#47: Vodacom - How the South African Telco became one of the largest telecommunications companies in Africa
Afrobility: Africa Tech and BusinessMarch 18, 2022
47
01:44:22167.24 MB

#47: Vodacom - How the South African Telco became one of the largest telecommunications companies in Africa

Overview:  Today we’re going to talk about Vodacom - The South African telecommunications company. We’ll explore the Vodacom story across 5 areas:

  1. South African telecoms sector context
  2. Vodacom's early history
  3. Vodacom's telco & non-telco businesses
  4. Vodacom's operating & financial performance
  5. Overall outlook

This episode was recorded on Mar 13, 2022


Companies discussed: Vodacom, Vodafone, Safaricom (M-Pesa), Telkom, MTN, Airtel & Glo


Business concepts discussed: Telecommunications (Telco) strategy, Mobile money, Internet connectivity, International telecommunication expansion, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), Cell Towers spinoffs, Rain & Telco regulation


Conversation highlights:

  • (00:45) - Vodacom context
  • (07:50) - Vodacom early history
  • (20:50) - Vodacom International expansion
  • (38:04) - Vodacom’s telco business
  • (45:44) - Non-telco businesses
  • (55:50) - VodaPay and Safaricom (M-Pesa)
  • (1:10:12) - Vodacom - Financials & customer
  • (1:19:15) - Bankole’s overall thoughts and outlook
  • (1:29:52) - Olumide’s overall thoughts and outlook
  • (1:36:10) - Recommendations and small wins


Olumide’s recommendations & small wins:

  • Recommendation: The Truman show: I rewatched this, it's marvelous, dystopian and funny. That movie is a work of art.
  • Recommendation: I got a satchel aka man bag aka man purse. I like it, it works because I typically have too much shit to fit in my pockets
  • Small win: Bankole's wedding in Chennai. It was epic
  • Interested in investing in Africa Tech with Olumide: Read about Adamantium fund & contact me at olumide@afrobility.com
  • Founders looking for funding: If you're a B2B founder working on Education, Health, Finance or Food, please contact me for funding at olumide@afrobility.com


Bankole’s recommendations & small wins:


Listeners, Operators & Investors: Email info@afrobility.com, we’d love to partner or get your feedback.


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