Business · Companies · 12 hrs ago
MTN and Cell C fail to agree on parts of their commercial relationship
MTN South Africa and Cell C have not agreed on some parts of their longstanding commercial relationship.
They are continuing talks, but the unresolved matters will now be handled through mechanisms set out in their agreement.
MTN has not said what the dispute concerns or which mechanism will apply, and said it will provide an update when appropriate.
The relationship matters because Cell C relies on roaming access to MTN and Vodacom’s networks, including their 5G sites, as it does not operate its own radio network.
The companies were already renegotiating an arrangement in which MTN operates a network using Cell C’s spectrum and carries some of its traffic, but MTN has not said whether that is part of the dispute.
The talks also come as MTN seeks a bigger share of the mobile virtual network operator market, where Cell C says it hosts most of South Africa’s providers.
The parties have not announced a resolution; engagement on the terms of their relationship is continuing.
MTN South Africa and Cell C have not agreed on certain matters in their longstanding commercial relationship.
The companies will address the matters through mechanisms set out in their agreement while continuing talks about their relationship.
MTN has not identified the disputed matters or said which mechanism will apply.
The relationship is important to Cell C, which relies on roaming agreements with MTN and Vodacom because it does not operate its own radio network.
The disclosure came as MTN South Africa reported lower wholesale revenue growth in the third quarter, citing lower traffic from major wholesale customers.
- Who
- MTN South Africa and Cell C.
- What
- They have not agreed on certain matters in their commercial relationship. They will address them through mechanisms in their agreement.
- When
- MTN disclosed the disagreement in a trading update published on Monday, 9 November 2026.
- Where
- South Africa.
- Why
- Not stated. MTN did not identify the matters in dispute.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
TechCentral reported that MTN and Cell C were renegotiating an arrangement involving MTN’s network and Cell C’s spectrum.
MTN disclosed in a trading update that the companies had not agreed on certain matters in their commercial relationship.
- Disputing parties
- MTN South Africa and Cell C
- Trading update
- Nine months to September
- MTN wholesale revenue growth
- 10.4% in the nine months
- Third-quarter wholesale revenue growth
- 3.9%
- Cell C MVNO market share estimate
- 80–85%
1 source
What people are saying
MTN SA and Cell C have engaged extensively on the terms of their longstanding commercial relationship but have not reached agreement on certain matters.
These will be addressed through the mechanisms provided for in the parties’ agreement, while engagement on the terms of the relationship going forward continues.
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