Openserve has successfully facilitated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Southern Africa Telecommunication Association (SATA) and the World Broadband Association (WBBA) in a virtual signing ceremony attended by SATA members today.
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. “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,” she says.
Beauty delegated the responsibility of signing the MoU to Selby Khuzwayo, the Chief Regional Officer for the North Zone at Openserve.
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 have held the Chair of SATA since April 2025, when 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 formalize the relationship between SATA and WBBA by signing an MoU.
“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.
This MoU outlines:
· Expanding broadband accesss
· Supporting standardization of broadband customer premise equipment;
· Harmonizing broadband policy and regulatory harmonization in the Southern Africa;
· Advocacy and awareness creation on broadband development and related issues and
· Event collaboration participating in global industry events.
The World Broadband Association (WBBA) is a global, member-led organization that serves as the collective voice for the broadband industry. It brings together cloud, AI and broadband industry stakeholders to address and drive forward shared goals. With a mission to close the digital divide and maximize the social, environmental, and economic benefits of digital broadband equality worldwide, the WBBA is dedicated to ensuring connectivity for all.
“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 organizing global events that serve as platforms for industry experts to come together, discuss pressing business and industry issues, and share innovative solutions. The organization mobilizes 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 serve as pillars of knowledge, innovation and thought leadership within the broadband industry.