TechCentral

Boasting 1.6 million subscribers after less than three years in the market, Capitec Connect has quickly become South Africa’s largest MVNO – and it has an ambitious plan for further growth.

Dalene Steyn, head of Capitec Connect, tells the TechCentral Show (TCS) that the MVNO – or mobile virtual network operator – market in South Africa is poised for further expansion as banks, retailers and other brands muscle into the mobile business through wholesale partnerships with network operators.

According to Steyn, although Capitec Connect is not a loss leader for the bank, the focus for now is building a critical mass of subscribers from Capitec Bank’s customer base – Capitec Connect users must be bank clients to sign up for the service.

In the interview, Steyn tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:

• Why Capitec Connect recently cut its prices, matching another MVNO, Afrihost AirMobile, as the cheapest MVNO provider in South Africa – spoiler: it’s all about building scale;

• Why Capitec is pulling ahead in the MVNO market and how big the bank wants to be in mobile – and why it’s so important to its business;

• Capitec Connect’s plans to introduce post-paid contracts later this year and how this aligns with its push into business banking services;

• The company’s plans for device financing;

• Its relationship with Cell C, whose network it uses to provide mobile services to its clients, and why it’s pleased with the relationship; and

• The unconfirmed market talk that Capitec might buy a strategic equity stake in Cell C.

Don’t miss the discussion! TechCentral

Boasting 1.6 million subscribers after less than three years in the market, Capitec Connect has quickly become South Africa’s largest MVNO – and it has an ambitious plan for further growth.

Dalene Steyn, head of Capitec Connect, tells the TechCentral Show (TCS) that the MVNO – or mobile virtual network operator – market in South Africa is poised for further expansion as banks, retailers and other brands muscle into the mobile business through wholesale partnerships with network operators.

According to Steyn, although Capitec Connect is not a loss leader for the bank, the focus for now is building a critical mass of subscribers from Capitec Bank’s customer base – Capitec Connect users must be bank clients to sign up for the service.

In the interview, Steyn tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:

• Why Capitec Connect recently cut its prices, matching another MVNO, Afrihost AirMobile, as the cheapest MVNO provider in South Africa – spoiler: it’s all about building scale;

• Why Capitec is pulling ahead in the MVNO market and how big the bank wants to be in mobile – and why it’s so important to its business;

• Capitec Connect’s plans to introduce post-paid contracts later this year and how this aligns with its push into business banking services;

• The company’s plans for device financing;

• Its relationship with Cell C, whose network it uses to provide mobile services to its clients, and why it’s pleased with the relationship; and

• The unconfirmed market talk that Capitec might buy a strategic equity stake in Cell C.

Don’t miss the discussion!

Schalk Visser has worked in telecommunications for more than 20 years, first at Telkom, then at Vodacom and now at Cell C, where he has served as chief information and technology officer since 2020.

Visser, an engineer, joined Cell C 13 years ago – during the tenure of former CEO Alan Knott-Craig – as an executive in the company’s programme management office, where he helped lead a renewal of its radio access network.

TechCentral’s guest in the latest episode of the publication’s Meet the CIO podcast, Visser tells host Duncan McLeod about his career journey in telecoms before delving into his work in helping transform Cell C’s technology stack – with a focus on recent years as the operator moved to shut down its own radio access network in favour of partnerships with other mobile operators.

In the interview, Visser chats about:

• Where his interest in technology began;

• His time with Telkom and Vodacom, including his experience helping build Vodacom’s network in Mozambique;

• The changes that have occurred at Cell C in recent years and why they’re significant – including a look at the network partnership with MTN and Vodacom, and what that’s allowed the company to do differently;

• His day-to-day role as head of technology at Cell C;

• The role of technology in supporting what is essentially a technology business;

• The changes he has brought to Cell C’s technology stack and why;

• The recent ransomware attack – what happened, and what’s been done to address it; and

• What’s exciting him about what’s coming down the line in telecoms technology.

Don’t miss a great interview! TechCentral

Meet the CIO | Schalk Visser on Cell C’s big pivot

Schalk Visser has worked in telecommunications for more than 20 years, first at Telkom, then at Vodacom and now at Cell C, where he has served as chief information and technology officer since 2020.

Visser, an engineer, joined Cell C 13 years ago – during the tenure of former CEO Alan Knott-Craig – as an executive in the company’s programme management office, where he helped lead a renewal of its radio access network.

TechCentral’s guest in the latest episode of the publication’s Meet the CIO podcast, Visser tells host Duncan McLeod about his career journey in telecoms before delving into his work in helping transform Cell C’s technology stack – with a focus on recent years as the operator moved to shut down its own radio access network in favour of partnerships with other mobile operators.

In the interview, Visser chats about:

• Where his interest in technology began;

• His time with Telkom and Vodacom, including his experience helping build Vodacom’s network in Mozambique;

• The changes that have occurred at Cell C in recent years and why they’re significant – including a look at the network partnership with MTN and Vodacom, and what that’s allowed the company to do differently;

• His day-to-day role as head of technology at Cell C;

• The role of technology in supporting what is essentially a technology business;

• The changes he has brought to Cell C’s technology stack and why;

• The recent ransomware attack – what happened, and what’s been done to address it; and

• What’s exciting him about what’s coming down the line in telecoms technology.

Don’t miss a great interview! TechCentral

Cape Town-based fintech start-up Stitch last month caught the attention of many people when it announced it was raising R1-billion (US$55-million) in a significant series-B funding round.

Co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round, which was led by QED Investors with participation from a range of new and existing investors.

