South African telecoms operator Telkom is migrating subscribers of two of its fixed line pre-paid voice services – ‘Waya-Waya’ and ‘PrepaidFone’ – from its copper network to what it termed as a wireless ‘fixed-line-look-alike (FLLA)’ platform. Roughly 390,000 pre-paid fixed line users will be affected by the move. The company said in a statement: ‘Fixed line prepaid is a voice-only service provided over copper lines, which are vulnerable to disruption due to lighting, rain and cable theft. Consequently, Telkom is revamping pre-paid products to take advantage of new technology, and the current format will no longer be supported. We’re giving customers a more reliable product with the same functionality they’ve enjoyed in the past and the freedom to control their spending upfront.’ Customers affected by the change will retain their numbers and pre-paid wallet balances, and will receive a FLLA device to use at no additional charge, the company added. Telkom’s Retail Managing Director Attila Vitai meanwhile added that Telkom is also considering introducing additional entry-level pre-paid products that work on the wireless infrastructure.
