Beauty Apleni, the current Chair of SATA, and the Chief Executive Officer at Openserve, says this milestone will inject the much-needed capacity to drive meaningful progress in growing the SADC region's digital economy and addressing the industry challenges confronting industry providers and customers alike, says the company.

"Through the signing of this MoU, SATA members will derive meaningful benefits such as having access to the liaison and collaboration committees that the WBBA subscribes to. Other examples of these benefits include access to the white papers published by the WBBA, as well as access to other important industry bodies," says Apleni.

Apleni delegates the responsibility of signing the MoU to Selby Khuzwayo, the Chief Regional Officer for North Zone at Openserve, adds the company.

Openserve is one of the founding members of the WBBA, which was established in 2021, and has a board seat, which is currently occupied by Dr Sunil Piyarlall, an Executive at Openserve. In addition to this, the Telkom Group and Openserve hold the Chair of SATA, since April 2025, where the WBBA participated in the 45th Annual SATA Conference, hosted by Openserve at the Sandton Convention Centre. One of the key conference resolutions was to formalise the relationship between SATA and WBBA by signing an MoU, says the company.

"We are delighted that this resolution has come to fruition within months of its passing in April 2025 and I am sure our members will derive meaningful business benefits from this MoU," says Jacob Munodawafa, the CEO of SATA.

Under this MoU, SATA members, and the African continent at large, aims to benefit in following in the following areas:

  • Expanding broadband access.
  • Supporting standardisation of broadband customer premise equipment.
  • Harmonising broadband policy and regulatory harmonisation in the Southern Africa.
  • Advocacy and awareness creation on broadband development and related issues.
  • Event collaboration participating in global industry events.

The World Broadband Association (WBBA) is a global, member-led organisation that serves as the collective voice for the broadband industry. It aims to bring together cloud, AI and broadband industry stakeholders to address and drive forward shared goals. With a mission to close the digital divide and maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits of digital broadband equality worldwide, the WBBA is dedicated to ensuring connectivity for all, says the company.

"We are delighted to sign the MoU with SATA as it strengthens our presence on the African continent, which will ensure that our conversations and decisions are inclusive. This milestone aligns with our vision of a world where everyone has access to high-speed, reliable and affordable connectivity," says Martin Creaner, the Director General of the WBBA.

One of the key activities of the WBBA is organising global events that aim to serve as platforms for industry experts to come together, discuss pressing business and industry issues and share innovative solutions. The organisation mobilises seven working groups annually, each focusing on specific topics of common interest to WBBA members, to produce whitepapers that address industry challenges and provide actionable insights and recommendations. These working groups aim to serve as pillars of knowledge, innovation and thought leadership within the broadband industry, says the company.

The WBBA hosts the next Broadband Development Conference (BDC) in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the Tuesday, 30 September. Discussions are held on rehoming of pre-owned fibre to the home equipment across Africa. BDC Cape Town, South Africa is currently being planned for Saturday, 11 November in Cape Town, South Africa, concludes the company.

For more information, visit www.openserve.co.za. You can also follow Openserve on Facebook, LinedIn, or on X.

*Image courtesy of contributor