Openserve's Althon Beukes on why Telkom is launching 'naked ADSL'

Loading player...
Telkom announced earlier this week that its wholesale division, Openserve, is launching a new product for Internet service providers that means consumers are no longer required to buy a copper line from Telkom’s retail division.
The move, known colloquially as "naked ADSL", is one that has long been requested from consumers who don't want a landline voice service but have been frustrated by the fact that it was a requirement when buying a copper-based fixed-line broadband service from Telkom.
Openserve CEO Althon Beukes spoke to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the new product, known as Openserve Pure Connect. He explained why, after so many years of agitation from consumers, Telkom has finally decided to offer "naked ADSL" through its ISP partners.
"I guess you can say it's long overdue," Beukes said. "We have seen in the last few years that there is still a demand for our copper broadband services and hence we have now simplified the value proposition because it is a very cost-effective and reliable way to connect."
In the podcast, Beukes explains what the announcement means for the longevity of Telkom's copper access network, and why the company will continue to decommission copper in areas where fibre is deployed and where it no longer makes financial sense to continue to support the technology.
30 Apr 2020 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS+ | How AI is turning hardware into a subscription service

For most of business history, buying technology meant owning it. Capital was set aside, servers and laptops were hauled into the building alongside the software licences, and the business then sweated those assets for as long as it practically could. In the age of AI, that logic is starting to…
6 Aug 19 min

TCS+ | iStore Business on why Apple makes sense for SMEs

For small and medium enterprises, technology must do one thing above all else: get out of the way. Unlike large corporations with dedicated IT departments, SMEs run lean – and every hour spent wrestling with systems is an hour not spent on the business itself. In this episode of TechCentral’s…
30 Jul 37 min

TCS | Icasa's rules skip the real bottleneck: ACT

Communications regulator Icasa’s draft rapid deployment regulations – a critical intervention for the sector – risk failing unless the regulator brings municipalities into the process, according to Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT). Speaking on the TechCentral Show with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Batyi said…
30 Jul 29 min

TCS+ | A smarter approach to cloud for South African businesses

South African businesses are spending millions on cloud – and many have very little to show for it. That is the uncomfortable starting point for this episode of TCS+, in which Nkosinathi Ndlovu speaks to Joel Chacko, executive head of department for cloud services at Vodacom Business, and Jonathan Oaker,…
28 Jul 21 min

TCS | How Optasia lends billions to people banks can’t see

Optasia is on target to distribute more than US$6-billion in credit across its markets in 2026 – and it carries every cent of the default risk itself. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, CEO Salvador Anglada unpacks how the JSE’s biggest recent fintech listing actually works. Formerly known as…
23 Jul 25 min