Interview: Why Cell C supports the Woan

Loading player...
Thank you for listening to the TechCentral podcast. In this episode, Duncan McLeod talks to Cell C chief strategy officer Robert Pasley and chief legal officer Graham Mackinnon about the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill and why the mobile operator is strongly supportive of a plan by the government to create a wholesale open-access network (Woan).
In the podcast, Pasley and Mackinnon explain why Cell C believes the Woan is potentially a very good way of breaking the dominance of Vodacom and MTN in South Africa’s cellular industry, creating a more level playing field for smaller operators and allowing new entrants into the industry.
The discussion goes into detail about how Cell C believes a Woan should be structured and how it should work. It also touches on how much spectrum Cell C thinks the Woan should get and why, and why Vodacom and MTN should not be denied access to new exclusive-use spectrum to continue rolling out their networks.
Pasley and Mackinnon also explain why they believe open access is important to foster greater competition in South Africa’s mobile industry.
It’s a fascinating discussion about what the future of the telecoms industry could look like in South Africa. Don’t miss it!
9 Mar 2018 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS | Anoosh Rooplal on the Post Office’s last stand

The South African Post Office has been in business rescue – a form of bankruptcy protection – since July 2023. Business rescue practitioners Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons have made it clear to parliament that the entity will not survive liquidation unless a R3.8-billion bailout is received soon. With some…
27 Mar 27 min

Meet the CIO | Healthbridge CTO Anton Fatti on the future of digital health

Anton Fatti, chief technology officer of HealthBridge, says the doctor-patient relationship must remain at the centre of digital transformation in healthcare, even as AI reshapes how medical practices operate. Speaking on TechCentral’s Meet the CIO podcast series, brought to you by NTT DATA, Fatti said AI and cloud computing are…
23 Mar 45 min

TCS+ | Arctic Wolf unpacks the evolving threat landscape for SA businesses

Most security teams can tell you what they've deployed. Far fewer can answer the board's next question: are we actually less exposed than we were three months ago? In many organisations, the gap between security activity and real risk reduction remains stubbornly wide, even as threats become faster, more adaptive…
19 Mar 29 min

TCS+ | Vox Kiwi: a wireless solution promising a fibre-like experience

Access to stable, reliable, high-speed internet is crucial to participating in the modern economy. Although fibre connectivity offers the highest speeds and reliability, fibre penetration rates unfortunately remain relatively low in South Africa, leaving may would-be customers wanting. Vox recently launched Kiwi, a wireless connectivity solution promising a fibre-like experience…
13 Mar 15 min

TCS+ | Flipping the narrative on AI in the Global South

In this thought-provoking episode of TechCentral's TCS+, Mpho Chitapi sits down with Dr Josefin Rosén, principal trustworthy AI specialist in SAS's Data Ethics Practice and co-author of the influential report Constraint to Capability: Flipping the Narrative on AI in the Global South. What unfolds is a rich conversation that challenges…
13 Mar 39 min