Digital Transformation of Business Models in the Telecommunication Industry of South Africa through Big Data

The digitalization of our society leads us into the digital economy, where data has become the key resource in order to leverage new business models. The data from telecommunication providers is of a high value and enables powerful insights.The aim of this study was to explore how digital transformation of business models in the telecommunication industry of South Africa can be achieved by using Big Data (BD). Therefore, a case study with Telkom was accomplished in order to gain meaningful insights. Through semi-structure interviews and participatory design workshops,qualitative data was collected. With the help of the Business Development and Innovation (BMDI) framework, a new business model for the telecommunication industry of South Africa was developed.In order to bring further academic contribution, there was also an analysis conducted about the implications and success factors of BD for the telecommunication industry ofSouth Africa. With that, the research gap that there was not yet such an analysis conducted, specifically for the telecommunications industry of South Africa, was directly addressed with this study.