With the voice market slowing in parts of the continent including South Africa (SA), telecom companies such as Vodacom and rivals MTN and Airtel Africa have doubled down on high-speed internet, an area long dominated by fibre companies such as Maziv-owned Dark Fibre Africa and Vumatel in SA.

Vodacom wants to merge with Maziv but the deal has been prohibited by SA's competition authorities.

Asked what will happen if its appeal with the Competition Appeal Court fails, Vodacom Group Chief Executive Officer Shameel Joosub said on a call with journalists that since funding for the proposed deal is still in the bank, the operator has "opportunities" to look at where else it could invest the money.

"We will pursue fibre joint ventures in all our markets," Joosub said, adding that Vodacom had already set up a new entity in Tanzania and was working on fibre in Mozambique.

"We're looking at different opportunities and different partners, that share the same ambition of wanting to make sure that we can provide connectivity," he added.

--Reuters--