Says Autopage MD, Steven Blewett: 'This deal with Vodacom allows us to focus on all three networks to deliver services for businesses and consumers alike. From our perspective it is giving us the security to see what other bundled services we can offer Vodacom subscribers, such as bundled services for kids, with children's phones and ear pieces that fit them together with 'Look for me', which allows parents to track where their children are at any given time.'

Blewett is confident that this will be a ten-year partnership, although the deal was signed for the next five years, with the option to extend the partnership for a further five.

On the matter of Autopage's focus for next year, Blewett says: 'We are aiming to become a full spectrum communications provider, and will now be aggressively pushing ADSL and Internet connectivity and services into the market. We are moving away from the old school of thought of 'we will make it and they will buy it' to a very strong customer service delivery focus, giving customers what they want and the choice to make it possible. I call it ownership by choice - whereby the customer decides who will own its communication needs.'

Blewett adds that Autopage will now be looking strongly at the SME market and will become an SME's entire communications manager. He notes that it has held two major workshops in the past two weeks for SME customers, and says SMEs are important, as they are people as well as enablers to business growth.