Browsing: Hilton Tarrant

Let’s start at a common point of departure: the mere notion of mobile operators hoping that so-called “over-the-top” services be regulated is insanity. One can understand how an operator and its executives can think this rational, though. After all, an operator only knows how

By Telkom’s own admission, its “revenue at risk” declined in the six months to 30 September 2015. This “at-risk” portion is effectively any voice usage or interconnection revenue, which currently comprises 22% of the group’s total. It seems rather insignificant

Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko has succeeded where none of his predecessors could. Reuben September, Jeffrey Hedberg and Pinky Moholi all tried … or at least they talked tough. Since Maseko’s appointment in April 2013, Telkom has shed a third of its permanent employees, with

In the end, as we know, Nashua Mobile blinked first. The announcement 18 months ago that it would sell the subscriber bases of its mobile service provider business caught much of the market unawares. But those close to the mobile sector weren’t

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Apple’s announcement of its assault on your living room was the matter-of-fact way it revealed it. Apple didn’t need to build a TV after all (although it surely tried, given the rumour-mill in recent years). Rather, Apple announced a fundamental

Ten billion rand. That’s MTN South Africa’s capital expenditure this year. It’s a massive number. For the first year in memory (possibly ever), MTN will outspend Vodacom on capex. In the 2015 financial year, Vodacom spent R8,6bn. Now, Vodacom’s

For all the attention garnered by Uber, with given cars being impounded, drivers being attacked and politicians being confused at how to regulate, there’s another disruptor rapidly – but quietly – being embraced in South Africa: Airbnb. And here there aren’t

In its annual report for the year to end March 2015, Vodacom tries to be frank about the re-relaunch in South Africa of M-Pesa, the mobile money transfer service that has fast become the de facto banking system in East Africa. This success in Kenya (and

Annual reports are far more useful than establishing what a chief executive earned a year ago. Nevertheless, that’s about all the attention these documents get these days from journalists (mostly from wire services, given the steep cuts to most newsrooms)