooks, howe= ver, the Egyptian market ranked first, with shipments shooting up by a fact= or of 4.3, though it did start from a low base. Turkey was the second-faste= st growing notebook market and Saudi Arabia third.

"Education roll-outs and = government modernisation projects will continue to play an important role i= n PC market development in the Middle East and Africa," said Oupicky. "This= will be particularly true in the underserved markets in the Levant and Nor= th Africa, where international vendors will need to have solid local partne= rships to get some of this business."

Server market

Year-on-year double-digit unit growth in= the EMEA server market in 2Q05

According to IDC's EME= A Quarterly Server Tracker, factory revenue in EMEA server market systems g= rew at 2.4% year-on-year to $4.0 billion in the second quarter of 2005, the= lowest growth rate recorded in nine consecutive quarters of positive reven= ue growth.

The Euro picture of the E= MEA server market is slightly gloomier, as the market declined 2.0% in annu= al comparison to just over 3.1 billion euros. Unit shipments grew 9.6% to 5= 22 000, the lowest unit growth in more than two years on the back of high d= ouble-digit annual growth in the previous quarters.

The market for servers in= Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) continued to expand at the faster rate in= 2Q05, topping by far the other EMEA sub-regions' performances. Compared to= the same period in the previous year, shipments were up by 20.5% and reven= ue up 12.0%. This increased CEE revenue share to 7.1%. Growth in the Middle= East and Africa (MEA) was more subdued in 2Q05 in comparison with previous= quarters, but still higher than the European average with revenue and unit= growth at 11.7% and 10.5% respectively.

"IT infrastructure invest= ments in CEMA remain in high gear as countries in the regions continue to u= ndergo major restructuring reforms, in the public and private sectors alike= , spurred by the flow of massive EU funds and the privatisation and deregul= ation in the telecommunication, banking and energy sectors", said Stefania = Lorenz, programme manager, IDC CEMA Systems. The more mature Western Europe= an server market grew the slowest in the EMEA region posting 0.8% revenue g= rowth and 8.2% unit growth.

The x86 market continues = to outpace the RISC/Unix server market growing by 9.7% and 11.0% for units = and revenue respectively against declines shown in the RISC/Unix market.&nb= sp;

"The x86 market continues= to perform strongly and above expectations. We have seen good growth parti= cularly in the two-way rack-optimised space and, of course, blades. This is= consistent with a strong enterprise sector although the contribution of th= e SMB to market growth should not be underestimated," said Daniel Fleischer= , senior research analyst, European Enterprise Server Solutions. "The end-u= ser trend towards scale-out networks based on industry standards has in man= y cases resulted in highly-complex and difficult to manage infrastructures.= As such, at least in the corporate sector, the necessity to simplify IT is= certainly driving the market at this point."

"Solutions sales for scal= e-up systems are picking up in EMEA, but not at a rate to offset the slow-d= own seen in infrastructure upgrades and renewals. Looking forward, we expec= t pick-up in the mid- and high-end market segments. However, the low-end wi= ll continue to see erosion as customers migrate across to industry standard= x86 systems,=94 added Nathaniel Martinez, research manager, European Enter= prise Server Solutions.

On the vendor front HP re= gained the number one position in the EMEA server rankings, driven by good = growth in Itanium and x86 market segments. IBM has fallen to number two in = the server rankings on the back of a 0.9% annual decline. Whilst unit growt= h was 19.0%, the activity was heavily weighted towards the low-end. Sun's s= hare of EMEA server revenues increased to 13.0% this quarter, remaining ahe= ad of Dell. Sun continued to find it difficult at the high-end, although sh= ipments of x86 systems are showing good growth. Dell's fourth place positio= n in revenue terms is affected by the lack of high-end RISC based product l= ines, despite the 21.1% annual revenue growth seen this quarter. As such, t= his masks the continued good growth being seen in unit terms where Dell ran= ks number two. Fujitsu-Siemens Computers remained number five, with 11.5% a= nnual revenue growth, driven across all CPU types, although the company did= see a share decline overall.

