Commercial music streaming service Spotify is looking to partner with Vodacom Group accordingt to a report by Bloomberg News, in a deal that will mark the music-streaming services first foray into the African continent.
Vodacom plans to offer its wireless customers subscriptions that include a limited amount of free data access Spotify’s music library. The deal will let Spotify enter Africa after starting in more than 56 countries since it was founded in Sweden in 2006.
With a vast number of people using smartphones to access music and movies, the deal will be meaningful to the telecommunications customers. MTN also plans on having content-sharing deals with the music streaming service company.
With Vodacom having 31.5 million customers in South Africa, the services will reach a great number in a country considering the stiff competition among telcos. Spotify will compete against Finland’s Spinlet should the deal go through.
Update: An earlier version of this story did not mention its source.