Mascom launches EDGE-enabled Mobile Internet

| Tuesday August 7, 2007 00:00

A statement from Mascom says the Mascom Mobile Internet has been made possible by the company significant investment in a data network that has now been upgraded from GPRS to Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), which enables faster data transfer speeds.

EDGE is a high-speed mobile data standard, an enhancement of the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network which Mascom introduced in 2005. It is the next step in the evolution of GSM and takes Mascom closer to UMTS, often referred to as 3G.

The Mascom Mobile Internet is a service that allows one to browse the Internet using Mascom's data network from anywhere in Botswana where there is Mascom coverage.
Said Mascom Chief Executive Officer Jose Geraldes Gomes, when addressing guests at the launch events, which were held in Gaborone and in Francistown: 'The new competitive landscape motivates Mascom to continue to maintain mobile market leadership and pursue new business opportunities that complement current service offers and (enables Mascom) to be an essential part of people's lifestyle and interests in business at leisure and at home.'

The Mascom Mobile Internet allows for the transfer of information through data and is part of Mascom's drive toward ensuring a complete service offer and an enhanced user experience.

EDGE-enabled Mascom Mobile Internet and other services that will follow are proof of Mascom's ability and desire to take on the challenges and opportunities of the new liberalised licensing regime.

With the Mascom Mobile Internet, one can access the Internet through an Internet capable mobile phone or a computer (laptop or desktop).

For computer access, a data-card (for laptops) or USB modem (for laptops or desktops) and a data-enabled Mascom SIM card is all that is required. There are four bundled packages available - Surf20, Surf100, Surf500 and Surf1Gig. These allow one to sign up for a specified amount of data per month for a fixed fee. There is also a pay-as-you-surf option.

In addition, launch promotional offers are available on the Surf100 and Surf1Gig bundled packages.

In describing the benefit of the Mascom Mobile Internet, Chief Marketing Officer Dzene Makhwade-Seboni said the fact that the service is mobile makes it very convenient as one can access it anywhere there is Mascom coverage.

In addition, the Mascom Mobile Internet is easy for people to use because configuration of the modem or the cellphone is straightforward; it has not hidden costs (set-up costs, ISP subscription) and there are no dial-up costs.

With the Mascom Mobile Internet, the charge is not related to time on-line but to the quantity of data transferred.

Having mobile access to the Internet enables access to an office network to do work without being confined to the office; referring to the Internet for educational research is increasingly part of the education process; to do a host of other social activities such as on-line shopping, banking and a host of other social activities via the Internet and from any location using an Internet capable cellphone or a personal computer.

Currently, the Mascom data network supports various corporate service providers using the same technology. Among these are point of sale terminals and ATMs for some of the banks and a vehicle tracking system for a satellite tracking company. Mascom's data network was recently used for vehicle tracking during the 2007 Toyota Desert 1 000 Race popularly known as Mantshwabisi.

For you to enroll for the Mascom Mobile Internet, simply walk into a Mascom Service Centre, or ask your account manager to set you up. Mascom Wireless is finalising plans to offer the ability to roam with the Mascom Mobile Internet in South Africa and at the same time allow South African visitors to do data roaming within Mascom's network when in Botswana.

When summing up, the Mascom CEO said: 'This is the first step in the implementation of our wireless data roadmap in a logical evolution of our services with the continuous introduction of high speed throughputs on a harmonised and comprehensive offer adapted to the needs of all segments'.