Telkom
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...
Telkom Partners with YahClick to Expand Access to Satellite Connectivity
Telkom Consumer and YahClick have signed an agreement which enables individual and business consumers to make “high-quality” voice calls and access broadband data packages from anywhere in South Africa using only a satellite connection. For Phase 1, Telkom will commence with migrating a number of identified consumer customers first and launch to new customers in early 2021. This is expected to significantly expand access to affordable connectivity in rural areas nationally without access to fibre. YahClick Satellite Services will deliver the Telkom data and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) packages through its Satellite Platforms, using Hughes Gateway and Ground Segment technology. “This agreement enables us to seamlessly connect our customers nationwide. Our data service with YahClick ...
South Africans can Pay for Apple Services with Telkom
Telkom has revealed that its customers will now be able to pay for Apple content and services – like App Store apps, Apple Music, Apple TV+, movies on the Apple TV app, Apple Arcade, and iCloud storage – via carrier billing, directly from their mobile phone account. The service will be available to all Telkom customers in South Africa for postpaid and prepaid mobile plans. Using the service is simple. Telkom customers use a new or existing Apple ID and select “Mobile Phone” as their payment method in account settings on the App Store, in iCloud or within the Apple Music or Apple TV apps from their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or on iTunes from their PC. The new payment option will be configured automatically and immediately allows for one-tap purchasing from any Apple product. Telkom Sout...
Telkom South Africa Introduces Digital Wallet
Telkom has officially launched a mobile payment solution called Telkom Pay Digital Wallet (or Telkom Pay). The platform is expected to allow users to pay others and get paid themselves using their mobile phone through the WhatsApp messaging app; to anyone on their contacts list. It also serves as a cashless Point of Sale (POS) payment option for businesses. “We are launching financial services solutions that cater to everyone and that are easy to access through one’s phone 24/7 at an affordable price for consumers and businesses. Our device insurance has been in the market for a number of years,” says Sibusiso Ngwenya, Managing Executive for Telkom Financial Services. “This year we have successfully launched funeral cover and our foray into payments further deepens our strategic intent to ...
Telkom Unveils Black Friday Contract Deals
Telkom has officially unveiled its Black Friday deals – from 00:01 on 27 November 2020, available online up until midnight on 4 December 2020. In keeping up with the times and customer needs, Telkom is focusing on two areas this year: 1) accommodating those who’ve become more comfortable with online shopping and 2) big savings on data considering the unprecedented year of lockdown and resultant ever-evolving consumer behaviour and habits. Here’s a closer look at Telkom’s Black Friday contract deals: Device Term FreeMe 800MB FreeMe 1.5GB FreeMe 3GB FreeMe 6GB FreeMe 11.5GB FreeMe 28GB Minutes DATA Notes Samsung Galaxy A11 24 R 179 R 229 100 Min x 24 10GB x 3 All Channels Huawei Y6p + Watch 24 R 249 R 299 R 349 R 449 R 549 R 849 100 Min x 24 10GB x 3 Call C...
Telkom Reports 19% Increase in Mobile Subscribers
Telkom South Africa has revealed its interim results for the six months ending 30 September 2020. The telco was driven by a 19% increase in mobile subscribers – reaching 13.7 million – to claim the position of South Africa’s third mobile operator. Telkom delivered solid EBITDA growth despite a slight revenue decrease of 0.4% to R21.4 billion in the face of difficult trading conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Telkom’s decision to invest in infrastructure ahead of demand enabled us to meet the surge in demand and weather the acceleration of the decline in fixed voice revenue during the national lockdown,” says Sipho Maseko, Telkom Group CEO. Telkom Mobile expanded margin by 13.2 ptts to 29.9%, optimised direct cost to revenue ratio from 53% in the prior period to 38% and more t...
