ADSL on its last legs in South Africa

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  By   Daniel Puchert Partially state-owned telecommunications company Telkom announced in its financial results for the year ending 31 March 2025 that its ADSL subscribers had more than halved to under 30,000. According to the company’s operational data, ADSL lines decreased from 64,959 in March 2024 to 29,770. This 54.2% decline highlights that the legacy broadband technology is slowly approaching the end of the road. Telkom’s ADSL business peaked at the end of March 2016 with 1.01 million subscribers — two years after fibre upstart Vumatel  broke ground in Parkhurst . What followed was a sharp decline in Telkom ADSL subscribers. Customers connected to its copper networks decreased by more than 500,000 over the next four years. This was partly driven by Telkom itself, which began actively switching off its copper network in some neighbourhoods. If it did not have fibre in the area, it would offer a “fixed line lookalike” wireless service that ran over its cellular ...

Man United lose R4bn kit sponsorship with e-commerce company over protests

 

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Manchester United fans protest against their owners before the Manchester United versus Liverpool Premier League match on Sunday. PHOTO: reuters
Manchester United fans protest against their owners before the Manchester United versus Liverpool Premier League match on Sunday. PHOTO: reuters

Manchester United's US owners are continuing to see fallout from a botched plan for a new European Super League, losing a kit sponsorship deal valued at 200 million pounds (almost R4bn), according to the Observer newspaper.

Manchester-based THG had been due to advertise its Myprotein brand on players’ kits, under a contract slated to start in July, the paper wrote on Sunday.

The online retailer scrapped the plan on Friday over concerns it may lead to a boycott of its products by local fans, the Observer reported. Earlier this month, supporters broke into Old Trafford stadium, protesting at a failed attempt by club owners, the Glazer family, to form a breakaway league for Europe’s elite teams.

The plan to form the new league with Europe’s richest clubs collapsed just days after it was announced, as teams pulled out following opposition from fans, politicians and even players. Supporters have also begun targeting sponsors. One online fan group launched a campaign against the club’s biggest partners, including Adidas, TAG Heuer and Cadbury.

THG was concerned it could also face protests if the Myprotein label appeared on players’ kits, the Observer said.

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