Vodacom Business has launched Local Breakout (LBO) in South Africa, significantly enhancing its managed IoT connectivity platform. The upgraded offering delivers faster speeds, lower latency and improved regulatory compliance for enterprise customers.
With LBO, global SIM traffic is now routed locally within South Africa, bypassing the international gateways typically used in traditional SIM routing. This shift dramatically improves network performance and responsiveness, with preliminary tests showing latency reductions and speed improvements of up to eight times in certain technology environments. Time-sensitive applications such as fleet tracking, real-time communications, video surveillance, alarm systems, and asset monitoring stand to benefit the most from the enhanced responsiveness enabled by LBO.
“This advancement addresses critical connectivity challenges in industries where speed, security and reliability are non-negotiable,” says Videsha Proothveerajh, Director of Vodacom Business. “Sectors such as government, financial services, and security can now operate with greater efficiency and confidence.”
LBO also strengthens regulatory compliance by ensuring that data remains within South Africa’s borders. This is particularly vital for government tenders involving vehicle tracking and for financial services, where Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance prohibits the use of SIMs that route traffic internationally. While encrypted end-to-end transmission is often used, it can introduce latency and compatibility issues with legacy point-of-sale (POS) devices. As such, LBO offers a more practical alternative for many businesses.
Vodacom Business’s managed IoT services are powered by Vodafone IoT’s Global Data Service Platform (GDSP), one of the world’s largest managed IoT connectivity platforms with over 215 million connections.
Ross Hickey, CEO of Trinity, a Vodacom Business customer says, “As device networks grow, organisations need more than basic connectivity. We need full visibility, control, and redundancy to ensure seamless operations. GDSP simplifies device management, automates tasks, secures data flow, and optimises costs by allowing us to select the best data plans across networks and geographies.”
GDSP also supports digital transformation by ensuring compliance with local regulations and safeguarding devices across geographies. Its intuitive web interface, accessible from anywhere, offers real-time insights, alerts, and diagnostics to monitor and resolve performance issues. Businesses can remotely manage SIMs, scale easily by adding new devices, and benefit from anti-theft features and automatic network switching. While smart SIM management enables businesses to pay only for what they use, GDSP’s Single SIM technology keeps critical systems online, even when one network fails.
“As Africa accelerates its digital transformation, secure and reliable IoT connectivity is essential for driving innovation. Vodacom Business’ enhanced GDSP offering, backed by Vodafone IoT’s global expertise, empowers businesses across industries – enabling smarter, more sustainable operations and connecting everyone to a better future,” concludes Proothveerajh.
