Cell C and part state-owned Telkom have discussed the possibility of working together, according to comments made by the former’s chief executive officer (CEO) Alan Knott-Craig on radio this morning.
Speaking on Talk Radio 702, Knott-Craig confirmed he had held discussions with Telkom regarding consolidating the mobile market.
The Telkom Group includes Telkom Mobile, which was launched in March after the ADSL giant decided it needed to reposition its mobile offerings which previously only included 8ta.
Knott-Craig talked up the idea of a merger last year and again in April, when he said thought the future of Cell C could include being part of a “bigger group”.
In his interview today, Knott-Craig said: “Whether it will happen or not, I don’t know. In my personal capacity, I think consolidation is one way to solve a lot of the problems.”
HumanIPO reported this week Cell C had received a huge cash injection from shareholders Oger Telecom, Nedbank and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), which they said would be used to fund network improvements and better product offerings.
The network currently has 11.5 million subscribers in South Africa.
