Vodacom has pumped a record amount of capital into its network in South Africa for the second year running as it seeks to catch up with rival MTN South Africa’s heavy spending in recent years, TechCentral reports.

The company’s capex for the 2024 financial year, which ended in March, was near the record levels set in 2023. Spending in the year ended 31 March 2024 came in at 11.1-billion, only 0.5% lower than the record high of R11.2-billion in the previous year.

According to the telecommunications operator’s financial results released on Monday, Vodacom at a group level aims to maintain a relatively high capex to revenue ratio of between 13% and 14.5%.Building resilience against load shedding was a key focus for South African mobile operators in 2023