It’s been six years, but Telkom Mobile – launched in 2010 as 8ta – is finally making an operating profit. However, Telkom now needs to scale the unit. Even though it has been successful in growing market share, it needs to add many more subscribers if it wants to seriously compete with the mobile duopoly – and achieve its aim of being a multi-purpose telecoms provider. And that is why it made a (failed) bid for Cell C.

Cell C’s subscriber base has grown from about nine million subscribers in 2012 to more than 25 million users now. Its network comprises 4 793 sites, and covers 98% of the population.