B= MI-T's New Featured Resear= ch

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=B7 SA IT Market Vertical Sector Si= zing and Forecast, 2005-2009
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=B7 = =09 SA Voice= Technologies Systems Market, 2005

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------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation-- From ITWeb Telecom Weekly Fri Sep 9 10:12:56 2005 From: ITWeb Telecom Weekly (ITWeb Telecom Weekly) Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 12:12:56 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: Telkom accused of legal strong-arm tactics Message-ID: <20050909101256.9986335C011@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =09 ITWeb Daily - The Online News Service

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T h=20 e T e l e c o m s N e w s &n= bsp;W=20 e e k l y
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Visit ITWeb - First with = IT News

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on sale now.

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=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20

TOP NEWS

Telkom accused of legal strong-arm ta= ctics

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Despite having had close to 10 years = to prepare for competition, Telkom resorts to using legal and extra-legal m= easures to fend off competition, says ICT lawyer Lisa Thornton. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Better dividend from Pinnacle<= /a>

[Iain Scott] - Pinnacle Technology Holdings has decl= ared a higher dividend and a 70% increase in full-year headline earnings. [ Financial ]=

eBay eyes Skype

[Warwick Ashford] - In today's technology roundup: eBay e= yes Skype, Microsoft takes aim at Google, Internet phones connect hurricane= victims, and Firefox gets major upgrade. [ Computing ]=

Backpack generates power from walking=

[Reuters] - A backpack that converts a plodding g= ait into electricity could soon be charging up mobile phones, navigation de= vices and even portable disc players. [ Computing ]=

Sony takes aim at Apple's iPod=

[Reuters] - Sony will launch advanced Walkman por= table music players later this year, aiming to move out of Apple's shadow.<= /font> [ Computing ]=

Beyond ADSL to the speed of light

[Andy Robb] - Internet users in South Korea, China = and other Asian countries are 'riding the light' of optical fibre, says And= y Robb, a technology specialist at Duxbury Networking. [ TechForum ]=

Getting Real : Multi= functional or dysfunctional?

[Warwick Ashford] - In the world of electronic consumer g= oods, are products created to satisfy demands, or is it really the other wa= y around? [ Columnists= ]

Business, consumers embrace mobile da= ta

[Mark Taylor] - Cellular technologies can help compan= ies improve customer service and generate more revenues by liberating emplo= yees from their desks and allowing them to spend more time in the field. [ IndustryI= nsight ]

Telkom defends local loop<= /td>

[Damaria Senne and Paul Vecchiatto<= /font>] - Telkom can't be forced to unbundle th= e local loop yet because of provisions in the Telecommunications Act, it sa= ys. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

VOIP =91experts' cloud the issue

[Martin Czernowalow] - So-called VOIP industry experts often= create confusion among potential users, says a visiting VOIP service provi= der. [ Internet ] <= /font>

Apple launches iTunes phone, iPod Nan= o

[Warwick Ashford] - In today's technology roundup: Apple = launches iTunes phone and iPod Nano, first nanotube TV demonstrated, IBM un= veils new platform, Samsung plans dual format DVD, and Sony's PSP breaks UK= records. [ Computing ]=

Cape call centres on BEE drive=

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Calling the Cape and the City of Cape= Town have embarked on a plan to boost broad-based black ownership in the c= all centre industry. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Cingular ads take cue from iPod image= s

[Reuters] - Cingular is launching a splashy campa= ign for a new music-playing cellphone developed with Apple's iPod and Motor= ola. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

CentraVoice named Philips distributor=

CentraVoice has been appointed South = African distributor of the Philips SOPHO Internet Protocol Key system. [ Channel ]

Vodacom helps blind, partially-sighte= d clients

Customers who are blind or partially-= sighted now have access to their Vodacom cellphone bill via the Vodacom Voi= ce Bill service. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Gartner downbeat about SA telecoms

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Gartner says a lot of work has to be = done before telecoms prices start falling and competition becomes a reality= in South Africa. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

No VOIP benefits for employees=

[Stuart Lowman] - Moving to VOIP cuts costs, but employ= ees will not realise the benefits of such a change, says Telesa.comms. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

MTN provides virtual top-up

[Damaria Senne] - MTN has introduced a solution that al= lows prepaid customers to buy airtime from a vendor's cellphone. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Nokia enables mobility

[Staff writer] - Nokia is set to offer information res= ources and tools to support mobile offices. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

ICASA reviews SNO plans

[Damaria Senne] - ICASA confirms it is in the process o= f issuing a licence for the second national operator (SNO). [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

