South Africa’s pay-TV and streaming broadcaster, DStv, is clamping down on password sharing. A note to subscribers on the company’s website says that password sharing and piracy are challenges for streaming providers globally. “As part of our ongoing efforts to counteract password sharing and piracy, while continuing to bring you the best viewing experience, we […]

Vodacom is the mobile leader in South Africa having grown its market (y-o-y) from 44.3 million active subscribers to 45.77 million as at December 31st 2021. This represent a 42 per cent market share. Second place is occupied by MTN which had (as at September 30th 2021) 33.51 million subs (and a 31 per cent […]

South African pay-TV giant MultiChoice is to start streaming content to Kenya-based users with smart TVs and without the need for a dedicated decoder. MultiChoice Group Kenya MD Nancy Matimu said that the latest plan to venture into the OTT service is informed by the young generation “who are always on the Internet.” “We need […]

Six telcos have formally applied for to take part in the upcoming spectrum being auctioned by South Africa’s government. The timetable closed on January 31st and six players had entered the auction line-up. They are: · Cell C · Liquid Intelligent Technologies · MTN · Rain · Telkom · Vodacom Telkom is still involved in […]

South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is being urged by the government’s Economic Advisory Council to designate the provision of fibre broadband as a utility in order to ensure access by the nation’s poor and more rural parts of the country. The president is expected to make a ‘state of the nation’ speech on February 10th. […]

Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, has ordered what is described as a “wide ranging probe” into Telkom’s activity since 2006. In the official Proclamation the president has asked the country’s Special Investing Unit to examine Telkom for “serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of Telkom” as well as improper or unlawful conduct by employees […]

South African telco Telkom has, as expected, withdrawn its High Court action against ICASA over the regulator’s upcoming auction of spectrum. Telkom told the Pretoria High Court that it will remove its urgent application for an ‘interdict’ to forbid any progress on the auction. Instead, however, it wants ICASA to promptly hear its objections and […]

South Africa’s Telkom, in its High Court action, has proposed withdrawing its objections to the upcoming proposed spectrum auction. But this might not mean a speedy end to its objections. Local reports say that lawyers for Telkom, in a letter to the Court, appear to want instead to see the various parties have a full […]

South Africa’s communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has presented filings to the country’s High Court in Pretoria saying that the government will firmly oppose telco Telkom in its move to delay the planned spectrum auction. The move is dramatic given that the government holds more than 40 per cent of Telkom’s equity which seemingly has little […]

South Africa’s media and telecoms regulator, ICASA, has slammed telco Telkom for delaying a planned spectrum auction. “The authority is not surprised by Telkom’s relentless resort to litigation, the conduct stretching back seven years or more ago,” ICASA said in a statement. “Telkom appears hellbent on stalling the authority’s every effort to licence the high-demand […]