MTN South Africa has shut down 53 base stations on a permanent basis due to “severe damage and vandalism”. Thirty-nine of these towers were in Tshwane and 15 in Johannesburg.
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At least 500 Vodacom base stations in South Africa are targeted each month by criminal syndicates, with batteries and copper cables the main target, the company said on Thursday.
Vodacom wants to switch off its 2G voice network to focus on newer broadband technologies, including 3G and 4G/LTE, joining rival Telkom in announcing plans to migrate users off the now-25-year-old legacy technology.
Vodacom said on Thursday that there is no reason to delay the licensing of 5G spectrum in South Africa, arguing that its urgent allocation is needed if South Africa is going to take advantage of the fourth Industrial Revolution.
Mobile money is the fastest growing source of income for network operators such as MTN and Safaricom, outpacing data.
MTN South Africa is making “good progress” in its plans to relaunch mobile money services in South Africa, according to group CEO Rob Shuter.
Financially strained telecommunications operator Cell C said on Wednesday that it has finalised a term sheet for a further national roaming agreement with rival MTN South Africa.
Helios Towers, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest mobile phone tower operators, is reviving plans for an initial public offering, people familiar with the matter have said.
Vodacom reported a 1.2% year-on-year decline in service revenue in South Africa in the three months to end-June, with the company blaming new data regulations from Icasa and a switch in roaming partners.
As part of an ambitious reform programme, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed plans to award telecommunications licences to two private operators next year, and sell a minority stake in Ethio Telecom.