https://techcentral.co.za/ Please do not subscribe to this particular podcast channel. We use it to embed audio on the TechCentral website. Please see TechCentral's other channels on iono for our podcasts, including the TechCentral Show, TCS+, TCS Legends and Meet the CIO. Tech News en Sun, 04 Feb 2024 12:00:18 +0200 Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:54:21 +0200 30 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss iono.fm 2.5.2.0 NewsCentral Media no Yearly feeds@iono.fm (Feed Manager) https://cdn.iono.fm/files/p186/logo_186_20250908_202246_1400.jpeg https://techcentral.co.za/ Please do not subscribe to this particular podcast channel. TechCentral episodic TechCentral duncan@techcentral.co.za false ZA https://iono.fm/e/1609812 https://iono.fm/e/1609812 TechCentral]]> Tech News Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:54:00 +0200 0 0 Sample Certus AI call between customer and restaurant 0 0 TechCentral full 2:37 AI-generated content for TechCentral https://iono.fm/e/1569463 https://iono.fm/e/1569463 The tribunal last October shocked the merging parties – and the telecommunications industry – when it announced it had agreed with the Competition Commission’s recommendation that the proposed multibillion-rand acquisition of Maziv, which owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, be blocked on competition grounds.
Vodacom, which has appealed the decision at the competition appeal court, had made an offer to buy 30% of Maziv – and possibly up to 40% of the business – to become a co-controlling shareholder alongside Remgro-controlled CIVH. The transaction was strongly opposed by a range of stakeholders, including internet service providers, which fretted about the impact on competition in South Africa’s internet access industry.
Key reasons cited by the tribunal for seeking to kill the deal include:
• Elimination of a competitive threat: Vodacom was identified as a potential future competitor to Maziv in fibre. Its entry would have forced Maziv to respond on price and value, benefiting consumers.
• Vertical foreclosure: Dark Fibre Africa holds a dominant position in the upstream dark fibre market (estimated 80-90% national market share for metropolitan dark fibre). The tribunal found that the merged entity would have both the ability and incentive to foreclose Vodacom’s mobile rivals by offering preferential terms, raising prices or degrading service quality.
• Anti-competitive bundling: The merger would create opportunities for Vodacom to bundle mobile and fibre services, leveraging its large subscriber base and Maziv’s fibre infrastructure, potentially entrenching dominance and hindering competition.
Regarding public interest, the tribunal found that most claimed benefits, such as accelerated fibre roll-out and 5G deployment, were not merger-specific and would likely occur without the transaction due to Vodacom’s existing licensing obligations and market dynamics.
The tribunal concluded, too, that the tendered remedies, including a divestiture for fibre overlaps and behavioural conditions for open access and non-discrimination, were insufficient, inadequate and incapable of effective monitoring and enforcement.
TechCentral journalists will be unpacking the findings document in the coming days. In the meantime, the above AI-generated podcast overview of the nearly 400-page document provides insight into some of the key findings. Please be aware that because it is generated by AI, there may be an occasional error of fact in the discussion as AI tools are still prone to “hallucinations”. TechCentral]]> Tech News Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:06:00 +0200 0 0 Finally! Reasons the Vodacom fibre deal was blocked 0 0 TechCentral full 48:42 AI-generated content for TechCentral https://iono.fm/e/1402280 https://iono.fm/e/1402280 The new show will feature interviews with (and about) some of the leading figures who helped shape South Africa’s technology industry into what it is today.
As the show’s name implies, we’ll be interviewing leading figures who achieved great things in – and for – the tech sector in South Africa.
From PCs to IT services and software to telecoms, TCS Legends features some of the leading figures in the industry over the last 30 years.
With season 1 launching later in February, TCS Legends is a by-invitation-only, editorially driven tech show that builds on TechCentral’s credible, market-leading multimedia productions, including the TechCentral Show (TCS) and TCS+.
TCS Legends is powered by Mitel. For all your unified communications and customer experience needs, visit Mitel.com. TechCentral]]> Tech News Sun, 04 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0200 0 0 TechCentral announces TCS Legends 0 0 TechCentral full 1:43 AI-generated content for TechCentral