VSNL is ready to roll out telephony services in South Africa by the first quarter of 2006. The Tata Group will operate its services through a telecom firm ?? Second National Operator (SNO) ?? and is planning to introduce its fixed wireless phones (FWP) in the country. The company will start rolling out its telecom services in Johannesburg and will later expand to other regions. The consortium partners in SNO include Eskom Enterprises, Transtel, Nexus Connexion and CommuniTel, with the Tata Group as its controlling stakeholder. The South African initiatives will be undertaken by Tata Africa Holdings, the investment arm of the Tata Group in South Africa.
