Thursday,
Cell C has finalised a term sheet detailing a further national roaming agreement with MTN, which is mutually beneficial to both parties.
“This agreement lays the groundwork for a broader national roaming agreement, supporting the policy goals of avoiding network duplication and the burden on the environment, where shared infrastructure drives efficiencies in the delivery of services to consumers,” says Cell C Chief Executive Officer, Douglas Craigie Stevenson.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cell C will be able to manage its network capacity requirements in a more scalable and cost-efficient manner.
“This is in line with our commitment to launch a business model that drives efficiency throughout the business,” says Craigie Stevenson.
In November last year, the two operators concluded the implementation of a national roaming agreement which saw MTN providing 3G and 4G /LTE services to Cell C in areas where the mobile network operator has chosen to purchase coverage rather than self-build. This means that Cell C customers outside the urban centres currently roam on MTN’s 3G and 4G/LTE networks.
Led by Craigie Stevenson, the new Cell C management team have been actively pursuing the business priorities of recapitalising the business, managing value from the original roaming agreement with MTN, and optimising the revenue and usage from the network.
“We believe that this agreement brings us closer to strategically positioning Cell C to be a strong participant in the industry and establishes a path towards sustainability,” says Craigie Stevenson. “Execution will ensure that Cell C remains a sustainable and competitive player with improved network access and quality.”
Craigie Stevenson adds that this agreement also lays the foundation for Cell C for a quicker, more efficient and more cost-effective means to roll-out future technologies, while ensuring the legacy services like 3G and 2G are suitably rationalised. Overall customers are set to benefit as we provide consumers with innovative and reasonably priced products, based on the latest technologies available.
In addition, the company has secured additional funding and the Buffet recapitalisation is also on track.
Cell C is a leading mobile provider in South Africa offering a wide range of products and services, including voice, data, device and SIM deals to more than 20 million customers.