=20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =09 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09

FEATURES

Business, consumers embrace mobile data

[<= /font>Mark Taylor] - Cellular technologies can help companies imp= rove customer service and generate more revenues by liberating employees fr= om their desks and allowing them to spend more time in the field.=20 [ IndustryInsight]

Strategic conundrum, tactical puzzle

[<= /font>Paul Vecchiatto] - Retailers seem awash in money to spend on th= eir IT strategies. However, this won't make life easy for IT vendors who ne= ed to know retailers' business models, issues and widely varying technical = competencies.=20 [ Features]

= =20 =20

INDUSTRY NEWS

=20 = =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =09 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20


BUSINESS	Sponsored by: Dimension Data South Africa

Arch Equity invests in Orion Telecom

Arch Equity has acquired 30% of Orion Tel= ecom in a R54 million black empowerment deal. [ Business ]


COMPUTING	Sponsored by: Hetzner Africa

eBay eyes Skype

[Warwick Ashford] - In today's technology roundup: eBay eyes = Skype, Microsoft takes aim at Google, Internet phones connect hurricane vic= tims, and Firefox gets major upgrade. [ Computing ]

Apple launches iTunes phone, iPod Nano

[Warwick Ashford] - In today's technology roundup: Apple laun= ches iTunes phone and iPod Nano, first nanotube TV demonstrated, IBM unveil= s new platform, Samsung plans dual format DVD, and Sony's PSP breaks UK rec= ords. [ Computing ]


SOFTWARE	Sponsored by: Borland Software

TelePassport launches TEX

TelePassport has introduced TEX, a Micros= oft Outlook-based SMS application that SMS-enables Outlook and Outlook Expr= ess. [ Software ]


ENTERPRISE	Sponsored by: Siemens

Intelleca offers new VoiceGenie platform

Intelleca, local distributor for VoiceGen= ie Technologies, has announced the availability of the VoiceGenie 7.0 Media= Platform. [ Enterprise ]


CHANNEL	Sponsored by: Juniper

CentraVoice named Philips distributor

CentraVoice has been appointed South Afri= can distributor of the Philips SOPHO Internet Protocol Key system. [ Channel ]


TELECOMS	Sponsored by: Telkom

Vodacom helps blind, partially-sighted clients

Customers who are blind or partially-sigh= ted now have access to their Vodacom cellphone bill via the Vodacom Voice B= ill service. [ Telecoms ]

Gartner downbeat about SA telecoms

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Gartner says a lot of work has to be done= before telecoms prices start falling and competition becomes a reality in = South Africa. [ Telecoms ]

Storm takes its slice

[Paul Vecchiatto] - The provision of VOIP services has helped= Storm capture more of the Western Cape call centre market. [ Telecoms ]

MTN outlines tailored packages

MTN says it provides tailored packages th= at are relevant to each subscriber profile and suit their lifestyle and com= munication requirements. [ Telecoms ]


TECHFORUM

Beyond ADSL to the speed of light

[Andy Robb] - Internet users in South Korea, China and = other Asian countries are 'riding the light' of optical fibre, says Andy Ro= bb, a technology specialist at Duxbury Networking. [ TechForum ]

Cut costs with mobile electronic proof of delivery

[Mark Lilje] - Electronic proof of delivery has been ele= vated to the next level, which is generating a proof of delivery at the poi= nt of transaction by general packet radio service, says Mark Lilje, MD of R= angeGate. [ TechForum ]


INDUSTRYSOLUTIONS	Sponsored by: SecureData

Spescom supplies voice recording tech to Siemens<= /a>

Spescom has supplied proprietary voice re= cording technology to Siemens Southern Africa. [ IndustrySolutions ]

ICG uses Spescom call centre technology

Spescom DataFusion has deployed the lates= t Avaya MultiVantage Solution at the International Colleges Group (ICG). [ IndustrySolutions ]

DiData boosts American Express network

American Express has selected Dimension D= ata for a bandwidth optimisation solution, enabling it to prioritise busine= ss-critical traffic across its existing wide area network. [ IndustrySolutions ]


COLUMNISTS

Getting Real: Multifunctional or dysfunctional?

