Frost & Sullivan Recognises Neotel's 'Landline-on-the-Go' Solution in the South African Fixed Mobile Convergence Market
-- NeoSmart facilitates innovative ways of doing business by eliminating the physical constraints of landline systems
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the fixed mobile convergence (FMC) market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Neotel (Pty) Ltd with the 2013 South African Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation for its NeoSmart solution. This solution combines landline and mobile connectivity on one dual network smart phone, thereby increasing user's mobility. This enables them to access their personal landline, WiFi hotspot, broadband data service and voice calls from one device at an affordable fixed-line rates.
NeoSmart is the first smart landline service in South Africa which plays in the Fixed Mobile Convergence space (FMC) and seen as leading edge technology. It brings together the fixed wireless (CDMA) and mobile technology (GSM) to allow users the use of voice, data, video and connectivity through the most cost effective and available network. Further, the data package with personal WiFi hotspot enables the connection of at least five devices. The technology is currently available in the market to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), but is soon expected to extend to large enterprises as well.
"NeoSmart facilitates innovative ways of doing business without enduring the physical constraints of landline systems," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Naila Govan-Vassen. "Neotel's adaptation of FMC enables increased user mobility, provides cost effective solutions and offers user friendly features, including access to all the smart phone capabilities."
The NeoSmart offering is available through the dual-SIM HTC mobile devices, which allows users to access their landline through their mobile handset. The most obvious benefit of NeoSmart is that it combines the benefits of smart phone features such as calendars, emails, web browsing and contacts with the affordability of fixed line communication. The smart landline encourages the usage of other Neotel products such as the FreeCallZone service, which offers free calls to all subscribers of NeoSmart within the business or personal community, at a fixed monthly rate of R49. This further reduces the cost of day to day communications.
This service offers SMEs and home offices a cost-effective way to stay connected to the office and other colleagues. This is highly beneficial and relevant for businesses with nomadic work force and field operations as well as professional services such as medical offices, legal offices, courier companies to name a few.
"The solution is poised for high growth in the future, as several verticals have expressed interest in it; there is also a strong possibility that it will be adopted by larger corporations and governmental institutions," noted Govan-Vassen. "Additionally, as more phones of different brands incorporate the dual SIM feature to run the FMC services, and new capabilities are added, NeoSmart can expect a surge in customer volume."
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that that has developed an innovative element in a product by leverage leading edge technologies. The award recognizes the value added features/benefits of the product and the increased ROI it offers customers, which in turn increases customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About Neotel (Pty) Ltd
Neotel is South Africa's first converged communications network operator. It provides a range of value-added voice and data services for businesses, wholesale network operators and providers and consumers using its pure-IP Next Generation Network, powered by Neotel's high-performance fibre optic backbone. Neotel connects the major centres in South Africa to each other and to the world, directly linking the country into Tata Communications' global Tier 1 network. Neotel offers fresh thinking, a creative approach, and flexible solutions for communications in South Africa. Neotel continues to invest in developing a world-class fibre network infrastructure which now spans Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth reaching nearly 9 million consumers.
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Corporate Communications – Africa
Frost & Sullivan
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