Digital Virgo – From SA to Botswana: how telemedia is evolving

LIVE FROM TELEMEDIA JOHANNESBURG 2026 Lorato Schoombee, Digital Virgo’s account manager, South Africa, talks to Telemedia Magazine editor-in-chief Paul Skeldon about the company's operations in South Africa and how the lessons learned in that market are helping grow operations in Botswana – a market that needs locally relevant content and where wifi is often preferred over mobile data. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Lorato describes Botswana as cautious and slow in implementing new features or services compared to South Africa. • The content in Botswana is similar to South Africa but requires more time to adapt due to the need for locally relevant content. • Content in Botswana needs to be relevant to the local language and affordable due to the high unemployment rate. • Payment methods in Botswana include airtime and direct carrier billing, with a positive success rate. • The main challenge is the slow process of capturing customer details due to the reliance on Wi-Fi and OTP. • The regulatory environment in Botswana is less developed compared to South Africa, with limited tools for monitoring regulations.