The latest round brings Stitch’s total funding to date to nearly R2-billion, or $107-million.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pillay unpacks:

• His background and why and how Stitch was founded;

• How well-known South African comedian Trevor Noah became one of the participating funders in the latest funding round;

• What Stitch is doing differently to other fintech and payment start-ups that has allowed to raise the quantum of funding that it has;

• The significance of Stitch’s recent acquisition of Exipay – and why it’s important for Stitch to be a player in the in-person payments market;

• Stitch’s plans in the cryptocurrency space; and

• Why the company is focused (for now) on the South African market.

Don’t miss a great discussion! TechCentral

Cape Town-based fintech start-up Stitch last month caught the attention of many people when it announced it was raising R1-billion (US$55-million) in a significant series-B funding round.

Co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round, which was led by QED Investors with participation from a range of new and existing investors.

The latest round brings Stitch’s total funding to date to nearly R2-billion, or $107-million.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pillay unpacks:

• His background and why and how Stitch was founded;

• How well-known South African comedian Trevor Noah became one of the participating funders in the latest funding round;

• What Stitch is doing differently to other fintech and payment start-ups that has allowed to raise the quantum of funding that it has;

• The significance of Stitch’s recent acquisition of Exipay – and why it’s important for Stitch to be a player in the in-person payments market;

• Stitch’s plans in the cryptocurrency space; and

• Why the company is focused (for now) on the South African market.

Don’t miss a great discussion!

Networking equipment wholesaler Switchcom Distribution has partnered with Huawei Technologies to bring new offerings to the South African market and elsewhere in Africa.

In the first episode of this series, Switchcom national sales manager Lynton Brits and Huawei account manager Tanki Lebatla told TCS+ about the rationale behind the partnership and some of the networking and backup power equipment the companies have on offer. That video is available here.

In this second episode of the series, Brits is back on TCS+, this time accompanied by Jan Keyser, CEO of Konnekt SP, a provider of networking solutions to small and medium enterprises.

In this episode of TCS+, Brits and Keyser delve into:

• Why networking solutions providers and small and medium enterprises are draw to the Huawei networking eKit distributed by Switchcom;

• The different types of networking equipment that comes with the eKit solution;

• The software support Huawei provides to make network configuration easier for engineers using the eKit;

• The advantages of purchasing a homogenous solution from the same brand in making network configuration easier for installers; and

• Tools for managing the software-defined networks deployed using the eKit as customer need evolve over time.

This insightful conversation is not to be missed, especially for SMEs looking for networking solutions and the vendors who install them. TechCentral

Networking equipment wholesaler Switchcom Distribution has partnered with Huawei Technologies to bring new offerings to the South African market and elsewhere in Africa.

In the first episode of this series, Switchcom national sales manager Lynton Brits and Huawei account manager Tanki Lebatla told TCS+ about the rationale behind the partnership and some of the networking and backup power equipment the companies have on offer. That video is available here.

In this second episode of the series, Brits is back on TCS+, this time accompanied by Jan Keyser, CEO of Konnekt SP, a provider of networking solutions to small and medium enterprises.

In this episode of TCS+, Brits and Keyser delve into:

• Why networking solutions providers and small and medium enterprises are draw to the Huawei networking eKit distributed by Switchcom;

• The different types of networking equipment that comes with the eKit solution;

• The software support Huawei provides to make network configuration easier for engineers using the eKit;

• The advantages of purchasing a homogenous solution from the same brand in making network configuration easier for installers; and

• Tools for managing the software-defined networks deployed using the eKit as customer need evolve over time.

This insightful conversation is not to be missed, especially for SMEs looking for networking solutions and the vendors who install them.

Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Tiffany Dunsdon – at the time CEO of JSE-listed Adapt IT – found herself having to fend off an unwanted takeover bid from Huge Group.

Dunsdon did not feel the deal made much sense for Adapt IT – a fast-growing enterprise software services provider whose share price, like many others at the time, had been knocked lower by the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

The Huge Group approach was opportunistic, said Dunsdon.

So, instead of entertaining the approach from Huge Group, she set about engineering a very different deal: one involving Canadian-listed Constellation Software: Constellation subsidiary Volaris Group would buy out Adapt IT and delist it from the JSE.

Dunsdon, who was recently appointed as acquiring group leader at Omegro – a portfolio company within Volaris Group that houses Adapt IT – joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show for an update following the conclusion of the sale.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Dunsdon also discusses:

• Adapt IT’s performance since its acquisition and delisting;

• The Huge Group hostile approach and how that played out inside Adapt IT;

• The timeline of events that led to the acquisition by Volaris Group; and

• What’s next for Adapt IT and Omegro.

Don’t miss the conversation! TechCentral

Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Tiffany Dunsdon – at the time CEO of JSE-listed Adapt IT – found herself having to fend off an unwanted takeover bid from Huge Group.

Dunsdon did not feel the deal made much sense for Adapt IT – a fast-growing enterprise software services provider whose share price, like many others at the time, had been knocked lower by the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

The Huge Group approach was opportunistic, said Dunsdon.

So, instead of entertaining the approach from Huge Group, she set about engineering a very different deal: one involving Canadian-listed Constellation Software: Constellation subsidiary Volaris Group would buy out Adapt IT and delist it from the JSE.

Dunsdon, who was recently appointed as acquiring group leader at Omegro – a portfolio company within Volaris Group that houses Adapt IT – joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show for an update following the conclusion of the sale.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Dunsdon also discusses:

• Adapt IT’s performance since its acquisition and delisting;

• The Huge Group hostile approach and how that played out inside Adapt IT;

• The timeline of events that led to the acquisition by Volaris Group; and

• What’s next for Adapt IT and Omegro.

Don’t miss the conversation!