Telkom SA has awarded up to R 1 250 000 to the winners of the inaugural Telkom Group Innovation Challenge – a group-wide employee innovation program.

“At Telkom, we recognise the importance of innovation on a national level,” says Dr Mmaki Jantjies, group executive for the innovation and transformation office. “We took a bold step into the future with the inaugural Telkom Group Innovation Challenge.

“Our goal was to recognise the competitive landscape we navigate as OneTelkom. We wanted to acknowledge that innovation is the heartbeat of progress in this dynamic digital realm.”

The Challenge saw over 60 submissions that Telkom Group employees believed would propel the Group toward a future marked by innovation. Through a series of rounds, these ideas were reviewed until the 10 strongest ones were identified.

The 10 finalists were invited to present their ideas to the Telkom Group Innovation Challenge Lions who evaluated them to determine the winners.

“After weeks working on customer-focused innovative ideas, working with experts to refine them into business plans and presenting them to the Lions, we’re thrilled at the calibre of our four winners,” says Dr Jantjies. “We believe their ideas will be game changers for our business.”