As the world battles COVID-19 it’s important to remember that we are in this together (even though we have to stay apart physically, for now).
The good news is that with NSN your team can seamlessly work from anywhere!
With our powerful system your staff can:
- Plug their IP desk phones into any modem that has network connectivity or work from a laptop via our browser phone
- Make and receive calls from their extensions using their mobile phones. This can be done via our innovative mobile app (available for Android and iOS) which essentially allows staff to put their desk phones in their pockets.
- Phone colleagues on their extensions free of charge and transfer calls between other staff members.
- Forward extensions to mobile phones at the click of a button.
- Use our Agent Workspace to login remotely allowing for time and attendance to be monitored.
- Reroute calls from our system to other numbers.
There is a lot that New Star Networks can do to help you and your team navigate through these trying times.
Please contact us for any further information or advice with regards to remote working.
Email
sales@nsn.co.za
Call
087 135 9703
As Technological changes arrive, we can sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed and opt to cling to what we know, often putting off facing the challenges of adapting to new systems and the ways they can impact on our working culture.
But these changes are not a new thing. In fact, the way we work has changed drastically even since the 1960’s when most businesses were dependent on the public telephone company to connect their inter-office calls. Calling your co-worker back then was no different than calling a neighbor both in terms of costs and having no idea why they don’t answer their phone (many businesses even today still have this problem!).
Today, the open office defines the modern workspace – meant for in-person collaboration and communication. The key enablers of the open office and on-the-go work style are the incredible changes in our industry. The shift to mobility and cloud communications has changed how the modern workforce communicates within its own business environment. We can now be in touch at the click of a button in the full knowledge of when people are available to take our call, feeling like we are all in easy reach of each other… wherever we are in the world!
As the world rapidly transitions from on-premises technology to the Cloud (hosted/off site technology), we talk a lot about how the cloud shifts expenses from Capex to Opex. We discover not only how it can save money, but how speedy and how innovative it is. Furthermore, we can see the profound impact that cloud technology is having on group working communications and heightened productivity!
Over the years we have identified some key trends that will transform the way people communicate and collaborate in the next decade:
[accordion clicktoclose=true tag=h3]
[accordion-item title=”The Cloud Replaces PBX”]
The tyranny of the PBX is being overturned! But what does this even mean?
Until very recently, the desk phone was stuck in the 1990s, subservient to the archaic call platform. Replacing that antique call control system has paved the way for a ‘Collaboration’ platform, born in the Cloud, designed to enable increased connection between co-workers and their clients.
[/accordion-item]
[accordion-item title=”Greater Intelligence”]
Rich media with more intelligence is coming into our offices, conference rooms, meeting spaces – offering more collaboration opportunities than with a voice-only solution. Now you have voice, video, and content sharing with an incredible and growing array of features.
[/accordion-item]
[accordion-item title=”Disruption of the Vertical “Stack””]
Systems that were vertically integrated are being disrupted. We are breaking down silos and the call control no longer dictates or limits what your endpoints (headsets, video and audio conferencing solutions, desk phones) can do!
[/accordion-item]
[accordion-item title=”Democratized Communications”]
The user has all the control. Software in the cloud and software on smart devices offers a variety of experiences. This empowers businesses more than ever to choose a solution that works best for them. We have entered the era of democratized communications where users select the experience that works bests for their needs and preferences.
[/accordion-item]
[/accordion]
HOW CAN NSN HELP YOU UPGRADE THE WAY YOU WORK?
New Star Networks is a revolutionary telecommunications provider servicing the South African B2B environment with a core focus on business connectivity and hosted voice solutions.
We are known worldwide for our unique approach to identifying the core challenges businesses encounter with communications in an ever-evolving technological landscape. We solve problems using custom solutions such as hosted telephone PABX systems, cloud systems & security, hosted exchange, data connectivity, broadband and IT services in order to fulfil our promise of “Connecting You Now Now”.
NSN caters to Cloud, Fixed line, Mobile, Data and Broadband customers across all industries and business types – providing crucial components that enable an efficient and effective workforce regardless of geographical location.
Get in touch with us today for a fast, seamless move to better connectivity, world class service and a fully cloud based telephone solution!
The death of Telkom’s copper network: Is your business future proofed?
