South Africa Telecoms News

Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, who has led Africa’s largest m-money platform for six years, takes new Absa Group job.

Network & Infra
Egypt doubles up on spectrum with $3.5bn national strategy
e&, Orange, Telecom Egypt, and Vodafone to acquire additional spectrum under government’s new, multi-year National Spectrum Strategy, with operators set to renew existing licenses and pick up a trove of further frequencies in the coming years…
Financial & Performance
Vodacom’s international OpCos brace for imminent slowdown
Q3 FY25–26: Regional operations perform well despite characteristic ‘emerging market’ challenges, while Vodafone Egypt charges on. Warnings from Vodafone HQ of an imminent fall-off in growth seem set to ring true, however…
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch: rewiring Europe’s digital landscape
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone and European telco peers weigh up the implications the overhauled Cybersecurity Act and the all-new Digital Networks Act, reworking how the industry operates. Elsewhere, M&A in Europe and Africa; SpaceMobile ‘validated’ by gov contract win; and Turkey expands fibre reach with wholesale deal…
M&A
Kenyan lawmakers question Safaricom valuation ahead of stake sale
Vodacom’s plan to acquire a controlling stake in Kenya’s Safaricom has attracted fierce scrutiny, with MPs calling for a rethink to secure a fair price and protect against foreign interference…
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch: ‘right-sizing’ winners and losers
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone closes the year out with promises of network investment to come and new B2B IT capability; SpaceMobile looks to 2026 with expectation after ‘validating’ value in the past twelve months…
Analyst Briefing
EMEA Infrawatch: data centre financing surge; investors hesitant on Euro telco infra
Latest on EMEA digital infra: investors’ data centre appetites in spotlight with wave of new European deals; EQT and Omers reportedly firming up €1.7bn Deutsche Glasfaser financing deal; EC pushes back AI Gigafactory tender launch; more…
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch: Vodacom moves on East Africa
Analyst Briefing: strategic pivots in Europe and Africa as Vodacom picks up a controlling stake in Safaricom; Economy of Things JV Pairpoint makes steps to ‘new phase’ amid losses; and a Greek exec team overhaul completes the local OpCo’s ‘renewal’…
Peoplewatch
Vodafone Peoplewatch: tech leadership rework, Greek renewal ‘complete’
November–December 2025 update: year-end Peoplewatch tracks significant moves at the top of Vodafone’s European Technology functions; an all-new leadership team in Greece; and 20+ other senior changes across Vodafone Group…
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch: Della Valle says job done at Vodafone ‘building site’
Analyst Briefing: as CEO Margherita Della Valle closed the Group ‘building site’ after two years of sell-offs and restructures, the attention has turned to ‘growth opportunities’ — data centres, fibre, merger integrations, B2B, and space earn a look…Vodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: Della Valle says job done at Vodafone ‘building site’
M&A
Vodacom seizes control of Safaricom in multibillion top-up
South African group bets on mobile money and Ethiopian growth engines as it secures majority stake in Kenya incumbent — as Nairobi government finally cedes economic control to Vodafone cabal…
Analyst Briefing
EMEA Infrawatch: telcos advance fibre plans; data centre pledges keep coming
Latest on EMEA digital infra: Telefónica, Vodacom, and Vodafone Spain press on with fibre joint venture plans; 4iG and Magyar Telekom emerge as main winners of Hungary rural fibre scheme; Brookfield and PPC among the latest to make big pitches in the data centre space…
Public Affairs
Vodacom clears final hurdle to get Maziv fibre JV over the line
South African telecoms authority greenlights the creation of Vodacom’s fibre joint venture with CIVH. Having overcome the final obstacle on Maziv’s journey to launch, CEO Dietlof Mare is aiming to have the business “operating at full speed” by April 2026…
Partnerships & Alliances
Vodacom partners Google Cloud on AI-focused services overhaul
Telco to migrate its data platforms onto Google Cloud infra with the goal of developing new generative AI-based services in Africa, with customer service and network optimisation among initial focus areas…
Financial & Performance
In-depth: defiant Vodafone CEO eyes European rebound
Q2/H1 FY25–26: unwaveringly positive CEO claims right-sizing initiative has Vodafone moving in the right direction, and earnings largely back up the claim, but as some headwinds wane others are gathering on the horizon…
Network & Infra
Vodacom brings Starlink into growing satco partner circle
Operator gains additional backhaul and preps new broadband services using Starlink’s LEO constellation, further expanding its roster of satellite alliances…
M&A
Vodacom ‘keeping powder dry’ for fibre, data centre M&A opportunities
Q2/H1: CEO Shameel Joosub teases more deals and partnerships to come as South African fibreco deal nears completion, with more wireline infra and potential data centre tie-ups under consideration. While tower deals in Egypt are off the table, ears are open for a change at Safaricom…
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch: satellite deals, towers sales
Latest Vodafone Analyst Briefing: including moves in satellite and direct-to-device; a progress report from VodafoneZiggo on performance and a planned wireless infra divestment; installation of a new CEO at Vantage Towers; and more share price volatility at Vi…
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: pragmatic Vodafone finds subsea ‘niche’
Latest from Vodafone, including the Group’s latest subsea venture “off the beaten track” as the operator concedes transatlantic routes to hyperscalers; UK fibre challenger Netomnia chooses VodafoneThree for imminent MVNO; and more open RAN vendors shout about Vodafone deals following Spring 6 procurement…
Peoplewatch
Vodafone Peoplewatch: exec secures place at head of open networks body
October 2025 update: 25+ senior and strategic moves across the operator and its interests, including TM Forum and TIP berths for Voda execs; regional leadership changes in Europe; ex Iberian CEO closes the book; more from around the Group…
Suppliers & SCM
Vodafone elects winning quartet in diluted RAN mega-tender
Vendor foursome reel off Vodafone RAN wins as the Group’s long-awaited Spring 6 procurement closes out, short of expectations but set to propel operator towards open RAN at scale by 2030.
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: local innovation paves way for regional network upgrades
Latest from Vodafone as the Group shouts about various innovative network initiatives with partners Nokia, Huawei, Samsung; and others; M&A completes in Romania ahead of integration programme kick-off; Telenor tapped for procurement savings; satco investment’s share price soars; more from Europe, Africa, India, elsewhere…