AT&T plans to take the lion's share of the growing enterprise network outsourcing market using the Newbridge Global Services Management Platform (GSMP).
I take outsourcing to mean AT&T offers a service to someone, in this case businesses, outside their premise based on technology they purchase from NN. In my admittedly limited understanding of vendors and integrators, I take re-seller agreement to mean you put someone's products in your catalogue and then forget them. By deflecting the conversation from your jaundiced comments on NN's sales to my misunderstanding of oursourcing and enterprises, you've managed to change the point of the debate. Hope your wife doesn't let you get away with it often. <g>
Again, this is JUST MY OPINION. Yes, of course I'm speculating! That's part of the fun of SI! I am not discrediting anyone, not you or me or Santa Claus. If Newbridge proves me wrong, then more power to you! We shall see how "major" the contract is. Is Telekom SA major
Your playful tone, now that the damage has been done, reminds me of Sean Bean in the de Niro film, Ronin. Laughing uproarously as they speed away after nearly getting everyone killed, he says, "Man, we really showed them, didn't we!!!" de Niro and Reno glance at one another without a word. If silence could kill, the Bean character would have been dead.
To help you understand the scope of Telkom SA's network:
telkom.co.za
<<<
30 June 1998
Network modernisation effort lays the foundation for service excellence
A concerted effort to upgrade and modernise Telkom's telecommunications network has laid the foundation for dramatically improved service levels, the Company has revealed in its 1997/98 annual report.
The past financial year saw Telkom spending R2.2 billion of its R6.4 billion capital expenditure on improving and expanding its cable infrastructure, and upgrading network management systems that will enable trouble-spots to be traced and remedied before services are disrupted.
"Since a fully digital, managed telecommunications network will form the backbone for lasting improvements across the entire spectrum of our operations, much of the spadework done during the year was geared towards upgrading and modernising the network," explained Telkom's Chief Executive Officer, Sizwe Nxasana, at the launch of the annual report in Pretoria today.
Telkom replaced over 228 000 non-digital lines during 1997/98, resulting in 82% of automatic working lines being connected to digital exchanges by year end, compared to 74% in March 1997. "This puts our target of a totally digital network by the end of December 1999 well within reach," Nxasana said.
"As our modernisation programme progresses, customers can expect definite improvements in service levels, as well as increasing availability of new value-added services," he said.
The Company also paved the way for greater capacity, resilience and alternate routing by accelerating the deployment of its synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) network and preparing to roll out a commercial asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.
While constructing these essential building blocks for the future, Telkom also worked hard to achieve its more immediate objectives, Nxasana said.
"We met the line roll-out targets set in our PSTS licence, and in fact comfortably exceeded those for total new-line installation, payphone growth and new lines in underserviced areas."
During the year, Telkom installed 386 426 net new working lines, 275 218 of which were in underserviced areas. These figures include public payphone growth of 32 335, substantially higher than the 18 027 required in terms of Telkom's licence.
Nxasana said Telkom's net growth in total and underserviced lines, excluding public phone lines, had also exceeded the licence target by 15,5% and 4% respectively. He added that first-time services had been provided to 461 villages.
Issued by: Amanda Singleton, Telkom Corporate Communication, Telkom Towers North, 152 Proes Street, PRETORIA, Tel: (012) 311-1012, Fax: (012) 311-4031 >>>>
From their annual report:
telkom.co.za
<<<
By 31 March 1998, 82% of automatic working lines were connected to digital exchanges, compared to 74% on 31 March 1997. Only 484 of Telkom's 3 146 exchanges are now non-digital. During the year, we also upgraded 947 digital exchanges, equipping them with the capability to provide value-added services such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Call Answer, our electronic message service.
Ongoing copper cable theft has underlined the vulnerability of copper as a transport medium. As a result, Telkom is steadily increasing the optical fibre content of the network, thus laying the groundwork for higher bandwidth for faster and heavier traffic, including Internet traffic. During the year under review, we laid 71 000 kilometres of optical fibre cable and, for the first time, started deploying 48-fibre cable as opposed to the previous maximum of twelve. In the coming year, we intend deploying 96-fibre and 144-fibre cable, the aim being to have the capacity in place to cater for future demand.
The year saw us speeding up the deployment of the synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) network by adding more than double the number of SDH network elements put in place in the previous four years since we began introducing this new transmission equipment technology.
In December 1997, having taken the decision to appoint a second supplier of SDH equipment and to incorporate enhanced SDH equipment into the network.
Telkom issued a request for bids. Four bids were placed on a short list for evaluation, which was still under way at year end.
Telkom is working towards an integrated network that supports voice, data and image, and thus intends having an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network ready to provide commercial service at the end of the 1998/99 financial year. With this in mind, we completed the detailed planning of the network and issued a request for proposals in January 1998. Roll-out of the first components, specifically the national core and associated edge and premise switches, is scheduled to begin by the middle of the 1998/99 financial year.
Network management
Within two years, Telkom will be able to manage and coordinate its entire telephone network from one control point at Techno Park, Centurion. This will be possible through our National Network Management Centre (NNMC), supported by a new Information Technology Centre, on which civil construction work began in February 1998. Apart from being the focal point from which to monitor the status of the network, the NNMC will provide a single point of contact for resolving problems affecting service of the network. The centre, which has a completion date of April 1999, will enable Telkom to take a more proactive approach to localising and isolating problems such as cable breaks, so that they can be traced and corrected at an early stage. It will be manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. >>>>
Granted, Telkom SA may not be as large as Netrail or Frontier, but don't forget it takes more than one brick to make a house.
Shalom!
Pat |