As part of a 5-year plan, Telkom is in the process of shutting down its copper network which will have a direct impact on the ADSL or VDSL (Broadband) services that their customers currently rely on.
The company is already migrating ADSL and VDSL subscribers to its fibre and LTE networks, however that still leaves other systems which rely on copper very vulnerable.
Another reality is that data connection speeds on cellular and LTE networks are dependent on the network’s signal strength and the congestion it experiences. These connections are great as backups and for short use scenarios but are not viable in the long term.
Business Continuity
The use of copper cables to deliver business critical connectivity is nearing its end of life – global and industry standards demand more efficient and economical infrastructure.
NSN’s range of connectivity solutions are far more reliable than copper-based technology and is less susceptible to interruptions resulting from adverse weather conditions, faults and cable theft to name a few.
Our technical experts provide a practical solution by devising all possible scenarios and providing your business with Plan A-Z – ensuring you won’t lose valuable time should disaster strike.
The good news is that with great change comes great possibilities, and NSN are ready and waiting to help you to make the most of it.
NSN is able to provide dedicated fibre lines direct to your business to cater for your specific bandwidth requirements. We use a variety of suppliers and continue to collaborate with new stakeholders to ensure we are able to connect you – no matter where your location!
Why should you choose NSN instead of going with other ISP’s?
At NSN we recognize that your business requires a reliable and progressive communications solution – one that will allow your business to remain connected with your customers and employees when you need to.
- Our in-house next generation billing system called Anvil, controls everything from customer contracts, customer on boarding, billing, live ticketing updates and direct debit collection, offering 100% transparency.
- We only work with the very best suppliers to ensure we deliver the best solutions to our customers.
- Our multi award-winning customer service team ensure you receive field and desk-based support, alongside first class technical and product support – 24/7/365!
- We work with each partner to ensure customer development and offer ongoing support where needed.
- Flexible & competitive pricing
- Scalability
- Connectivity feasibility studies, quoting & solution build: Solutions are tailor made.
- Regular account review to make sure we are always on top of your requirements
- Customer fast track line into our market leading pre-sales and tech support team
Don’t be caught out by the copper copout!
Get in touch with us today for a fast, seamless move to better connectivity, world class service and a fully cloud based telephone solution!
087 135 9700 | Request a call back
As the Head of Marketing at NSN there’s nothing I like more than having a great success story to shout about, particularly when we learn about heroes within our business. Well, our customer services and support teams are the unsung heroes of our business, therefore we are truly delighted to be able to share with you a few of the recent glowing 5 Star reviews from our customers about them:

Excellent service, Backup, Pricing absolutely no issues so far!
George Efstratiou – WiFi Corporation

As a fast growing business we are always juggling many projects and leads at once.
With NSN’s help I have quickly generated new revenues from existing customers whilst still focusing on my core business without skipping a beat.
Tony Araujo – O-Tech

Our company uses NSN whom have always been a great service provider, the service we have received has been fast, reliable and first-class with a great phone system and a great technical team who are always willing to help.
Mduduzi Msiza – Gencon Business Consulting
If you can think of anyone that would benefit from a 5 Star Telecommunications Service please do get in touch as we have great rewards program for new customer referrals!
Kerrylea Els
Marketing Manager
Do you know what you’re paying for when it comes to broadband speeds? Our guide will help you understand what speeds you’re getting and why, and if anything can be to improve your internet connection.
Broadband speed is important, because the faster your internet is, the more you can do online. It also means more people can use the internet at the same time without affecting each other’s consumption.
However, the world of broadband speeds can be a confusing one. Many people don’t know what their broadband speed is or aren’t sure what the numbers mean when they compare broadband packages.
And if something goes wrong with your broadband, or it doesn’t seem to be as fast as promised, it can seem like a bit of swindle.
To get past these hurdles, it’s always good to know how broadband works, how to check your broadband speed, and why you don’t always get the mega-speeds promised.
Broadband speeds explained
Put simply, broadband speeds outline how fast data can come (downloads) and go (uploads) through your modem. Broadband speeds tend to be split between the download speed and upload speed because these are two different things: download measures the speed with which you can receive data over the internet, and upload speed means how fast your data can be uploaded.