[Warwick Ashford] - In the world of electronic consumer goods= , are products created to satisfy demands, or is it really the other way ar= ound? [ Columnists ]

Double Take: Copasa protest was waste of time=

[Damaria Senne] - Copasa should take its own issues serious= ly before it expects Cell C to do so. [ Columnists ]

ADVERTISEMENT

We=92re search= ing for the industry=92s star performer.

Nominate your
candidate now!

CONFERENCE

Brainstorm Cape 2005

ICT in the Cape for the Cape

= 14 and 15 September,
Cullinan Hotel, Cape

The future of public services: Can information technology mak= e a difference?

Find out from Nirvesh C Sooful, CIO, City of Cape Town.

Click here to register!

Event sponsor

Displ= ay partners

TELECOMS SECTION

Sponsored= by Telkom

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warwick@itweb= .co.za

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------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation-- From ITWeb - Breaking News Mon Sep 12 13:55:14 2005 From: ITWeb - Breaking News (ITWeb - Breaking News) Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 15:55:14 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: ** Oracle to buy Siebel Message-ID: <20050912135514.4730135C868@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

** BREAKING NEWS **

Oracle to buy=20 Siebel

In a bid to become the world's number one CRM applications=20 company, Oracle
has agreed to buy Siebel Systems for $5.85=20 billion.
http:= //www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2005/0509121500.asp

=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
This=20 news alert is brought to you by=20 CentraTel
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D

The=20 CentraTel Group is a multi-vendor distributor committed to three
distinc= t=20 areas of focus:
telecommunications hardware and software=20 distribution,
provision of least-cost routing and the specialist financi= ng of=20 ICT products
and services.
www.CentraTel.co.za

------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation-- From ITWeb Market Monitor Fri Sep 16 07:54:24 2005 From: ITWeb Market Monitor (ITWeb Market Monitor) Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 09:54:24 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: The mobile value chain Message-ID: <20050916075424.02E3635C1F0@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Market Monitor

A weekly IT market report exclusive to ITWeb readers=

<= /td>

You are subscribed as nitf_forum@lists.sn.apc.orgTo unsubscribe= click here

=
Johannesburg Thursday, September 15, 2005

FEATURE

The mobile value chain
Diversification = and evolution

Richard Hurst
The number of mobil= e subscribers across the world is expected to reach 2 billion by the end of= 2006 with over 1.5 billion on the GSM platform. The popularity of mobile c= ommunications has fuelled massive growth in mobile devices. The converged m= obile devices, that is smart phones or phone-enabled PDAs, has recorded a 1= 34% year-on-year growth to over 8.4 million units globally.

The rise in mobile = applications for both consumers and businesses is expected to gain further = impetus as the network operators begin to roll-out GPRS, EDGE and 3G networ= ks, while lower prices for data access become a reality. In addition, there= is a worldwide proliferation of wireless WiFi hotspots, with many fixed an= d wireless operators anticipating the standardisation and interoperability = of higher throughput and wider coverage of WiMAX.

This has led to a s= hift in the existing value chain originally developed for the mobile commun= ications realm. The first value chain in the mobile world was voice-centric= , with the operator assuming the central and, in some cases the only role, = with responsibility for product management, connectivity and customer manag= ement. The end-user device was managed either through partnerships and subs= idies, as experienced in SA, or left entirely to the vendors and distributo= rs.

The content-centric= value chain, which followed the voice-centric value chain, added a degree = of complexity since content owners and content aggregators were able to gai= n a wider participation through partnerships with mobile network operators.= Initially the efforts of the content-centric value chain were focused on t= he consumer market through such items as ring tones and wallpapers for the = personalisation of the device.

Evolution of the ente= rprise mobility solution-centric value chain

Source: IDC, 2005

However, mobile operators, content providers and application= developers have been casting their eyes towards the enterprise and SME seg= ment, realising that business customers are likely to spend on mobile data = if the right mix of products and solutions are presented. Addressing the ne= eds of business will require an even more complex value chain with an incre= ased interaction between players.

Mobile operators se= eking to "go it alone" will need IT integration and services skills implyin= g additional investment to build skills and capabilities. System integrator= s, application developers and solution providers will be presented with an = opportunity to become part of the product management structure as they ente= r into partnerships with mobile network operators.

Feedback

Send your comment= s to richard@bmi-t.co.za.

