schedule to reach over 1.5 billion bundles sold this year. According to Joosub, this positively reflects on customer satisfaction scores. By providing customers with greater value, South Africans seem to be voting with their feet- with Vodacom’ s latest active subscriber numbers rising to 36.4 million.
“ It’ s a complex balance to strike,” says Joosub.“ On the one hand, we need to continue to invest in our infrastructure so that we meet the exploding demand for data and maintain our network and customer service advantage. On the other, there is a pressing social need in South Africa to bring down the cost to communicate for people who can least afford it.”
On the White Paper, Joosub said it is important for the government and private companies to work together to find a balanced solution.“ While it is still early days in the entire process, we have been involved in a number of constructive engagements to find a workable solution to make broadband even more accessible and affordable for South Africans. These engagements are ongoing and have the clear intent of contributing to the implementation of the White Paper,” said Joosub.
The White Paper is also focused on driving transformation in the ICT sector. Vodacom believes that more transformation is required in the ICT sector and agrees that new players with strong BEE credentials should have access to spectrum. Additionally, the DTI’ s new ICT sector codes have put stringent requirements on companies from a BEE and ownership perspective. Vodacom says it is committed to achieving these goals.
According to recent speculation and a Bloomberg article published in January 2017, Vodacom is currently considering a BEE transaction that will boost black participation in the South African economy.
Without being drawn into commenting on the transaction, Joosub said:“ Vodacom is committed to delivering on the ideals of black economic empowerment and continues to explore a variety of options with the primary objective of broad-based inclusivity and employment equity. Any transaction of this nature will be conducted through a well-governed, highly-transparent process.” ■
“ Vodacom is committed to delivering on the ideals of black economic empowerment and continues to explore a variety of options with the primary objective of broad-based inclusivity and employment equity.”