South African Mobile Telecommunication Expansion into Emerging Markets: What to look out for

Volume 5, Issue 3, June 2021     |     PP. 53-75      |     PDF (306 K)    |     Pub. Date: May 24, 2021
DOI: 10.54647/management63072    101 Downloads     57680 Views  

Author(s)

DR JOSEPH SIGAUKE, University of KwaZulu-Natal
DR EMMANUEL MUTAMBARA, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract
Mobile telecommunication (telecom) firms often face strategic, political, technological, infrastructural, and legal challenges during international expansion. Although some telecom companies have been successful in their expansion beyond borders, others closed down and returned to their countries of origin and South African (SAn) telecom firms are no exception. The aim of this paper is to outline SAn telecom firm’s market and discuss strategic factors which enhance successful expansion of mobile telecom companies into emerging markets. This research was undertaken using SAn listed mobile telecom firms. A response rate of 79% and 98% was obtained from the questionnaires and interviews, respectively. The study demonstrated that language and culture, resources, strategy, efficiency, and competitiveness impacts telecom firms’ growth within African markets; hence their compatibility during expansion is important. Additional factors considered were infrastructural development, human resources and government’s role. These factors were observed to have a bearing on the telecom firm’s competitiveness, ease of doing business and overall business success in the emerging markets. This study recommends that telecom firms minimise these factors’ negative impact whilst taking advantage of their positive influence.

Keywords
Competitiveness, Efficiency, Expansion, Government, Resources, Strategy, Telecommunication

Cite this paper
DR JOSEPH SIGAUKE, DR EMMANUEL MUTAMBARA, South African Mobile Telecommunication Expansion into Emerging Markets: What to look out for , SCIREA Journal of Management. Volume 5, Issue 3, June 2021 | PP. 53-75. 10.54647/management63072

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