South Africa Telecoms News
Analyst Briefing
Vodafonewatch: Indian recovery, Greek opportunity
Analyst Briefing: signs of revival in India, a new fibre frontrunner in Greece, and carving a place in the future of ‘chaotic’ IoT. Plus, Vodacom poaches rival bosses to bolster the boardroom, and Vodafone co-develops an AI-powered disputes resolution platform with a UK startup…
PeoplewatchFormer MTN, Airtel heavyweights lined up for Vodacom board
Vodacom turns to ex-MTN M&A chief and Airtel Africa CEO to fill boardroom spots ahead of Chair Saki Macozoma’s retirement.
Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: one in, one out as group completes deal double
Analyst Briefing: A positive Q1 performance followed by completion of a pair of major, structural deals in Europe helps CEO Margherita Della Valle lead the Group into a new phase, and suggests multi-year footprint rethink is beginning to deliver tangible results. Elsewhere, European towers trouble, questions of SatCo revenue potential, and AI gets physical in Albania…
Financial & PerformanceVodafone: strong start to year adds traction to ‘new chapter’ growth narrative
Q1 FY26–27 overview: Vodafone has delivered one of its strongest quarterly updates in recent years, buoyed by Africa consolidation and improving conditions in key European markets, prompting management to raise FY guidance and talk with increasing confidence about a ‘new phase’.
Financial & PerformanceVodafone rises as Africa bulks up, Europe steadies
Q1 FY26–27 in-depth: Vodafone’s largest markets appear to be moving forward together for the first time under CEO Margherita Della Valle, even if challenges remain. Germany has found firmer footing, UK integration is advancing, and consolidation of Safaricom has strengthened African contribution…
Financial & PerformanceVodafone to keep cutting costs, shedding jobs — raises ‘efficiencies’ goals and guidance
Q1 FY26–27 spend & guidance: EBITDAaL outlook upgraded despite M&A integration costs, reflecting confidence in reshaped portfolio in both Europe and Africa, supported by amping-up of widescale efficiencies programme beginning to generate tangible benefits, including job cuts.
M&AVodacom chief dismisses prospect of Vodafone Egypt takeover
Shameel Joosub says no plans to replicate Vodacom’s recent move on Kenya’s Safaricom to take full control of star performance Vodafone Egypt, but suggests an interest should co-owner Telecom Egypt shift its stance.
Financial & PerformanceVodafone Business quietly enters Group’s ‘growth’ agenda
Q1 FY26–27: B2B improvements mean division is an increasingly important part of the turnaround story, driven by cloud, cybersec, and SaaS, underpinned by deals with digital services allies.
Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: tower turbulence and AI acceleration
Analyst Briefing: the European towers industry watches on as Vodafone-backed INWIT battles MNO discontent in Italy; Vodafone reaps the rewards of early security and compliance grunt work as it accelerates AI adoption; satco SpaceMobile continues with familiar ups and downs; and more from Africa, Europe, elsewhere…
Partnerships & AlliancesBezos trumps Musk on home turf as Amazon Leo signs South African satellite deal
Amazon Leo has secured a breakthrough route into South Africa, partnering with Vodacom-linked Herotel to launch satellite broadband services while rival Starlink remains constrained by local licensing requirements.
Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: Xavier Niel places multibillion-pound bet on Vodafone’s transformation story
Analyst Briefing: CEO Margherita Della Valle’s two-year restructuring programme proves enough to convince Xavier Niel of Vodafone value; satco-telco standards need work; regional outposts promote AI innovation; more from across Europe and Africa…
Network & InfraVodacom says more work needed on satco-telco compatibility
DTW Ignite: Jayesh Hargovan warns that while LEO satcoms is reaching maturity, integration challenges remain a major blocker to development of telco–satellite relationships, delaying time to revenue for both CSPs and satcos.
Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: the making of a pan-African telco giant
Analyst Briefing: Vodacom takes a majority stake in Safaricom; Vodafone and Google Cloud get ‘pragmatic’ with a network autonomy blueprint; another Tomorrow Street alumnus picks up a Vodafone commercial deal; and we record the latest senior exec changes from Germany and beyond…
M&AVodacom completes ‘high-growth market arc’ with controlling Safaricom stake
South African operator completes $2.1bn deal to take majority control of Safaricom, including its Ethiopian venture and m-money platform M-PESA. CEO Shameel Joosub considers it more than a mere bulk-up as Vodacom looks to leverage East African experience across the continent.
Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch: Vodafone treads uneven road to recovery
Analyst Briefing: Vodafone says it is turning a page but the same old storyline persists: challenge in Germany, market share pressure in the UK, and emerging market headaches in Africa. Progress has been made, though, and CEO Della Valle is happy to talk it up.
Financial & PerformanceVodafone’s Della Valle declares start of another ‘new chapter’
FY25–26: CEO considers the Group to be ‘stable’ and ready to kick on towards milestones promised over past few years: revival in Germany, growth in B2B, and broad-based free cash flow momentum across the Group. Questions remain over whether new chapter brings Vodafone any closer to a happily ever after…
Financial & PerformanceFamiliar bumps on Vodafone’s road to recovery
FY25–26 In-depth: Group’s headline numbers look healthy with most metrics moving in the right direction, but underlying challenge remains in Germany and promise of hope from Africa yet to fully materialise. UK benefits from merger bulk-up but scale is no guarantee of market share…
Financial & Performance‘Invest or die’ at Vodacom, Vodafone keeps things flexible
FY25–26 Spend: Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub sees no need for nuance in justifying capex plans; Vodafone’s Margherita Della Valle is more measured as capital intensity programme builds in flexibility and future investment even as network outlay tapers in key markets.
Financial & PerformanceGuidance: more to emerge in Vodafone’s new growth story
Vodafone hits upper end of guidance and hopes to carry momentum into the next FY. Mid-term targets are far looser, with ‘new chapter’ strategy focused on approach rather than deliverables.
Financial & PerformanceVodacom’s IoT bet ‘still in startup’ seven years in
Group CEO Shameel Joosub says IoT.nxt is yet to break even, but producing confidence-inspiring results and (modestly) contributing to Vodacom’s ‘beyond mobile’ expansion.
Financial & PerformanceVodacom seeks African fibre synergies with SA to lead the way
FY25–26: Vodacom is looking to scale its fibre footprint, leveraging M&A-boosted South African strengths to propel expansion in Kenya and Tanzania…
Financial & PerformanceSafaricom Ethiopia moves ‘from startup to scale’ with breakeven in touching distance
Ethiopian operator is entering its scale-up phase, with rapid revenue growth, losses falling, and investment slowing to put EBITDA breakeven within sights…