Telkom Launches Mobile Streaming Service in South Africa
Telkom has partnered with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to launch a new streaming channel, TelkomONE. The mobile operator channel will house SABC’s television channels 1, 2, Sport and Education as well as all 19 SABC radio stations. The five-year partnership, a first-of-its-kind for the SABC, is expected to showcase South Africa’s most-watched TV programmes and most listened to radio platforms, on one online platform. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide South Africans with free access to watch their favourite SABC content, online, when and wherever they want,” says Sipho Maseko, Telkom’s Group CEO. “TelkomONE will make it possible for subscribers to pause, go back into the programme guide (time-shift) and instantly watch a scheduled TV show they may have mi...
Telkom and Frogfoot Partner to Increase Fibre-to-the-Home Coverage
Telkom has chosen Frogfoot to be its third party fibre network operator as of 2 November 2020. The Fibre-To-The Home (FTTH) provider has an expansive fibre footprint in South Africa with more than 220 000 homes passed. “We are proud of this collaboration with a credible fibre provider that has over 15 years’ experience in the telecoms industry,” says Gugu Mthembu, Executive: Brand and Product Segments at Telkom. “The partnership will widen our reach in the areas where OpenServe fibre currently does not exist, meaning Telkom’s competitive offerings will now become available to customers we couldn’t reach previously. However, we will not be leaving behind our existing customers with services running over the copper infrastructure within the Frogfoot footprint.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4...
Telkom Reintroduces Pawa Combo Bundles in Kenya
Telkom Kenya has revamped its Pawa bundles to include SMS and mobile data at more affordable price points. “It is worth noting that SMS and WhatsApp communication are popular among the young audiences who have been actively at home following the prolonged closure of educational institutions due to the current pandemic,” says Telkom’s Marketing Director, Eric Achola. The bundles will now be available as follows: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f6f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f6f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Pawa 10- 30 minutes (Telkom to Telkom)+50MB WhatsApp (valid for 24hrs) Pawa 20- 5 minutes (Across networks)+100SMS+100MB (Valid for 24hrs) Pawa 20 Extra- 100 minutes (Telkom to Telkom)+100SMS+100MB (Valid for 24hrs) Pawa 50- 600 minutes (Telkom to Telkom)+200SMS(across net...
Vodacom and Rain Partnership Constitutes a Merger, According to Telkom
Telkom has approached the Competition Tribunal to declare the suite of spectrum arrangements between Vodacom and Rain as a merger – something that it believes should have been notifiable in terms of the Competition Act. The Telco says that the merger is notifiable because “the multiple agreements between Vodacom and Rain grant Vodacom use and control over the deployment of Rain’s spectrum, including the planning, rollout, maintenance and service of its radio access network”. According to Telkom’s Group Executive for Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, Siyabonga Mahlangu, Vodacom’s ability to control Rain’s spectrum entrenches its position as a dominant player in a highly concentrated market. “It is important that the effects of spectrum arrangements on competition are scrutin...
Telkom to Launch Local Streaming Platform
Telkom is expected to launch a new streaming platform called TelkomONE in November 2020. The video service will host a variety of local South Africa content including music, education and series. “TelkomONE is a proudly local and South African service and naturally, we want to host and showcase outstanding content by content producers from our very own shores, including filmmakers, videographers, writers and directors on the platform,” says Wanda Mkhize, Executive of Smart Home & Content at Telkom. TelkomONE will be available on Web, App and Streaming Box and comes in daily, weekly and monthly subscription packages over and above a free section with a wide range of TV channels available to customers from most major networks. Mkhize goes on to say that the telco is looking for fresh cre...
MTN Named Best Mobile Network in South Africa
MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa, according to findings from the Q3 2020 Mobile Network Quality Report. The report, from MyBroadband Insights, shows that South Africans had an average mobile download speed of 29.16Mbps and an average upload speed of 11.46Mbps. To determine the best mobile network in South Africa, a “Network Quality Score” out of 10 was calculated for each network using download speed, upload speed, and latency. MTN reigned supreme with a Network Quality Score of 9.68, followed by Vodacom on 5.99, Telkom on 5.16, Cell C on 4.27, and Rain on 3.74. Here’s a closer look at the mobile network rankings: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_1f1.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_1f1.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Network Operator Download Speed (Mbps) Upload ...