It’s common to see a much higher download speed than upload speed. That’s because most people will spend most of their internet time consuming data by streaming movies, browsing social media, or downloading music, for example. The average person spends much less time uploading data by doing things like posting a photo on social media, backing up images, uploading video footage and so on.
Each broadband package will advertise a maximum speed, but it’s important to note that these are up to speeds* and yours may vary. You should be able to get an individual estimated broadband speed from a potential supplier.
How are broadband speeds measured?
Broadband speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps), and the higher the number of megabits you can download per second, the faster the connection.
For instance, many broadband packages will offer speeds of up to 38Mbps*, with 76Mbps seen on some superfast fibre deals. It’s possible to get even higher speeds of up to 1,000Mbps.
*Note: broadband speeds are advertised as ‘up to’ because this means that 10% of people should be able to achieve these speeds.
What is a good internet speed?
A good internet speed is entirely dependent on how you use your broadband. What would be considered a good speed for a household of two people using the internet sparingly will be vastly different to the speed that a corporate environment of always active online users will require.
You need to consider your intended internet usage before you decide what a good internet speed is.
Your usage can be split into three types:
Light Use
Under 10 Mbps
These are similar speeds to what you get with a good ADSL line, but 100% more reliable.
Ideally suited to:
- Two to three devices
- Checking email
- Browsing online (including social media)
- Occasional media downloads (photos and music)
- Occasional streaming on YouTube, etc.
- Streaming for one user at a time
Medium Use
10 Mbps – 40 Mbps
This speed bracket will give you a better sense of what Fibre can do than you would at under 10 Mbps.
This speed bracket is suited to:
- Three to five devices
- Media-rich data downloads
- HD Streaming
- Working online in real time
- Email
- Browsing
- Social Media
- VoIP calls
- Video chat
Heavy Use
50 Mbps – 100 Mbps
This is what Fibre is all about. The only thing faster is standing in front of someone and talking to them face-to-face, and even then, we’re not sure if this wouldn’t maybe be faster.
Ideally suited to:
- Multiple data-intensive devices (as in a big company)
- Media-rich data downloads at High Speeds
- HD Streaming by multiple users
- Working online in real time
- Email
- Browsing
- Social Media
- VoIP calls
- Video chat with zero lag times by several users at once
How much data do I need?
Light Use
20 – 50 GB
This is a good option for your home if you have only one or two devices connected to the internet at any given time.
- Send and receive emails
- Browse news and social media
- Upload and Download documents
- View or upload photos and light media
Medium Use
50 – 200 GB
Ideal for moderate to significant internet usage, this is a good option for your home if your family is active online, or for a small business which is not actually working online.
- Send and receive emails
- Browse news and social media
- Upload and Download documents
- HD media downloads and uploads
- Streaming
- Gaming
- Occasional VoIP calls
Heavy Use
200 – 2000 GB:
If you have numerous devices connected all the time which need to:
- Send and receive emails
- Browse news and social media
- Upload and Download documents
- Unlimited HD media downloads and uploads
- Streaming multiple channels
- Gaming non-stop
- Frequent VoIP calls
- Working in real time
- Data-intensive applications
Intense Use
Uncapped
Give unlimited access to as many devices as you need to without ever worrying about running out of data.
- Send and receive emails
- Browse news and social media
- Upload and Download documents
- Unlimited HD media downloads and uploads
- Streaming multiple channels
- Gaming non-stop
- Frequent VoIP calls
- Working in real time
- Data-intensive applications
How fast is my internet?
If you dig out the agreement with your current internet provider, you should see a speed quoted. It might tell you what speed your line can support and should outline a guaranteed minimum speed. It’s always good practice to make sure you test the speed of your broadband and check you’re receiving the speed that you’re paying for.
What affects my broadband speed?
There are several things that affect the speed of your broadband, and could be causing low internet speeds:
The type of connection
There are three main ways of connecting to the internet: Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) which is fairly rare and only available in certain places, Fibre-To-The-Cabinet (FTTC) which is the most common fibre-optic connection, and ADSL which uses the copper phone cables. ADSL connections may be cheaper, but they are less reliable and often come with slower speeds than fibre broadband.
Distance from the exchange
If you have ADSL broadband, being further away from the exchange means your connection becomes fainter and experiences ‘noise’. This isn’t an issue with fibre broadband.
