Telecoms M&A to settle the market

Paratus Telecom announced this week it has bought Vox Telecom for an undisclosed amount to bring some consolidation to the fragmented private telecommunications market.Vox Telecom is the successor company of Telkom Ericsson after it was bought out by a South African group. Telkom Ericsson was the company of a Namibian business icon, Fritz Glück, who despite being disabled and tied to a wheelchair, nevertheless founded and expanded a highly respectable company. “With this transaction, Paratus Telecom brings stability to a very unsettled telecommunication environment” said Paratus Group CEO, Barney Harmse shortly after the deal was announced. “Earlier this month, Vox Telecom concluded the sale of its Namibian operation to Paratus Telecom, the wholly-owned Namibian telecommunications operator for an undisclosed amount and includes all assets and full staff complement” said Paratus making the deal public this week. Talks between the two organisations commenced in 2013, with a view to combining the best of breed voice services offered by Vox Telecom Namibia, with Paratus Telecom’s established data network and infrastructure. 

Jacques du Toit, CEO of Vox Telecom, said “the synergies of the two companies can only be seen as a positive, bringing to the Namibian market competitive, comprehensive and complementary telecommunications services.” Spurred on by an increasingly competitive telecommunications landscape presented by the mobile and fixed line operators not only in Namibia, but across pan-Africa, makes this sale a significant win for Paratus Telecom; and enhances its product and service offering by integrating a voice capability with its already world-class data network.  Vox Telecom Namibia customers will also see the benefit of a single vendor for voice and data services. Harmse said “Three years ago, we started on a transition phase aimed at evolving us from being a traditional ISP into a fully-fledged telecommunications operator.  The finalisation of this acquisition completes this growth phase for Paratus Telecoms.” The acquisition of Vox Telecom Namibia will create a diversified product and services portfolio that can be delivered to the African continent and Paratus Telecoms’ corporate market. “Aside from the additional spectrum of technology offerings we have now obtained, we have acquired something much more valuable – people and human capital,” added Harmse.
“The philosophy at Paratus Telecoms is that the right people bring much more economic value than just the products and services that an organisation can offer. Service at the end of the day is about the people that do the work. People with the same passion and attitude for the industry. Skill sets alone do not cut it” he said adding that this acquisition enables them “to take full responsibility for the capabilities and experience we sell. We look forward to being even more proficient in the future.”