Market highlights

Software = market

On-demand CRM applications market earns = leading vendors revenue and commanding market positions

The appeal for on-dema= nd customer relationship management (CRM) applications was strong in 2004, = says IDC, generating approximately $300 million in revenue.

A new report issued by ID= C delivers the first vendor ranking for on-demand CRM applications provider= s, which reveals a high revenue concentration among few vendors =96 the top= five vendors accounted for 81.6% of the total market.

According to the new stud= y, Salesforce.com holds the leading position with 49.5% market share follow= ed by RightNow Technologies in second with a market share of 13.5%. Surpris= es in the leadership table include Siebel Systems who entered the on-demand= CRM applications market in January of 2004, but still managed to score a f= ifth place ranking.

"The software on-demand d= elivery model is helping to reinvigorate the software industry and turns an= attentive ear to customer needs and wants," says Erin Traudt, research ana= lyst for Software as a Service. "Ultimately, customers want their business = problems solved and the on-demand model provides another option to help acc= omplish that important and necessary feat."

"On-demand applications m= ade their presence known in a measurable way in the CRM market in 2004 and = they continue building momentum in 2005," said Mary Wardley, VP of CRM Appl= ications research at IDC. "Although these applications currently compose a = small percentage of the overall CRM applications market, suppliers of these= applications are reaching end-user organisations during critical replaceme= nt cycles."

Additional highlights fro= m this study include:

CRM implementations now often involve flexible business process= flows versus discrete functional implementation. IDC sees this trend conti= nuing for the foreseeable future.
IDC believes that on-demand delivery of applications will incre= asingly appear as part of a hybrid environment of on-premise and on-demand = applications as the broader market gains familiarity and comfort with the p= roduct and if the functionality offered meets or exceeds on-premise product= s.
IDC survey results indicate that customers are likely to spend = more money on software as a result of their software as a service purchase = and are more likely to work with other vendors than in the past, which pres= ents both challenges and opportunities for on-demand providers.

Storage market

External disk storage systems growth con= tinues on the strength of network storage systems

Factory revenue in the= external disk storage systems market grew 8.6% year-over-year to $3.8 bill= ion in the second quarter of 2005 According to IDC's Worldwide Disk Storage= Systems Tracker.

The total worldwide disk = storage systems market grew at a slightly higher year-over-year rate of 9.9= % to $5.6 billion in the second quarter of 2005, marking the highest year-o= ver-year growth in the last eight quarters. Capacity continues to outpace o= verall revenue growth with total disk storage systems petabytes growing 59.= 3% year-over-year to 457 petabytes for the second quarter.

"The high growth for exte= rnal systems represents continued investment in networked storage, while th= e growth in internal storage indicates richer configurations and increased = sales of servers with three or more hard disk drives," said Brad Nisbet, pr= ogramme manager in IDC's Storage Systems programme. "Storage continues to b= e an area filled with opportunity as many organisations become increasingly= dependent upon the value of their business information."

Total external disk st= orage systems

EMC maintained its lead i= n the external disk storage systems market with 21.2% revenue share, follow= ed by HP and IBM with 18.8% and 13.8% revenue share, respectively. Dell edg= ed out Hitachi for the fourth position with 8.3% revenue share while Hitach= i ended the quarter with 7.3%.

Three of the top five ven= dors had double-digit growth during the second quarter with Dell leading th= e way with 27.1% year-over-year growth followed by HP and IBM, each with mo= re than 13% year-over-year growth. HP's strong year-over-year performance w= as due in part to an easy comparison, with an unusually weak second quarter= in 2004.

"The top five vendors acc= ounted for almost 70% of the external disk storage systems market =96 up fr= om 68% a year ago, confirming the maturity of the market," said Natalya Yez= hkova, senior research analyst, IDC Storage Systems. "Four of the top five = vendors gained market share benefiting from the success of their midrange p= roducts."

Network disk storage s= ystems

The total network storage= market (NAS combined with Open and iSCSI SAN) posted 16.1% year-over-year = growth in the second quarter to nearly $2.5 billion. EMC continues to maint= ain its leadership in the total network storage market with 27.9% revenue s= hare, followed by HP with 21.3%. Dell and IBM posted the strongest year-ove= r-year revenue growth for the quarter among the top five vendors, with 33.2= % and 22.9% growth, respectively.

