Banks, telecoms companies set clash as models are changing
17 Mar 2011
In the next 24 to 36 months, the African continent could see banks clash with telecommunication companies, as the latter are looking for new horizons to expand, particularly focusing more on micro-based transactions, and as both industries are engaged in the quest to enhance their store values, Stafford Masie predicted today in Sandton, Johannesburg.
"Something is about to happen in Africa and South Africa possibly in the next 24 to 36 months, probably a digital clash of civilisations and a fragmentation," he said.
"As telecom companies are waking up, they will no longer focus on data and connectivity, so don't be surprised if you see telecom companies buying into banks," Masie said, adding that models are changing.
"Whenever I speak to telecom executives in Africa and SA, I can see that they are now thinking like banks CEOs.
"Stop thinking about the phone just like a phone - think about it as a transactions-enabling device - and transactions will live in the phone in the near future because the game is changing significantly," Masie pointed out.
He also said the mobile device will be able to store every capacity, including credit card, data and connectivity, among others.
"People are inheriting good, not evil," he said, quoting Steve Jobs.
If there was Facebook bank
He said if Mark Zukerberg came to SA to buy a bank and launch a Facebook credit card, there will be many people who would leave their banks to join him.
"Banks know it, but they are sitting pretty and like 'ah no we are here to stay and the Reserve Bank likes us'. They know what's coming, so they need to watch out, Masie said.
"Banks will clash directly with telecom companies - I have no doubt about that. Our financial system is far ahead compared to other countries. Our banks might also scale over the wall, and don't be surprised if they launch their own mobile phone ventures, or buy into telecoms, where they could be able to activate everything from data to voice and credit card.
"This clash will happen, and all the pieces of the puzzle are there. Don't underestimate it. It is about the store value, not platform and not content. The days of monetisation of content are over."
Be a leader
Masie urged businesses to show leadership - the capacity to lead - in this changing space, and document their failures and learn from their mistakes. "It's no longer about managing change, it is not what you sell but what you stand for," he said.
As technology forges ahead and redefines civilisations, Masie said in the next few years the civilisations shall see a phone storing all the capacities ranging from data to credit card and connectivity.
"We shall also see all music created by mankind and videos stored in one single hand-held device.
"By 2049, we could become more bionic than biological. It's reaching a tipping point and I am worried. I don't know if I should be worried because we are just improving ourselves.
"I do think that we have the dearth to transform from an expensive-telecom society to a cheap-telecom environment."
About Issa Sikiti da Silva
Issa Sikiti da Silva is a winner of the 2010 SADC Media Awards (print category). He freelances for various media outlets, local and foreign, and has travelled extensively across Africa. His work has been published both in French and English. He used to contribute to Bizcommunity.com as a senior news writer.
