TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Telkom does not see 5G as immediate priority
Telkom does not consider fifth-generation (5G) connectivity to be a priority given that consumers are only now starting to embrace 4G services, says Attila Vitai, the parastatal’s consumer business head. Although international 5G standards have yet to be fully approved, 5G is expected to provide better internet speeds than 4G. "We are planning for it [5G] of course, it’s a great technology. But we have invested heavily in 4G, as have our competitors, and customers are still learning to use the 4G applications that we’re offering," Vitai said. "There are very many more 4G applications that we want to turn into mass-market services, such as music streaming and video streaming, and I really don’t see that 5G is a burning issue for us now." Telkom was focused on "disrupting" the traditional voice calls market by encouraging consumers to make calls on data-based services like WhatsApp, he said. Telkom’s larger mobile operator rivals have started testing the waters through tie-ups with te...
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