MTN
Shoprite to Launch an MVNO to Rival Pick n Pay
Shoprite CEO, Pieter Engelbrecht says that the retailer plans to launch its own mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). Speaking at Shoprite’s Group results, Engelbrecht says “Very soon we will launch our own virtual network to enhance our customer data even further”. This MVNO is expected to rival Pick n Pay’s newly launched service that uses MTN’s mobile network infrastructure to offer customers prepaid, SIM-based access to services including airtime, data, and SMS. “Mobile technology is core to South Africans’ way of life and an essential part of the monthly grocery shop. Our country has a very high mobile phone penetration, but data costs have been a barrier. We believe expanding our services to enter the mobile market will benefit millions of our customers,” says Richard van Rens...
Huawei and MTN South Africa Launch a New and Secure Payment Solution
Huawei has joined forces with MTN South Africa to launch Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) – a ‘seamless and secure’ payment method that allows users to make purchases using their airtime. For contract customers, the amount will be added to their monthly mobile phone bill, while prepaid customers will have the amount deducted directly from their available airtime. This means you can still pay for all your favourite offerings from Huawei Mobile Services without having to share your credit card details. “MTN recently reached 100 million active data customers across 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This shows that our customers are increasingly adopting digital offerings and we are continuously looking to meet this demand with fresh offerings that will add value to our customers,” says ...
Telco Vs TechCo – a Battlefield for the Future of ICT
Across the world, disruption has become a reality that is driving changes the business sectors. Included in this disruptive environment is the telecommunications industry, which is having to take account of changing technologies and the challenges these changes bring to the way the sector has traditionally done business. Under examination must be the industry’s twin roles as a primary provider of telephone services and platforms to OTT suppliers to launch their offerings to users. Internationally, experience shows that there has been an average decline in revenues per user as IT suppliers, offering focused services, have made products built around mobile and data less critical to end-users. Although some different market factors apply to the African and South African markets, we are not ex...
MTN Group Appoints New Strategy and Transformation Executive
Image sourced from TechFinancials MTN Group has appointed Chika Ekeji as its new Strategy and Transformation Executive – effective from 15 March. The telco says this appointment is part of its plans to further bolster management capacity to accelerate the Group’s strategic ambitions. “In December 2020, MTN Group announced the completion of a comprehensive strategy review with a focus on accelerating growth, deleveraging the holding company debt and unlocking value,” says MTN. “To support the execution of the repositioned strategy, we announced the appointment of a new Group Chief Financial Officer as well as changes to the Group’s regional structure and the Group Executive Committee.” According to MyBroadband, Ekeji has a Masters of Engineering in Computer Science from Cornell University a...
Safaricom to Bid on Opportunity to Expand in Ethiopia
Image sourced from Techweez Safaricom is now one of six companies vying for the chance to claim one of two Ethiopian telecoms licences. This is one opportunity that the telco has been waiting on and one that might grant access to a licence in an economy with more than 100-million people. This comes after the Ethiopian Telecommunication Authority (ECA) issued a statement last year announcing that the country would be open to selling a 40% stake in the state-owned company. In response to this announcement, Safaricom and, its parent company, Vodacom both expressed their interest in buying a stake in Ethio Telecom. According to Bussiness Daily, the ECA has “whittled the list down from a consortium of 12 that had expressed interest in entering the country’s telecommunications market”. The conso...
Mastercard Partners with MTN to Enable MoMo Customers to Transact Globally
Mastercard has joined forces with MTN to enable millions of MTN MoMo customers in 16 African countries to shop and pay online with global merchants. Through a Mastercard virtual payment solution linked to MTN MoMo (Mobile Money) wallets, consumers can now unlock a host of opportunities and shop from their favourite international brands online while in their home countries or travelling abroad. The announcement comes at a time when eCommerce and online shopping are reaching record levels across Africa. According to the Economy 2021 outlook conducted by the Mastercard Economics Institute, 20-30% of the COVID-19-related surge in eCommerce will remain a permanent feature of overall retail spending. And shopping through mobile is largely how consumers access these opportunities. Across Sub-Saha...
