![\"Mike](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Mike-Fairon.jpg\")
<\/a>Mike Fairon<\/p><\/div>\n
In January, MTN suggested that its digital multi-media developments were in an advanced stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur plans in the multi-media space are progressing well and we plan to provide some innovative services in the coming months,” said\u00a0Mike Fairon, GM: Products and Solutions at MTN SA.<\/p>\n
Nearly six months on, and Fairon’s comments led to speculation that MTN may well be ready to trial a streaming service as early as June, in conjunction with its FTTH project.<\/p>\n
Vodafone UK announced last week that its Red 4G plan subscribers will soon get a free six month Netflix subscription with their service, leading to speculation that Vodacom, which is part of the Vodafone Group, may do the same in South Africa.<\/p>\n
Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub said that the group is in similar talks to the ones its parent company, Vodafone, is having with Netflix about streaming content, “some through Vodafone, some directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked for specific company names, including Netflix, Joosub said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to comment on any specific ones yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vodacom was also linked to Naspers over access to its television content<\/a>.<\/p>\n In January, Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko told Bloomberg that he held talks with a host of large media companies\u00a0including\u00a0Comcast, Bertelsmann, Naspers, and Netflix, to carry content on the telco\u2019s fixed-line networks.<\/p>\n And in February, Telkom extended an invitation to industry to bid for the provisioning of Video on Demand (VoD) services.<\/p>\n Gareth Mellon, senior industry analyst for ICT at Frost & Sullivan believes that the uptake potential is very good locally.<\/p>\n However, he also cautioned on the potential pitfalls: \u201cFor carriers, overloaded networks would result in poor quality of service for customers, and the networks would also stand to lose out on data revenues, especially if the price points for content remain high,\u201d Mellon said.<\/p>\n \u201cContent providers could lose out on subscription revenues and potentially cannibalise existing services.\u201d<\/p>\n MTN, Vodacom, Telkom move on mobile TV<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Vodacom readying fibre-to-the-home<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Is Vodacom talking to Netflix?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MTN in talks to stream content: report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MTN fibre-to-the-home product launch date<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nNot all smooth sailing<\/h3>\n
More on mobile services<\/h3>\n