Telkom Overview
Telkom is a major telecom company in South Africa. It sells fixed and mobile services and is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Revenue in 2024 was about ZAR 42.46 billion, which puts it among South Africa's largest telecom companies by revenue. The business covers South Africa and more than 38 African countries, with fixed, wireless, and mobile communications plus enterprise solutions. The mobile brand is Telkom Mobile, alongside fixed broadband, data centres, and IT services.
For enterprises, Telkom offers IoT connectivity, fixed-mobile convergence, private lines, and cloud services in South Africa and across Africa. Uses include smart cities and enterprise digital projects.
Telkom facts
- Founded: 1991, after the split of the South African telecom company
- Headquarters: Pretoria, South Africa
- Listing: Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)
- 2024 revenue: About ZAR 42.46 billion
- Business: Fixed, mobile, broadband, data centres, IT services
- Coverage: South Africa and more than 38 African countries
- Mobile brand: Telkom Mobile
- Network: 4G LTE, fiber, copper
Development History and Milestones
Telkom SA was formed in 1991 when it was split from the telecom side of the South African post office, and it held the fixed-line monopoly. It was partly privatized in 1997. In the 2000s it entered mobile with Telkom Mobile, later brought together with brands such as 8ta. In the 2010s it added broadband, data centres, and enterprise IT. In the 2020s it has pushed fiber to the home and 4G and 5G, and fixed-mobile convergence is a core strategy. Through subsidiaries and partners it also sells enterprise communications in several African countries.
Core Technical Capabilities
Fixed-Mobile Convergence
Integration of fixed network, mobile, broadband, and data center
Enterprise services
Leading in enterprise communication, IT, and cloud services
Pan-African coverage
Enterprise services in 38+ African countries
Fiber
Backbone and access fiber in South Africa
IoT Applications
Telkom offers mobile IoT connectivity, a private APN, fixed-mobile integration, and enterprise IT integration. 4G covers the main cities, and fiber carries fixed IoT and backhaul. Smart-city, industrial IoT, and enterprise digital projects are in service in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa.
Competitive Advantages
- Fixed-network base: Telkom leads South Africa's fixed network, with substantial fiber and backbone
- Enterprise market: Ahead in enterprise communications and IT services
- Africa footprint: Enterprise services in more than 38 African countries
- Combined offer: Fixed and mobile, cloud, and data centres in one set of services
Where the TDD Capacity Layer Ends and Fiber Access Begins
Why 2300 MHz can make a batch of modules fail
The radio network of Telkom Mobile does not follow the band habits of the other networks in South Africa. The capacity layer has long leaned on time-division duplex at 2300 MHz, which is LTE Band 40, with frequency-division coverage on 1800 MHz and other bands, and mid-band 5G open in some cities. Many Cat.1 modules aimed at Europe, with only Band 1, 3, 5, 8, and 20 selected, have no Band 40 at all. After a Telkom SIM is inserted they sit only on the narrower frequency-division layer, and both the rate and the usable cells fall short of a handset. When choosing a module, first check whether the band table for LTE Cat.1 includes Band 40, and whether the firmware allows TDD. 5G fits only as a pilot in a few cities. A machine SIM should still be designed for LTE. Whether a place outside Telkom's own radio coverage may roam onto another South African network depends on the specific APN and the contract. Do not infer it from the roaming experience of a consumer phone. A GSM-only module also needs a check on whether a 2G carrier is still kept in the target urban area.
Fixed circuits, fixed wireless, and mobile SIMs each cover a different kind of site
Telkom's IoT-related business is not a single SIM catalog. Buildings, campuses, and data backhaul more often use fiber or fixed wireless. A mobile SIM fits vehicles, handheld terminals, and temporary worksites. Openserve handles wholesale fiber. BCX handles enterprise ICT integration. That is a split inside the group, not a case study of an outside customer. In a design, separate "the site already has Telkom fiber" from "the device itself needs a mobile SIM". The first solves uplink aggregation. The second solves an endpoint that has no cabling. A private APN, a fixed IP, and enterprise SMS can be discussed, but confirm whether the feature sits on the mobile core or on the enterprise gateway of the fixed access. If a pan-African enterprise contract includes countries outside South Africa, those countries are usually not the Telkom Mobile radio network. They are circuits or partner access bought separately. Do not apply the Band 40 experience from South Africa to a neighboring country.
Type approval, and what to expect of the link during a power cut
A cellular device landing in South Africa needs ICASA type approval, and the SIM must complete RICA registration. If the antenna changes from the ceramic antenna on the module to an external one, gain and standing-wave ratio may move enough that the approval scope has to be confirmed again. Carrier aggregation is common on a handset and is not necessarily turned on in an enterprise module. During testing, use the lowest usable rate of single-carrier LTE as the baseline. Do not treat a phone speed test as the device figure. During a power cut, backup power at the base station is limited, and a commercial district recovers in a different order from other areas. The reporting interval has to allow gaps of several hours. Before activation, prepare an IoT or postpaid product that matches production, attach once in Pretoria, once in Johannesburg, and once at the real install point, and record whether it camps on Band 40. If the device is only a backup link and the primary path is already Telkom fiber, the mobile SIM does not need a large data plan. Heartbeats and alarms sit more steadily on a small-volume product.
Uplink slots on TDD, and what the backup SIM is for
Band 40 is time-division duplex. It has fewer uplink slots than frequency-division duplex. At the same signal bars, a sensor's uplink looks slower than a downlink speed test on a handset. Write the acceptance criterion as an uplink message on a single carrier that can camp on Band 40, not as a screenshot of a phone speed test. Once fiber is already in the campus, the mobile SIM carries only heartbeats, alarms, and short maintenance sessions. Do not buy it as a large personal data plan, and do not move all of the traffic onto this small SIM while the fiber is still down. A fixed-wireless terminal and a mobile SIM inside a router point their antennas differently. Success in an equipment room in Pretoria does not stand in for a rooftop in a town. If the ICASA approval covers only the original antenna, confirm that the approval still holds before a high-gain antenna is fitted in the field. RICA documents for a company SIM differ from those for an individual. Submit the entity documents once, at account opening. Fixed access from Openserve and systems integration from BCX use their own fault desks. A radio outage does not automatically open a ticket on the fixed circuit.