Company Name and page strapline

Overview of the Group

 

Headquartered in Midrand, South Africa; Vodacom Group employs over 7 300 people across five African operations who together provide world class voice, data, messaging, broadband and converged services to over 40 million valued customers.

 

Vodacom Group business segments consist of Vodacom South Africa, Vodacom Lesotho, Vodacom Mozambique, Vodacom Tanzania and Vodacom DRC.

The Group offers corporates a range of converged services through Vodacom Business and Gateway, a leading provider of communications services to multinationals and network operators.

 

Vodacom's african operations

 

South Africa

 

Since its commercial launch in June 1994, Vodacom has been South Africa’s number one cellular network operator. Whether measured in terms of customer figures, network rollout or product innovation, Vodacom has achieved pole position more often than any South African mobile network.

Even before most people were aware of the coming cellular revolution, Vodacom attracted 50 000 subscribers in the first month of operations alone.

Today, we want South Africa’s best customer service to be the cherry on the top of our earlier achievements. Benchmarking Vodacom’s operations according to global standards set by our shareholder Vodafone Group will help us achieve this.

 

Vodacom has racked up an impressive list of ‘firsts’ throughout its existence. These include being the first network to offer a cellular fax and data service, the first to offer prepaid cellular and the first to launch a 3G HSDPA network in the country. We even offered the first dedicated mobile network soap opera, delivered exclusively to our Vodafone live! subscribers.

 

In 2009, Vodafone Group acquired a majority stake in the company allowing us to enter into partnerships with both Neotel and MTN in implementing a new fibre optic network. Of course, we are also renowned both for our good corporate citizenship. For example, our Graduate Programme for Females in Technology and the launch of cellphones designed for the visually-impaired demonstrate how innovation in the right hands can change the world.

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

 

Vodacom launched a GSM network in the DRC in 2002. Within twelve months after launching, the company witnessed a dramatic 221% growth in the number of subscribers. In the flash of an eye, almost 500 000 customers were signed up. This achievement vividly illustrated Africa’s pent up mobile demand for the first time.

 

Vodacom’s state-of-the-art mobile network in the DRC offers affordable, quality coverage which far exceeds anything previously available in the country of some 60 million people.

 

Vodacom has built an impressively large network in a country that has more than its fair share of remote locations and geographic challenges. The key to our success is built on providing coverage well beyond the main centres of Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.

 

We have taken mobility to far out mining areas like Mbuji Mayi. People in these places are thirsting for reliable access to telecommunications and that is exactly what we are receiving. Vodacom DRC’s market share continues to grow thanks to a culture of continual innovation. For example, Vodacom DRC recently launched per second billing and lower denomination vouchers, both of which have been extremely well received.

 

Lesotho

 

Vodacom Lesotho was the first operation the company committed to outside of South Africa’s borders, launching in the mountain kingdom in 1996. Despite the fact that Lesotho is a tiny country, it remains at the forefront of mobile developments that are changing the face of the world's communications landscape.

While the Lesotho market is expected to remain relatively small, Vodacom has nonetheless maintained its estimated 80% market share and continues to show respectable growth in this market.

 

While it may be small, Lesotho certainly thinks big. To illustrate, the company’s total number of roaming partners is now sitting at 164 partner networks in 73 countries.

 

Mozambique

 

Launched in 2003 after a record three month network roll-out, Vodacom Mozambique connected nearly 60 000 customers in its first three months of existence. Vodacom owns an 85% stake in Vodacom Mozambique, with the remaining 15% being held by local investors.

 

Less than three years ago, the company was issued with a 3G licence, bringing it up to date on that growing African commodity – high speed mobile Internet access. Access to 3G means that Vodacom Mozambique continues to grow its customer base, with well over 1.4 million customers signed up and a market share that is upwards of 43%.

 

Tanzania

 

Vodacom’s biggest success story outside of SA, Vodacom Tanzania was launched in 2000. This jewel in the Vodacom continental crown remains the largest of Vodacom’s operations outside of its home market of South Africa.

 

Vodacom Tanzania is that nation’s leading cellular network and offers state-of-the-art GSM communication services to more than 8.5 million customers across the nation.

 

Going live in August of 2000, the operator had more than 50 000 subscribers connected by the end of that year. By 2003, Vodacom Tanzania's network covered an area twice the size of Belgium and delivered services to more than 500 000 customers.

 

These services are delivered via a state-of-the-art network that offers GSM, GPRS, EDGE and 3G with HSDPA, as well as WiMAX 802.16d in several major cities, covering 70% of business premises.

 

The biggest recent highlight for the company has been the launch of its Vodafone M-PESA money transfer service. This opens up the potential for delivering banking services to the unbanked masses and enables Tanzanians who need to send money anywhere in the country to do so via mobile phone.

 

Of course, the single biggest high achieved by Vodacom Tanzania has to be delivering coverage to the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. In fact, at 5 895 metres, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest point on the planet covered by GSM – and it is Vodacom Tanzania that delivers it!