MTN to Sell R1,8 Billion Stake in Belgian Telco, BICS
Sourced from Business Tech MTN Group has announced its plans to sell its 20% stake in Belgacom International Carrier Services SA (BICS) to Proximus NV/SA for approximately R1,8 billion. The telco is expected to use this to pay down US dollar debt. BICS was classified as a non-current asset held for sale and this transaction has resulted in a remeasurement of its carrying value resulting in a reduction of R397 million for the year ended 31 December 2020. According to MTN, it will record a profit on disposal amounting to approximately R1,2 billion during the first half of 2021. The closing of the sale is dependent on customary regulatory approval. MTN Launches Supersonic AirFibre in South Africa MTN has launched its Supersonic AirFibre offering in South Africa. The product is said to overcom...
OPPO Partners with MTN to Offer Affordable Range of Devices
OPPO has joined forces with MTN South Africa to introduce the A15 and A53s devices. This collaboration is said to make state-of-the-art technology available at more affordable rates. Here’s a closer look at the OPPO A15 and A53s devices: OPPO A15 OPPO A53s Screen Size and resolution 16.52” with 1600 x 720p HD+ 6.5” with 1600 x 720p resolution Camera 13MP Main Camera 13MP Triple Rear Main Camera Storage 2GB + 32GB 4GB + 128GB Operating System ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10 ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10 Colour Dynamic Black, Mystery Blue Electric Black, Fancy Blue Processor MediaTek Helio P35 Processor Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon “Having OPPO’s high-end and superbly crafted handsets available at MTN stores offers our customers a wider selection of affordable devices th...
Nigerian government urged to lift restrictions on SIM card registration
A telecommunications expert in Owerri, the Imo capital, Mr Charles Okeke, has advised the Federal Government to remove the restrictions placed on SIM card registration. Okeke gave the advice at a news briefing in Owerri on Tuesday, while speaking on the effects of the federal government’s SIM Card-National Identification Number (NIN) linkage policy. He urged the government to embrace a more robust system that would encourage healthy partnership between the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and service providers to ensure a seamless linkage. He said that the partnership would fast-track the process and alleviate the “unnecessary hardship” faced by Nigerians due to tight deadlines for the exercise. He further said that large crowds of people struggling for attention at NIMC offi...
Cell C has Started to Migrate Subscribers off its Network
Image sourced from Town Press Cell C has started migrating its customers to MTN’s cellphone tower infrastructure while it prepares to decommission its own towers. “Our strategic vision is to differentiate ourselves by focusing on innovative products and services without being owners of capital-intensive infrastructure. This creates more flexibility and capacity to deliver the right quality of service to our current and future customers,” says Cell C CEO, Douglas Craigie Stevenson. “Cell C is pioneering the evolution of the MNO space in South Africa by becoming a significant wholesale buyer of network capacity and infrastructure services. It is a win-win as the individual operators deliver segmental expertise to the benefit of everyone in the industry.” In response to a vastly changed busin...
South Africa’s Best and Worst Mobile Networks Revealed
MTN has been named South Africa’s best mobile network by the 2020 Mobile Network Quality Report. The report is based on 1.2 million speed tests which were performed by 41,000 MyBroadband Speed Test App users across South Africa between 1 January and 31 December 2020. The research shows that South Africa had an average download speed of 29.33Mbps and an average upload speed of 11.24Mbps last year. MTN had the highest average download speed at 52.84Mbps, followed by Vodacom on 29.39Mbps, Telkom on 21.58Mbps, Cell C on 17.46Mbps, and Rain on 11.90Mbps. During 2020 the average network speed of South Africa’s mobile operators increased significantly despite higher data usage. This was made possible by temporary spectrum which was issued to Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, and Rain by the Independent Commu...
