Author: Gugu Lourie

By Guy Zibi, founder and MD at Xalam Analytics Rarely has an industry been as celebrated as the African mobile industry over the past decade – and deservedly so. From its unprecedented ability to alter human interaction and communication, change the fabric of entire economic sectors, attract massive infrastructure investment, the contribution of the telecoms sector to African development over the past fifteen years has been truly transformational. And yet, even as the industry continues to bask under such well-deserved plaudits, seldom have the fundamentals that have long underpinned its success been so much under threat and its future so…

By Gugu Lourie Vodacom, is South Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator, and is an indicator of how the sector is performing in the country. Vodacom on Thursday published good sets of financial numbers indicating that the company’s growth is not slowing down. Vodacom South Africa prepaid active customers rose 2.3% to 28.4 million for the quarter ended-June 2015. Contract customers, excluding Machine-to-Machine sim cards, were up 3.1% to 4.9 million as a result of higher gross connections and ‘greater customer loyalty’. The company’s revenue rose 5.5% to R16 billion, benefitting from strong growth in data and increased equipment sales.…

Vodacom South Africa on Thursday published its latest subscription numbers and show just how much ground its competitors has to cover to keep up, especially Cell C that is trying to entice customers to its network. According to the numbers Vodacom South Africa published, the country’s biggest mobile phone operator’s active data customers has grown to to 17.7 million (excluding Machine-to-Machine subscribers), representing 53.3% of active customers. The mobile phone operator said smart devices remain extremely popular, with approximately 12 million active on the network in South Africa which is almost 3 million more than a year ago. The average amount of…

By Staff Writer Connection Telecom, SA’s cloud-based PBX provider, owes much of its success and customer value to a hosting arrangement with Teraco, Africa’s largest and only vendor neutral data centre provider. MD Dave Meintjes says when the company had to choose a data centre for its cloud services, Teraco’s world-class Johannesburg and Cape Town facilities were a no-brainer. Teraco currently has over 6500 m² of floor space across its Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town facilities, with an additional 5000 m² due for completion in late 2016. Its data centres offer resilient power, dual fibre routes and multiple carrier…

Buy an MTN device or data bundles and walk away with keys to your dream house worth R2 million  By Staff Writer Have you ever dreamt of owning your own house or building one for your family? Then dream no more. MTN has launched a competition where one lucky subscriber who purchases an MTN data bundle or an MTN device stands a chance to win a dream house worth a cool R2 million. The competition, aptly called the Dealicious promotion, started on 1 July and will run until 30 September 2015. It is open to all new or…

Vox Telecom’s focus on improving service delivery has won over investors who had considered selling their shares a few months ago. The company’s uncompromising attitude towards service delivery and its innovative management team are reasons enough to be confident of future growth. While many Information Communication Technology (ICT) companies flood the market with numerous products, Vox Telecom prefers to perfect its service delivery to its customers. The company – which was delisted from the JSE in 2011 by its investors that include Investec, Lereko Metier Capital and RMB – is taking measures to provide quality fibre services and other products…

By Gugu Lourie Jens Montanana, Datatec’s boss, towered again among the top ranks of the highest-paid CEOs in 2015 with total compensation of $3, 2 million (R39 million) compared to $1.77 million (R21.9 million) in 2014. Montanana’s total pay was more than that of MTN Group CEO Sifiso Dabengwa, who was paid R28 million in 2014 for running a company valued at more than R400 billion. The total pay of Montanana, who run Datatec an IT firm that is valued at more than R13 billion on the JSE, was $ 3.2 million (R39 million), made up of $1.2 million…

By Candice Sutherland, Business Development Consultant at SHA Specialist Underwriters The need for businesses to ensure that they are adequately protected from cybercrime has been brought to light once again following the announcement that the notorious dating website Ashley Madison is the latest victim of hackers. It is estimated that more than 37 million of its global subscribers, of which 175 000 subscribers are South African, could now see their personal information – including bank details – compromised unless the website shuts down. This incident is yet another example of how easily hackers can target businesses and breach all their…

By Staff Writer On the back of Telkom’s recent introduction of a range of mobile voice bundles, Telkom today announced four new SmartPhone plans offering customers three times the value of the plan they purchase. “These new plans give Telkom customers more choice as well as three times the value,” says Attila Vitai, Telkom’s Managing Director: Consumer and Mobile Services. As an example, the Smartphone Basic package allows customers to pay R50 and receive 150MB of data, 150 SMSs, and 150 total voice minutes. This is made up of 50 minutes for Telkom mobile calls, another 50 minutes for Telkom…

By Gugu Lourie Vox Telecom announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Frogfoot Networks, a South African-based Internet services company, for an undisclosed amount. The deal is the second to be concluded by the company, which kick-started four months ago a five-year plan growth strategy. Last month, Vox Telecom’s acquired Wishlist, shoring up Microsoft consulting and integration capabilities, for an undisclosed amount. Through Frogfoot Networks’ acquisitions Vox Telecom will gain a firm footing in the growing market for the Fibre-to-the-Business (FTTB) and Fibre-to-the-Home. Furthermore, the company sees this deal fast tracking its own fibre strategy by leveraging the existing…