{"id":610300,"date":"2025-09-10T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=610300"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:02:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:02:18","slug":"the-kind-of-internet-that-saves-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/telecoms\/610300-the-kind-of-internet-that-saves-lives.html","title":{"rendered":"The kind of Internet that saves lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub has called on African governments, businesses, and civil society to collaborate in expanding meaningful online connectivity that can save and transform lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joosub said it was encouraging that mobile broadband connectivity had grown to cover more than 85% of the continent’s population, while more than half a billion people are using cellular services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he believes that Internet access alone is no longer enough \u2014 Africans must have meaningful connectivity enabling them to thrive online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Meaningful connectivity goes beyond owning a SIM card or having a signal,” Joosub said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is about Internet access that is fast, reliable, and affordable enough to empower learning, working, trading, accessing essential services, and fully participating in the digital economy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Without this deeper layer of connection, Africa risks reinforcing the digital divide rather than bridging it,” Joosub said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joosub said that achieving meaningful connectivity requires collaboration across industries and borders, which motivates Vodacom’s partnership strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this regard, the company announced an infrastructure-sharing agreement with Airtel Africa, subject to regulatory approval, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, and Tanzania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will enable the sharing of fibre networks and towers to accelerate digital access, reduce costs, and speed up deployment, Joosub said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vodacom and Orange are also pioneering Africa’s first rural towerco, building solar-powered base stations in underserved parts of the DRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Together, these initiatives could connect nearly 20 million more people and show how collaboration can unlock scale and impact,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In South Africa, Vodacom is set to take up a 30% to 34.95% stake in Vumatel and DFA parent Maziv, pending final approval from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will unlock funding to roll out affordable fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) to millions of lower-income households, including some living in townships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transaction is also expected to act as a template for other mergers and acquisitions in the industry that could expand FTTH to less affluent users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadband that saves lives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joosub provided several more examples of how Vodacom’s connectivity solutions had made a tangible impact on industries and people’s lives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n