Story = Vox Telecom is entering the lower LSM market with “Vox Tickybox”, which aims to provide full-range telecommunications services to the informal trading sector.
According to Vox, Tickybox drives a number of telco initiatives within SA's informal communities, through project enablers like Chattabox, a community of container-based businesses that offer full telecoms functionality through an educational laboratory and a general telco hub.
Vox Tickybox also services call shops and Internet caf'es set up around SA with prepaid telecommunication services, including Internet access, voice and fax services. Vox says Tickybox services can be supplied anywhere in the country, using wireless, ADSL or satellite.
The informal economy in SA is valued at an estimated R300 billion. “Sadly, this market is not reaching its full potential due to lack of telco resources,” says Vox Tickybox project manager Paul Muller.
Vox says offerings range from standalone single unit computers, phones and fax combinations, to fully-equipped mobile or fixed containers with multiple computer and phone units.
“We also supply a fully-equipped computer laboratory for use in educational facilities and community centres to assist in the education of those people without personal access to computers and the Internet.”
The educational lab serves as a learning facility, providing students with access to the full school curriculum, as well as video conferencing and webinar facilities.
Go anywhere
“Location is no longer a problem for these students, on the back of these virtual container-based classrooms they are able to partake in remote lectures with teachers from anywhere in the world,” says Muller.
Vox Tickybox partners with existing shops, retail outlets and containers to service the community through local telco hubs.
“These communication hubs are similar to your traditional Internet caf'es and provide affordable voice, Internet, photocopying, faxing and e-mail services,” explains Muller.
“Operators in these businesses typically charge users 15c to 20c per minute to phone between Chattabox centres.”
Entrepreneurial thinking
According to Vox, the key differentiator between Tickybox and other similar offerings is that “its success is driven by the success of the community”.
“We didn't want to go into the community and sell to them. In order for this to be successful, the community needed to drive this,” says Muller.
Tickybox operates on a similar model to Vox Telepreneur, which encourages entrepreneurial thinking. Muller says: “The great thing about this initiative is that it drives entrepreneurship at all levels. If you aren't able to get involved as a centre manager, you can become an agent and sell various products and services, including phones, e-walleting services and even containers.
“The more you sell, the more money you can make.”
There are already Tickybox outlets in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, and Vox says there are plans to expand throughout SA and eventually Africa.
“Tickybox is completely independent of location. An entire Chattabox facility can be transported anywhere in Africa and be set up within a week,” says Muller.
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