Lunga Siyo - Afrikan Heroes

Telkom to Support Sustainable Development for MVNOs

January 18, 2023

Lunga Siyo, CEO: Consumer and Small Business, Telkom

Leading South African mobile network provider Telkom is the latest operator to announce plans to enable mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) partnerships on its network.

Telkom has leveraged its extensive network footprint across South Africa to offer MVNOs the opportunity to provide quality services over its network – thereby enhancing the much-needed competition in the telecoms space.

Telkom believes partnering with MVNOs will enable them to deliver their propositions to selected target markets effectively.

” With a best-in-class network, we believe that such partnerships will help create jobs, create a path into the industry for smaller players, and ultimately contribute to the growth of our digital economy, “says Lunga Siyo, CEO: Consumer and Small Business, Telkom.

“Telkom is committed to ensuring that MVNOs providing services over its network are sustainable,” Siyo adds.

The MVNO partnerships are in line with spectrum-license requirements set by ICASA to benefit historically disadvantaged groups. Telkom plans to take a considered approach to support commercially viable MNO-MVNO partnerships.

“We aim to have our first MVNO go live this year,” says Siyo. “Through the launch of MVNO partnerships, we look forward to unlocking greater competition in the sector and helping emerging MVNOs provides value for their customers.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Telkom Partners MTN, Expands Roaming Capacity

November 8, 2021

One of South Africa’s leading telecommunications firms, Telkom has included rival MTN Group as roaming partner. Telkom announced that its customers now have access to three networks following the group’s recent addition of telecom giant MTN as a roaming partner. The Telco operates a network of approximately 6,900 base stations & continues to expand this footprint. It entered into an agreement with Vodacom South Africa for 2G, 3G and 4G services in December 2018. In this latest agreement, effective 1 November 2021, MTN South Africa has been added for the provision of 2G, 3G & 4G services.

According to Lunga Siyo, CEO of Telkom Consumer, this innovative approach to network deployment allows Telkom to give customers the best coverage the country has to offer whether on the Telkom network or through network partners.

“The access to MTN South Africa’s 2G, 3G and 4G network adds coverage while reducing Telkom’s overall roaming costs,” says Siyo. “The addition of a second roaming partner is well within our current roaming spend.”

“We remain on course with our plan to progressively reduce our roaming costs over time,” he continued. Seamless handovers are an integral part of Telkom’s multi-partner approach.

“Telkom customers will continue to enjoy a seamless handover of calls between Telkom and both roaming partners,” Siyo concluded.

Telkom Brings “Most Technically Advanced Elections” to South Africa.

Telkom says that this year’s municipal elections have been the most technologically advanced in the history of the Rainbow Nation.

The firm provides the voice and data network backbone for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), to allow for the collation and reporting of votes across the country, and this year Telkom has.

“The people of South Africa are dependent on our connectivity to make their votes count. It all boils down to the technologies we deploy to service the electorate and the IEC, regardless of where voting is taking place” says Managing Executive of Converged Communications at Telkom-owned BCX, Prashil Gareeb.

“Telkom has been helping to bring democracy to the people since our first democratic elections in 1994. In that time, we have helped to facilitate six national elections and five municipal polls. We have come a long way over this time,” say Gareeb.

New technologies utilised during the 2021 municipal elections included: Telkom’s fibre network, broadband wireless access including 4G, microwave and satellite and next-generation Wi-Fi 6.