MTN and Cell C Fail to Agree on Commercial Terms

The two operators have not reached agreement on certain matters in their commercial relationship, MTN disclosed in its trading update.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Telecommunications

MTN and Cell C Fail to Agree on Commercial Terms

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MTN South Africa and Cell C have not reached agreement on certain matters in their commercial relationship, MTN disclosed in a trading update for the nine months to September. MTN did not say which matters are in dispute or which mechanism will apply to resolve them.

Why it matters

Cell C relies on roaming agreements with MTN and Vodacom because it does not run its own radio network, so the terms of its commercial relationship with MTN directly shape its network access. The disclosure comes as Cell C's wholesale business grows fastest among its segments.

MTN South Africa's wholesale revenue rose 10.4% over the nine months, though growth slowed to 3.9% in the third quarter. Cell C's wholesale division grew revenue 20% to R1.76-billion in the year to May, with 5.71 million MVNO lines on its network.

The players

MTN South Africa

MTN South Africa is the local arm of the MTN Group, one of Africa's largest mobile operators, and builds and operates the radio network on which Cell C's traffic runs.

Cell C

Cell C is a South African mobile operator that does not run its own radio network and instead relies on roaming agreements with MTN and Vodacom.

The details

MTN builds and operates a radio access network that runs on Cell C's spectrum and carries Cell C's prepaid and MVNO traffic, receiving access to a portion of that spectrum, which it pools with its own, in exchange for operating the network. The parties' disputed matters will be addressed through mechanisms provided for in their agreement.

May 2025 to May 2026: Cell C's wholesale division grew revenue 20% to R1.76-billion.
9 November 2026: MTN disclosed that it had failed to agree on certain matters with Cell C.

Roadmap

Cell C holds an estimated 80-85% of South Africa's MVNO market, making its roaming arrangements with MTN and Vodacom central to the country's wholesale mobile sector. The disagreement arrives as MTN and Vodacom are constrained from competing for MVNO hosting, according to analyst Mendes.

Cell C customers depend on roaming access to MTN's network, so any unresolved dispute over those terms could eventually affect service coverage and pricing for prepaid and MVNO users. The outcome will determine how reliably Cell C's subscribers can reach the network they pay for.

The takeaway

The disagreement shows how much of South Africa's mobile market depends on a small number of commercial agreements between operators. Watch for MTN's promised further update to learn which matters are in dispute and how they will be resolved.