The Open/iSCSI SAN market= grew 17.8% year-over-year, surpassing $2.0 billion in revenues for the fir= st time. Unlike the first quarter of 2005, there was no clear leader: EMC a= nd HP were in a statistical tie for the first place position. EMC had 25.0%= revenue share and HP had 24.8% revenue share for the second quarter. Dell = and IBM posted the strongest revenue share gain among the top five vendors,= with 1.6 and 0.6 year-over-year share point gain, respectively.
In the NAS market, which = grew 9.5% year-over-year, EMC led with 40.2% revenue share, followed by Net= work Appliance with 35.2% share. The iSCSI SAN market posted nearly 140% re= venue growth year-over-year. Network Appliance continues to lead the market= with 41.6% share, followed by EMC with 26.0% share.

B= MI-T's New Featured Resear= ch

IT
=B7 SA IT Market Vertical Sector Si= zing and Forecast, 2005-2009
=B7 = SA IT Security Market Sizing and Forecast, 2005-2009

Telecoms
=B7 <= /span> SA Wireless Access and= Broadband Market, 2005
=B7 = =09 SA Voice= Technologies Systems Market, 2005

Banking =B7 =09 Banki= ng in Africa, 2005
=B7=09 =09 =09 The SMB Sector =96 A Financial Profile

For more information, visit www.bmi-t.co.za, or e-mail us at i= nfo@bmi-t.co.za.

This service is brought to you by in association with and

u Publisher
Jovan Regasek
jregasek@itweb.co.za

u Editor-in-chief
Ranka Jovanovic
rankaj@itweb.co.za

u Sub editor
Kate Thompson
kate@itweb.co.za

u S<= /b>enior Analyst / Editor
Richard Hurst
richard@bmi-t.co.za

To unsubscribe click here

------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation-- From ITWeb Telecom Weekly Fri Sep 16 10:35:27 2005 From: ITWeb Telecom Weekly (ITWeb Telecom Weekly) Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 12:35:27 +0200 (SAST) Subject: NITF ICT Forum: Telkom admits customer challenges Message-ID: <20050916103527.A882E35C1F0@mx01.sangonet.org.za> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_Mixed_SimpleMail_by_the_Email_Corporation Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =09 ITWeb Daily - The Online News Service

You are subscribed to ITWeb's Telecoms News a= s nitf_forum@lists.sn.apc.org

T h=20 e T e l e c o m s N e w s &n= bsp;W=20 e e k l y
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Visit ITWeb - First with = IT News

Johannesburg Fr= iday, September 16, 2005

Faritech=92s gamble on security services delivered 300 percent growth and R65 millio= n in turnover
in their first full year of operation. Read about their success in the Sep= tember issue of Brainstorm

News Hotline: = (011) 807-3294

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TOP NEWS

Telkom admits customer challenges

[Damaria Senne] - Telkom admits it has had =93customer = relationship challenges=94 in the past, but has promised to listen to custo= mers in future. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Cell C completes financing=

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Cell C has entered into a three-year = R500 million revolving credit facility with Nedbank. [ Financial ]=

SAPS awaits R506m Tetra network

[Martin Czernowalow] - The Gauteng police service is set to = receive a R506 million Tetra network, following the successful roll-ou= t of a similar system in Cape Town. = [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

UK mobile services group comes to SA<= /font>

[Martin Czernowalow] - Opera Telecom, a UK-based mobile serv= ices operator, has launched its South African business, aimed at clients in= media and broadcasting. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

MTN cuts MMS rate

[Staff writer] - In the latest move in a series of mob= ile tariff cuts, MTN has announced a 55% drop in its MMS prices. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

LG struggles to match early mobile su= ccess

[Reuters] - Once lauded as one of the fastest-gro= wing mobile phone makers, LG Electronics is now struggling to keep its hand= set business profitable. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Getting Real : You s= hould know better

[Warwick Ashford] - Reaction to news about plans for elec= tronic car licences has shown that not all South Africans accept technologi= cal innovation without question. Is the concern valid, or just paranoia? [ Columnists= ]

Itec, Tiyende unveil venture

[Iain Scott] - Itec and Tiyende Telecommunications y= esterday launched a joint venture. [= Business ] <= /font>

