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The loyalty of our customers and the success of our
business depends ultimately on the strength, quality
and speed of our networks, and the nature of our
supporting technology, particularly given the rapidly
increasing demand for data at reduced unit pricing.
Maintaining our current network leadership and
developing broader excellence in IT performance are
important sources of competitive differentiation, and
are critical to delivering on our strategic ambition of
becoming a leading digital enterprise. To deliver on
truly segmented and personalised experiences for our
customers, big data analysis and the IT systems to
support these are becoming a priority investment. Our
IT systems are evolving, becoming smarter, with
real-time digital capabilities, able to react and adapt
quickly to customer demands and provide a seamless
customer experience.
This year, we invested R11.3 billion in infrastructure across the
Group, representing a capital intensity of 13.9%. These
investments included expanding our network coverage in 2G and
3G across all our markets, and 4G in South Africa, Tanzania and
Lesotho, as well as improving the overall network performance
and customer experience. As a result of these investments we
have maintained a strong lead in terms of net promoter score
(NPS) for network quality and network coverage in all our markets,
other than in Tanzania and Mozambique, both of which have
shown significant improvements in the reporting period as we
invest to differentiate to competitors. At the same time, we have
achieved substantial cost savings through our Technology
Efficiency programme.
best
technology
03
We will be the leading telco through the best network
and IT excellence, with digital at the core.
Vision 2020
Maintaining our network leadership position and driving IT
transformation are critical components of our Vision 2020
strategy. Our technology strategy is clearly defined, and we
remain fully committed to providing the Best Network,
IT Excellence and Best Enterprise Solutions all through
effective and efficient delivery.
Vodacom’s Vision 2020 strategy is aligned with Vodafone’s
strategic objectives and has been localised to address our
market-specific ambitions. Our technology strategy outlines
specific plans and commitments relating to:
g
g
Further expanding connectivity and transforming our
network in both mobile (3G, 4G+ and to be 5G ready)
and fixed connectivity (FTTx);
g
g
Evolving our core network through the Vodafone Ocean
transformation programme by deploying technologies such
as software defined networks (SDN) and network function
virtualisation (NFV); this further complements our journey
to realise our cloud ambitions and delivers benefits such
as scalability and efficiency;
g
g
Rolling out a national IoT network and developing new IoT
applications and solutions;
g
g
Enabling the digital organisation and enhancing the
customer experience through investment in big data
and analytics, and IT-based customer engagement and
management tools;
g
g
Ensuring customers have a seamless omni-channel
experience, supported by smarter IT systems and real-time
digital capabilities;
g
g
Customer experience management, ensuring our
customers experience the best possible quality when
using our services; and
g
g
Further improving our cybersecurity measures and
controls, ensuring that our customers stay confidently
and securely connected.
Our strategic performance
Vodacom Group Limited
Integrated report for the year ended 31 March 2017
32