Telkom, Vodacom and Absa have entered into a strategic alliance aimed at the development and marketing of communications and banking solutions between the three.
A statement says that while this is not an exclusive arrangement, the alliance is intended to grow the customer base of each company through the cross-selling and up-selling of their different products and services to each other`s subscriber bases.
The three companies offer lifestyle products and services to residential customers, and business solutions. The companies say the alliance creates a competitive opportunity within the marketplace, through the bundling of products and services that will suit different customer profiles.
"Telkom is very excited to be part of this alliance, and it is likely to bring significant benefits for our customers as we harness the synergies of each partner and develop innovative solutions," says Randall Seidl, Telkom`s managing executive of corporate and global markets.
Working teams representing product development and communication have been established, and the alliance is expected to retain a competitive first-to-market advantage.
Seidl says Telkom will look at customising a range of products and services, and bundling these with complementary services from its partners. A number of market segments will be covered by focusing on data services (ISDN and ADSL), value-added services, Smartmoves, Telkom Internet services (fixed and satellite), PrepaidFone, Phonecards, PABXs, Primenet and fixed-mobile solutions.
Vodacom and Absa have already launched a location-based service where the bank`s customers can locate the nearest branch or ATM using their cellphones.
"For us this partnership is about translating the technological convergence between telecommunications and banking into practical value-adding services to benefit and empower our customers such as cellphone banking," says Mthobi Tyamzashe, Vodacom`s group executive of corporate affairs.
Absa Group executive director, Louis von Zeuner, says corporate social investment (CSI) has always formed part of Absa`s business model.
"This alliance creates opportunities for further social investment, procurement and delivery of products and services that are not only affordable but are also customer-centric in nature, in line with our quest to give back to our communities. Black economic empowerment and future Pan-African expansions are some of the joint initiatives that are part of the alliance`s focus area," he says.
The foundations of the alliance companies have already forged a partnership to drive CSI in the ICT sector, having pledged an initial R1.5 million annually to maths and science education and sector-related social upliftment projects.
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