Telkom tests 4MB triple play

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Telkom could put 4MB connections into= homes next year, but it will only be for triple play subscription services= and not Internet connectivity. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Telecoms pricing round two=

[Stuart Lowman] - A second colloquium on telecoms prici= ng will be held next month, says the Department of Communications. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Bang & Olufsen, Samsung to sell top-e= nd phones

[Reuters] - Danish up-market electronics firm Ban= g & Olufsen and Samsung Electronics will launch a jointly made mobile phone= this year. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Vodacom responds to ICASA retraction<= /font>

Alan Knott-Craig, group CEO of Vodaco= m, has welcomed ICASA's retraction of the discussion document on mobile pri= ces published in the Government Gazette of 28 July. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

= Qmuzik's TalkWyz delivers for MTN Uga= nda

MTN Uganda has implemented Qmuzik's T= alkWyz electronic vending solution to cater for consumers, corporations and= potential distribution partners. [ = Industr= ySolutions ]

Poynting offers cellular omni-directi= onal antenna

Poynting Antennas has announced an om= ni-directional antenna developed for cellular applications. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Atio partners with Nortel<= /td>

Atio has concluded a partnership agre= ement with ICT solutions provider Nortel. [ Business ] <= /font>

Key officials resign

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Two of the Department of Communicatio= ns` senior deputy director-generals have resigned. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Mobile-fixed convergence likely in SA=

[Martin Czernowalow] - Convergence between fixed and mobile = networks, driven by new regulations, will drive mobile data revenues, says = an expert. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

Govt to stop ICASA =91horse-trading'<= /font>

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Government looks set to take control = of the way in which ICASA councillors are appointed. [ Telecoms ] <= /font>

SA needs more ICT R&D

[Damaria Senne] - SA's spend on ICT represents only 10.= 5% of total research and development expenditure, says science and technolo= gy minister Mosibudi Mangena. [ Business ] <= /font>

Airgo chips leap in speed past WiFi

[Reuters] - Airgo Networks has developed wireless= chips that it says are more than four times faster than WiFi. [ Computing ]=

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INDUSTRY NEWS

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BUSINESS	Sponsored by: Dimension Data South Africa

Atio partners with Nortel

Atio has concluded a partnership agreemen= t with ICT solutions provider Nortel. [ = Business ]

CentraTel opens Cape office

Telecommunications distributor CentraTel = has opened a Cape Town office. [ Busines= s ]


HARDWARE	Sponsored by: Nashua

Leaf debuts i-mate JASJAR

Leaf Wireless and i-mate have launched th= e i-mate JASJAR mobile device. [ Hardwar= e ]


TELECOMS	Sponsored by: Telkom

Vodacom responds to ICASA retraction

Alan Knott-Craig, group CEO of Vodacom, h= as welcomed ICASA's retraction of the discussion document on mobile prices = published in the Government Gazette of 28 July. [ Telecoms ]

Poynting offers cellular omni-directional antenna=

Poynting Antennas has announced an omni-d= irectional antenna developed for cellular applications. [ Telecoms ]

Key officials resign

[Paul Vecchiatto] - Two of the Department of Communications` = senior deputy director-generals have resigned. [ Telecoms ]

Mobile-fixed convergence likely in SA

[Martin Czernowalow] - Convergence between fixed and mobile netw= orks, driven by new regulations, will drive mobile data revenues, says an e= xpert. [ Telecoms ]

Don`t converge before liberalisation

[Damaria Senne] - The introduction of convergence legislati= on must defer to government`s policy of managed telecoms liberalisation, sa= ys Telkom CEO. [ Telecoms ]


INDUSTRYSOLUTIONS	Sponsored by: SecureData

Qmuzik's TalkWyz delivers for MTN Uganda

MTN Uganda has implemented Qmuzik's TalkW= yz electronic vending solution to cater for consumers, corporations and pot= ential distribution partners. [ IndustrySolutions ]


COLUMNISTS

Getting Real: You should know better

[Warwick Ashford] - Reaction to news about plans for electron= ic car licences has shown that not all South Africans accept technological = innovation without question. Is the concern valid, or just paranoia?= [ Columnists ]

Double Take: Let them eat cake?

[Damaria Senne] - Noble ideals were voiced at Satnac this w= eek =96 but isn't it aiming a little high to plan broadband for the rural m= asses just yet? [ Columnists ]

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