Communications provider unveils low-cost data

Data and voice network provider iBurst has launched a new range of low-cost product offerings to draw in new customers and to improve access to, and the affordability of, its data and voice products, iBurst commercial executive head Malcolm Turnbull reports.

The company has around 170 km of self-owned fibre-optic network in Gauteng and aims to get customers to broaden their use of its network to include data and Voice-over-Internet Protocol.

Starter VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service

All its new product bundles include a starter VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, which enables users to download a Session Initiation Protocol client and at the time make calls over iBurst's network. iBurst to iBurst calls cost nothing nevertheless draws from the users' data bundle cap. Calls to other networks are cheaper and can save clients a consider- able amount.

"We are part of Wireless Business Solutions, which has access to a large spectrum, and we can use this to leverage off our other products, including the fact that we have a 1 800 MHz network and we can roll out a long-term evolution network.

"We will be launching several new products in the then and there few months and have launched an advertising campaign to raise awareness. These offerings are consumer driven and we will at the time start with a drive around some of our business products shortly," said Turnbull.

iBurst group product manager Zahir Khan noted that iBurst's subscriber base and business customers had been demanding a good uncapped offering, which led to iBurst launching two uncapped offerings for private and business customers.

Both include VoIP starter packages, to familiarise clients with the VoIP system, and include modems with 24-month contracts. Connection speed is shaped to 246 kbps afterwards a per use cap of 1 Gb/d and 3 Gb/d for the two different offerings, however the company has as well launched a R99 booster package that all clients can use to access unshaped connection speeds over a 24-hour period that will not draw from their data cap, he said.

The pricing of our products

"We have become quite aggressive with the pricing of our products. We have a fully fledged network and this creates a high quality of voice transfer. Businesses have the option to add furthermore voice capabilities to these offerings," said Turnbull.

"We can save clients about 48% of the cost of their current voice connections when using selected smartphones, with the costs only including data used."

iBurst was on the whole focused on the major metropolitan areas of South Africa, nevertheless was increasing its coverage, exactly working with government to connect the information research laboratories of schools in disadvantaged areas to the Internet, said Turnbull.

Further, iBurst had internalised its contact centre to better serve its client base of about 70 000 individual and business customers, with the contact centre divided into account and billing queries, technical support and advanced technical support for expert users, said iBurst execu- tive customer care manager Navin Chetty.

"We are repositioning because we did not move with the market, were not aggressive with our offerings and we were focused only on data. Now we are aggressively marketing data and voice services over our stable network," said Turnbull.

The company

The company was rolling out more fibre-optic cables to increase its network size, nevertheless he declined to comment on the amount to be spent on infrastructure.