Exchange contention ratio
There’s a limit to how many people can share an exchange if they have ADSL2+ broadband. Some ISPs will prioritise your bandwidth based on the package you buy, so customers with a more expensive package may be given priority over customers paying less.
Number of connections in your home
The more devices you have connected to the internet, the more of a drain this will be and can cause slow speeds. You can switch off devices you’re not using, or consider upgrading your broadband package, to speed it up.
Quality of cables and router
Old hardware can cause slow speeds, but many ISPs will replace or upgrade your router and cables for free as part of a package. The placement of your router is also important: the signal will lose strength if it must pass through walls.
Weather conditions
It’s unlikely a bit of rain will knock out the broadband, but storms will affect phone lines and freezing temperatures can affect underground cables.
Viruses/spyware/adware
Computer viruses and malware will slow down your computer and they can also slow down your internet connection. Download some anti-virus software (there are plenty of free ones) and perform regular scans to avoid this.
Time of day
Unsurprisingly, you’ll find more people on the internet during ‘peak’ hours: 6pm-11pm. Download speeds can be slower during these periods, so it may be better to download films or music during the day or in the dead of night. In the days of Netflix and Amazon Prime TV, this is less of a problem because everyone is streaming.
Looking to make the switch to broadband fibre?
Get in touch with sales@nsn.co.za for more info.
On the 29th of May NSN held a successful networking event which included over 40 new & existing partners.
NSN has been through many exciting changes in the last year and the objective of the event was to reconnect with it’s partners.
NSN’s Managing Director, Nick Shraga, kicked off the event by highlighting the marketing & sales value adds exclusively available to NSN Affinity partners, focusing on the tools and resources needed to engage with target markets.
Nick Shraga then took the audience through a case study for Nucleus Mining. The case study outlined the requirements, identified the challenges and detailed the creative problem solving that was executed by NSN in order to successfully connect another client.
Next to take the floor was Gavin Wertheimer, NSN South Africa’s Sales Manager.
Gavin went through the support structure NSN has in place for partners – allowing stakeholders to engage with the right people at the right time – eliminating bottlenecks and freeing up time to focus on sales activities.
The first 6 months of 2019 have been very busy for NSN with impressive milestones being achieved, such as:
- 100 Hosted PBX New businesses connected
- 700 Hosted PBX New extensions
- 35 New fibre circuits deployed
- 43 fibre connections on back order & planned
- 5 SDWAN / MPLS projects implemented
- 10 New partners activated
- 176 New customers added
Donnovan Labuschagne, the SA Operations Manager, followed up the sales portion of the afternoon by explaining the post sales process. This entailed the Fulfilment, Technical Services and Customer Service divisions – all of which are very integral to the promise of “Connecting you now now”and providing the partner and their client with the best in class service.
The afternoon concluded with Euphoria Telecom’s Aidan Smit sharing never before seen footage of the exciting new offering called Seraphere.
The Seraphere soft phone platform is proudly South African built & maintained and aims to be the trusted Saas PBX partner, providing a solution exclusively via traditional distribution channels. The solution will replace traditional / existing PBX without the hassle of setting up cloud services. Seraphere will also be quick to adopt as there will be no considerable infrastructure costs and no specialist skills required to implement & maintain.
Last, but most certainly not least, attendees were encouraged to complete a quick survey detailing what their past, present and future marketing spend will be. The objective of the activity was to get everyone actively thinking of what their marketing efforts are and what they could be with the support of NSN.
The survey respondents were entered into a random draw and three prizes were awarded as follows:
1st Place – R5000.00 gift voucher of choice
Gavin Strydom – Supernet
2nd Place – R2000.00 gift voucher of choice
Stacey Chademunhu – Innovate Group
3rd Place – R1000.00 gift voucher of choice
Kevin Robinson – Prosystech
The event was the first of many events NSN has planned for the year in the spirit of working better together.
Find out more about the partner program here.
We have been busy bees here at NSN and we are always delighted when our hard work pays off and we are rewarded with success in a particular market sector. Over the last year it has become increasingly clear that we are blazing a trail into the Real Estate sector. We are fast becoming the Telecoms provider of choice for Real Estate Agencies right across South Africa.
