News from the Group « Convergence Partners

FibreCo breaks ground on its fibre optic cable network

May 7th, 2012 | admin

At a sod turning held today in Bloemfontein, FibreCo Telecommunications (FibreCo) broke-ground to start the construction phase of its much anticipated long-distance fibre optic network, which is set to revolutionise telecommunications in South Africa. The Company will invest up to R5 billion in infrastructure over the next five years, with a vision of ultimately building a network of over 12,000 km.
Construction has commenced on a 2,000 km link between Johannesburg and Cape Town, to be connected through Bloemfontein, East London and Port Elizabeth, and providing access to a wide range of rural and smaller urban areas along the route.

Tags: Alan Knott-Craig, Arif Hussain, British Telecom, broadband, Cell C, Convergence Partners, fibre optic, FibreCo, internet Solutions, submarine cable landings, ZTE
Posted in Media, News from the Group, Offical Press Releases

Convergence Partners welcomes Derek Wilcocks as new CEO of Dimension Data Middle East Africa and Saki Missaikos as new MD of Internet Solutions

May 4th, 2012 | admin

Allan Cawood, CEO of Dimension Data Middle East & Africa (MEA) has stepped down after serving the company since 2001 to pursue other personal and professional interests. Derek Wilcocks, Managing Director of Dimension Data’s wholly-owned Internet Solutions business, has been appointed to succeed Cawood as CEO with immediate effect. Saki Missaikos, currently Sales Director for Dimension Data MEA since 2003, will over the reins as Managing Director of Internet Solutions in Derek’s stead.
Convergence Partners wishes to take this opportunity to wish Allan well in his future endeavours and to thank and congratulate him on his solid stewardship of the business. During Allan’s tenure as CEO the business achieved three-fold revenue growth and doubled profits.

Tags: Allan Cawood, Andile Ngcaba, CEO, DDMEA, Derek Wilcocks, Dimension Data, internet Solutions, IS, Managing Director, Saki Massaikos
Posted in Media, News from the Group, Offical Press Releases

Dimension Data awarded number one EMC partner status in South Africa

May 3rd, 2012 | admin

Dimension Data has been awarded number one EMC partner status in South Africa. This accolade was presented on the back of a recent acknowledgement as part of an elite group of integrators to participate in the EMC Velocity2 Signature Solutions Centre Partnership Programme.
The accolade of number one EMC partner status in the country is based on the strength of Dimension Data’s long-standing relationship with EMC, its commitment to the development of skills, adherence to a stringent set of requirements, and overall revenue generated.

Tags: accolade, Anton Jooste, Cisco, DD, Dimension Data, EMC, Inana Nkanza, programme, skills, Stephen Green, Velocity2 Signature Solution, VMware
Posted in Media, News from the Group

Andile Ngcaba presents at the Department of Communication’s Policy Colloquium

April 25th, 2012 | admin

Chairman of Convergence Partners, Andile Ngcaba, made a keynote address at the Department of Communications ICT Policy Colloquium on the 19th of April 2012 about building a digital life for all South Africans.
His presentation was a summary of a detailed paper prepared for the event. In the paper, Andile presented that the ICT sector had experienced significant technological advancements over the last decade that had necessitated a comprehensive review of the laws and policy framework governing the sector.

Tags: Andile Ngcaba, Colloquium, communication, Convergence Partners, Digital, Digital life, ICT, Policy, technological, Technologies
Posted in Media, News from the Group

“Video: Seacom CEO interviewed on the development of broadband across Africa”

April 19th, 2012 | admin

Mark Simpson, Chief Executive Officer at SEACOM said during his discussion with Natascha Jacobsz at ABN studios, “Broadband connectivity will spur growth in African economies over the next decade, but there is still plenty of work to be done in building the telecommunications infrastructure that will connect the continent to the global village”.

Convergence Partners CEO appointed to FTTH Council Africa Board

March 30th, 2012 | admin

Brandon Doyle, CEO of Convergence Partners, has been elected to serve as a Board member of the FTTH Council Africa. The Board selection process resulted in a shortlist of 10 nominees of which five were elected to serve thereon.
Also appointed to serve in the board is, Ms Zellah Fuphe from Plessey, Mr Johan Kleynhans from MCT and Mr Alfie Martins from Zhone.

Tags: Alfie Martins, Brandon Doyle, Convergence Partners, fibre, FTTH Council Africa, Johan Kleynhans, MCT, Plessey, Zella Fuphe, Zhone
Posted in Media, News from the Group

Dimension Data and Internet Solutions expands cloud services

March 29th, 2012 | admin

Dimension Data and Internet Solutions have introduced a comprehensive portfolio of cloud computing services across the South African region, offering companies a flexible and cost-efficient new way of procuring computing resources. The companies also announced the launch of its Managed Cloud Platform™ (MCP), a pre-integrated and fully-managed foundation for global cloud delivery, in Johannesburg.

SEACOM’s Brian Herlihy named one of WEF’s Young Global Leaders for 2012

March 14th, 2012 | admin

Convergence Partners congratulates Brian Herlihy, founder and Executive Director at SEACOM, who has been named as one of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) 192 Young Global Leaders for 2012. The annual honour recognises up to 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

New Dawn hosts new MCPC Media Platform to address exciting growth needs of African content

March 1st, 2012 | admin

Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of satellite services, and GlobeCast, a leading global content management and delivery company, today announced the launch of the Intelsat New Dawn Ku-band Multi-Channel Per Carrier (MCPC) media platform for Africa. The MCPC platform is being hosted on Intelsat New Dawn, Africa’s first commercial communications satellite, situated directly over Africa at the 33°East orbital slot.

Tags: Africa, Alan Hird, Broadcast, Carrier, channel, content, Convergence Partners, DTH, fiber, GlobeCast, Intelsat New Dawn, Jon Osler, Ku-band, MCPC, Media, network, platform, satellite, television, terrestrial, video neighbourhood
Posted in Media, News from the Group

East African traffic gets re-routed over Seacom as both Teams and Eassy suffer cable breaks

February 29th, 2012 | admin

East African internet users experienced reduced speeds on Tuesday, 28th February after ships’ anchors severed the two undersea fiber optic cables off the coast. The companies involved on Tuesday said repairs could take up to two weeks.
The cables operated by Teams, a company partly owned by the Kenyan government, were cut on Saturday near the Kenyan port of Mombasa by a ship’s anchor. Eleven days earlier, another ship dragging its anchor cut the cables of Eassy, a consortium of telecommunications companies.