MTN South Africa will allow mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to piggyback on its network, becoming the second mobile provider in South Africa, after Cell C, to offer such a platform.
The company’s chief enterprise officer, Alpheus Mangale, told TechCentral on Thursday that a number of new MVNOs will be launched in the coming weeks.
He said MTN has been working with leading retailers and financial services companies to launch MVNO brands.
The news comes after a number of big South African companies launched MVNOs on the back of Cell C’s network in recent months. They include FNB, which launched FNB Connect to its banking customers as a value-added service, and retailer Mr Price, which launched MRP Mobile.
Mangale declined to say which companies planned to launch MVNOs on MTN’s network.
Until now, South Africa’s big mobile operators Vodacom and MTN have been reluctant to offer a platform for MVNOs, leaving Cell C as the only player offering such services to corporate South Africa. That is now set to change with MTN’s looming entry into the market.
The move looks set to make the MVNO market in South Africa much more competitive.
For years, South Africa had only one MVNO in the form of Virgin Mobile.
As the market has matured, however, an increasing number of brands outside the cellular industry have seen value in offering mobile services to their clients.
Mangale hinted that MVNO services could be launched on MTN’s network elsewhere in Africa, outside of South Africa. – © 2016 NewsCentral Media