Vodacom said to be mulling Vumatel stake

Vodacom South Africa is reportedly poised to buy 49% of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) provider Vumatel, TechCentral writes. Further sources are claiming that Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), in a deal possibly facilitated through its largest shareholder Remgro, will acquire the remaining 51% of the company. In an interview last week, Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said the company plans to ramp up its investment in fixed-line infrastructure, including FTTH broadband: ‘There is an over-dependence on mobile. We need more fixed in the country … We need to up our level of investment into fixed, either in the form of joint ventures, or in the form of straight-out investment, and what you will see from us is we will start to play a bigger role in the fixed space.’