Less than two weeks after advertising authorities ruled in MTN’s favour, Vodacom has won the latest round in the battle between SA’s two biggest mobile operators.
MTN’s court bid to have Transnet’s R325m deal with Vodacom set aside was dismissed on Monday, three days after the High Court in Johannesburg heard the matter.
Competition among mobile network operators, including in the enterprise segment, is intensifying amid a decline in traditional voice revenues.
MTN said in its court papers that it wanted Transnet’s contract with Vodacom, which was signed in February and involves the provision of mobile voice and data services, to be set aside as the tender process had been “marred with irregularities”.
The mobile operator, which has provided these services for years, has thus far refused to port Transnet numbers to Vodacom on the premise that both the first and second iterations of the tender process were irregular and skewed in its rival’s favor. Its refusal to hand over the services is despite a ruling in April by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) that it must do so.
