Nathan and the Mobile Operators

Imagine an alternate reality.  You’re an innovative start-up like Twitter or perhaps one of the many “adjacent possible” enterprises that Twitter has spawned.  You’ve designed your new service and are ready to take over the world.   All you need to do now is negotiate access with each and every ISP in all of the geographic [...]

Another small victory for common sense

Minister Matsepe-Casaburri courtesy kjd

Here in South Africa, Justice Norman Davis has denied Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburi’s request to appeal the Altech ruling. This once again opens the doors to competition in the telecoms sector in South Africa.  The Minister can still appeal to the Supreme Court but let us hope that she takes good advice [...]

Telecoms in South Africa: Apres moi, le deluge

In a landmark decision today, the High Court of South Africa ruled that everyone in possession of a Value Added Network Service (VANS) license was entitled to “self-provide”.  What this means is that every Internet Service Provider (ISP) in South Africa is entitled to compete with the likes of Telkom, Vodacom, MTN, and Neotel.  In [...]