While the world accelerates into an AI-driven future, a profound connectivity gap threatens to leave Africa behind.
But looking closer, the blueprint for continental digital transformation isn’t found in foreign boardrooms.
It was written right here, in South Africa, through Telkom’s decades-long journey to build the backbone of our digital economy.
Africa faces a stark reality of only 38% of Africans being connected.
The reasons are complex – prohibitive device costs, fragmented regulation, and infrastructural deserts.
But the consequence is simple to understand.
Without connectivity, Africa cannot compete.
I believe Telkom’s transformation offers a great case study.
It appears that Telkom recognised early that infrastructure wasn’t just another business unit; it was the fundamental layer upon which everything else was built.
More than 59% of Telkom’s revenue now comes from data, but this wasn’t achieved by chance.
It was the result of a deliberate, long-term strategy to become the foundation of South Africa’s digital future.
The first critical lesson for Africa is the importance of fibre.
While mobile provides vital reach, fibre provides transformative capacity.
Through Openserve, Telkom built South Africa’s most extensive fibre network, understanding that affordable, high-speed, fixed broadband is what truly turns consumers into creators and small businesses into global competitors.
I believe that this infrastructure forms a non-negotiable foundation.
You cannot build a digital skyscraper on mobile-only sand.
The second lesson is the power of synergistic integration.
Africa doesn’t need just pipes; it needs complete digital ecosystems.
If you look at the “OneTelkom” approach, it demonstrates this.
Telkom isn’t just a mobile operator. It is an integrated provider where Openserve’s infrastructure powers BCX’s enterprise solutions and supports its mobile offerings.
This creates a resilient, home-grown digital stack – a combination of network, cloud and services – that allows businesses to thrive without relying on fragmented, imported solutions.
The OneTelkom programme was an initiative spearheaded by CEO Serame Taukobong with the support of the group’s executive committee.
The programme aimed to sweat the various Telkom assets by collaborating across the various business units — while still respecting wholesale/retail separation boundaries — to win more business, promote operational synergies, and drive capital efficiency.
Telkom positioned itself as an infrastructure company, providing capability to its own operations and services the wider industry with connectivity, particularly through fibre.
It delivered value and enabled Telkom to be more competitive.
“The objective of Telkom operating as an infrastructure company (InfraCo) is to grow sustainably by pooling our assets and capabilities and going to the market as OneTelkom,” stated Taukobong.
This integrated model is crucial for Africa.
In April, Taukobong championed the creation of a borderless fibre network ecosystem across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, linking all 14 member states from South Africa to Angola.
Speaking at the 45th Southern African Telecommunications Association (SATA) Annual Conference, Taukobong outlined Telkom’s bold vision for regional digital transformation.
Taukbong is the SATA Chair.
“Our mission is clear: to make SATA the most dynamic, value-adding ICT regional organisation, fostering a prosperous information society for SADC,” stated Taukobong.
“This requires bold action – starting with a seamless fibre network, a Tier 4 data centre hub, and One SADC Roaming Flat Tariff.”
A true digital stack enables secure digital identities, seamless payments, and data sharing—the very platforms that power modern economies.
“By building this internally, we have not only sharpened our own competitiveness but created a replicable model for building self-sufficient digital economies across the continent,” explained Taukobong.
The third lesson is the necessity of deep local knowledge.
A one-size-fits-all approach, imported from Europe or Asia, will fail.
Telkom’s long-term capital investment in fibre was guided by an intimate understanding of South Africa’s unique economic geography, regulatory landscape, and social needs.
This local expertise is the secret sauce that allows large-scale infrastructure to actually deliver value.
For the rest of Africa, this emphasises that partnerships must leverage local players who understand their terrain, and not just international financiers who provide capital.
Of course, the challenges Telkom overcame mirror the continent’s own: regulatory hurdles, high cost of investment, and the affordability crisis.
A smartphone costing nearly 40% of an average monthly income is a barrier that must be tackled through policy innovation like VAT zero-rating and public-private partnerships.
Telkom’s journey proves that the $100 billion needed to wire Africa by 2030 is not an impossible dream.
It is an investment with proven returns.
Telkom has built the backbone for Africa’s largest economy, leveraging infrastructure, integration and local knowledge.
The rest of the continent does not need to start from scratch.
The rest of Africa can simply adopt Telkom’s blueprint.
The digital future of Africa depends on building these foundational backbones in every nation.
I think Telkom has shown it can be done.
Now, let the rest of the African operators work together to replicate this success, from Cape to Cairo.