And just like our Real Estate clients we are specialists in our field and pride ourselves on making it easy for our customers to do business with us. Making it easy for our clients plus having a range of high quality yet cost-effective telecoms and data solutions has really helped us to break new ground very quickly.
What’s more we are enjoying some wonderful client recommendations!
We at Allegiance Properties hereby recommend NSN as our service provider of choice as we are delighted with the Solutions provided by NSN.
We have been very impressed with the quality of the calls, quick service response, and cost reduction since we implemented our hosted telephone system in May 2018.
We would definitely refer NSN to anyone who is looking for a service provider which can deliver such a high quality service!”
Luis Lopes – Principle Team Leader

We are delighted to confirm that NSN is the preferred provider of choice for VOIP/IPBX and internet connectivity services for ERL. NSN currently provides IPBX solutions with both fixed and mobile applications and connectivity solutions to over 21 of our member agencies. We are happy with the service, cost saving and support services rendered.”
Andrew Topper, CEO of East Rand Listing (PTY) Ltd

We have had an amazing 2018 and hope you did too!! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from all of us at NSN!! May 2019 be your best year yet!!
#NSNChristmas #SnowBusinessLikeNSN #2019BestYearAhead #NSNFestiveWishes #NSNTeam
We launched our inaugural NSN Arms event which saw 8 dealers recognised for their fantastic efforts over the year. Our suppliers, including My-Phones and Virtual 1 received recognition for the quality of services provided to our partners. Ferrin Govender received the Top Sales Executive Award of 2017 and has continued to lead the Internal sales team to greater success.
This year we have pushed forward in many areas. From new products to new team members, we have continued to grow and expand. Our new SD Wan offering has seen partners offer new and exciting solutions to their existing and new client base. Lauren and Chane joined our account management team and we welcomed Becky into her new role as Head of Sales and Marketing. With customer service excellence at the heart of NSN, it seemed pivotal that we expanded our support team. In August we were pleased to welcome Veronique as our Customer Service Manager.
Partner engagement has been at the core of 2018 for NSN. After our successful NSN Arms event, we developed a roadshow that saw over 50 partners engage with our first 3 workshops staged across the UK. Gaining new insights from our suppliers and first-hand access to new products. Our flag ship event took place at the prestigious Imperial War Museum with Nigel Sargent, Comms Dealer Publisher stopping in to complete a quick live write up!
http://www.comms-dealer.com/channel-events/nsn-gunning-bigger-wallet-share
The roadshow was a fantastic first step on our journey to ensure our partners continue to learn and share as they grow their wallet share. We look forward to launching our second phase of the NSN Roadshow early in 2019.
2018 saw NSN enter a record-breaking number of awards across the industry. As ever the competition is tough; shifting into a higher revenue bracket has meant going toe to toe with Carriers and much larger vendors. We were extremely proud this year to have received the Highly Commended Reseller Sales Team of the Year at the CDSMA. The CNA’s, also saw NSN break a company record for number of awards shortlisted for, with 4 awards NSN were proud to be attending in full force.
Across the pond our South African arm of NSN broke the Million Rand commission barrier, which gained national press coverage. NSN SA has seen unprecedented growth over 2018 and our team have been working steadily to on-board new partners and bring them on the NSN journey. With the South African market experiencing a new level of growth, 2019 is sure to be an exciting year!
As ever, the achievements and accomplishments of 2018 wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated team, fantastic suppliers and of course, our wonderful partners. We would like to thank each and everyone one of you for the amazing year NSN has experienced and we continue to look ahead and plan for an even better 2019!
Keeping partners engaged and up-to-date on the latest ICT customer opportunities was the thinking behind a series of successful roadshows run by channel service provider NSN.
Events held in Cardiff, Chesterfield and London gave partners across the UK the chance to meet and discuss prospects for widening customer engagement with the NSN team and its vendor partners including Gamma and MyPhones.
NSN CEO Mark Shraga said:
“Resellers are busy people and we are delighted to have re-engaged with over 50 of them over the course of the roadshow programme. We operated each event on a speed dating process covering off subjects such as data and Software Defined Networks, hosted and mobile services and our own platinum partner marketing support programme. This enabled our partners to get a real understanding of how to gain access to great wallet share and feel part of a wider team of channel specialists.”
Pictured:
The NSN team at the London roadshow event, staged at the Imperial War Museum.