How Vodacom and Circles are transforming MVNE services

Vodacom South Africa has announced a strategic partnership with global technology leader Circles to accelerate the expansion of its Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) platform

The collaboration aims to rapidly scale the service and onboard the next wave of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in the country.

The partnership leverages Circles Aspire, a product line from Circles, to enhance Vodacom’s wholesale services strategy. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in providing South African MVNOs with a more dynamic and efficient platform to launch and manage their operations.

"We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Vodacom to power their MVNE platform services in South Africa. With the first MVNO customer, Mr Price Mobile, already live, this marks an important milestone," said Sanjay Kaul, CEO, Circles Aspire.

"Vodacom already plays a pivotal ‘telco of telcos’ role, and by integrating Circles’ proven MVNO enablement services, they can now deliver even greater value to the market. We look forward to jointly expanding this success in South Africa," he added.

Shenge Buthelezi, managing executive of wholesale for Vodacom South Africa, commented, “We are excited to partner with Circles Aspire. This partnership re-affirms our long-term commitment to high quality, purpose driven, and value-creation led approach to the MVNO market in South Africa. As we continue to scale up and onboard more partners, we are confident that our MVNE platform will enable a sustainable, seamless, digital-first, API driven and faster time to revenue service for our MVNOs which is critical for value creation and sustainability of the MVNO Market.”

Vodacom’s MVNO strategy focuses on value creation, targeting three to five key MVNO partners over the next three years. These collaborations are expected to combine industry expertise with Vodacom’s robust network infrastructure and wholesale capabilities.

Circles’ MVNE technology offers a cloud-native, multi-tenant, and API-first architecture, designed for agility and rapid deployment. It enables faster onboarding, reduces time to market, and provides MVNO customers access to Circles’ suite of services, including Customer Value Management (CVM) tools — a key differentiator in South Africa’s competitive mobile sector.

The partnership also underscores Circles’ long-term commitment to Africa, supported by continuous investment in its EMEA operations and a shared vision to shape the future of mobile connectivity across the continent.