Very first commercial GSM  fax/data solution in 1994 utilizing the
Siemens S1 Marathon and the Siemens  DSA Fax/Data adaptor






Very first commercial GSM fax/data PCMCIA solution in 1994 utilizing the
Siemens S1 Marathon and the Siemens 5132 PCMCIA  card


H.G. BOSCH & ASSOCIATES were the first company in the world to offer GSM fax/data applications commercially to customers in South Africa from July 1994 together with Vodacom.  Since then, numerous "World First" mile stones have been achieved in a variety  of applications, ranging from simple to very complex data links via GSM networks.

Since April 1995, we are contracted to Siemens Telecommunications  Div.(South Africa) to develop new Fax/Data applications for Siemens GSM Fax/Data Equipment. With effect of 1 November 2001 we are also contracted to Siemens WM (Germany) and Siemens Components Div (SA).

In close cooperation with  various networks, both local and overseas, custom made applications have been developed for companies all over Southern Africa and in Europe.

Listed below please find some of our more important achievements:


International  Achievements

First company in the world to successfully overcome the topographical limits in high alpine (Hochalpine Regionen) mountainous areas in Switzerland, offering emergency GSM communications (voice/fax/data) for high alpine construction sites in May 1998.
This project was handled under contract for Swisscom Mobile.

High Alpine Construction Site near "Alp Gruem" (1998) in Valle Poschiavo,
 approx. 30km from St. Moritz, the world famous Ski Resort





Site office at Alp Gruem

GSM signal originating from  Piz Lagalb was reflected off a glacier to a gulley
shielded by mountains on all sides, where the construction site was.



Special  Achievements with Vodacom

H.G. Bosch and Associates have a long and ongoing co-operation with Vodacom going  back to early 1994, when we were the first company world wide to offer GSM data communications solutions to paying customers.

Together with Vodacom and  Siemens Mobile Phone Div. (their name later changed to Siemens ICM) the following milestone developments were done between June 1994 and September 1995:

First successful high speed data transfer using the Vodacom GSM network, transmitting at ca. 33600 Baud on a 9600 Baud line, using  simulated synchronous access technology. We have been accredited as being the  first organisation in the world to achieve this on any GSM network, on 1  September 1994. This was also documented in the Star newspaper and the "What  Mobile" magazine.

First mobile office in a train, successfully  transmitting and receiving faxes in a railway coach (Conferences on Rail), in  collaboration with Canco Business Systems (Pty) Ltd (Canon). Again we believe this to have been the first time in the world.

First E-Mail  terminal using GSM technology, operating from Secunda for the benefit of a major  overseas construction company, active in South Africa for the last 30 years. Receiving and transmitting E-Mail messages from Johannesburg, Chicago and  London.

First company in the world, in cooperation with Nanoteq (Pty) Ltd to successfully transmit data across a GSM network using secure data encryption up to military specification. This was achieved on  Wednesday, 9 August 1995.

First company to successfully use the Hewlett Packard HP200LX as GSM E-Mail terminal and to access main frame computers, using the above high speed technique. (Documented in "What Mobile"  magazine).

First company in the Southern Hemisphere to successfully transmit radar images over the GSM cellular network, in cooperation with the Irene Weather Office. Again this is a commercial  installation.

First company in the world to successfully link up  sub-station based electricity consumption metering units (Landis & Gyr) via  cell-phone modems, therefore allowing direct reading of consumption values from  a central point.

All the above achievements were made using Siemens GSM cellular telephones and Siemens Fax/Data technology and equipment in close collaboration with Siemens ICM (SA).

We are the only company in  South Africa, who can offer the complete range of Siemens GSM data products in 2 Watt and 8 Watt terminal units