South Africa ICT

With a large youth population and growing network penetration, Africa has demonstrated its ability to innovate and technologically leapfrog mature markets.

Telecoms companies in South Africa are gearing up to improve mobile broadband services following the launch of the country’s first 5G trials, although sector regulations may delay rollout in the near future.

While the expansion of mobile broadband and fibre-optic networks are driving growth of ICT services in South Africa, additional infrastructure investment will be needed to keep pace with rapidly rising market demand.  

The government is in the final stages of its review on the ICT sector in South Africa after the publication of a discussion paper in November, prior to the launch of a set of policy recommendations early next year. 

Competition on call-pricing packages continues to be a major feature of the South African mobile market, although data services are taking on an increasingly significant role this year, one that is expected to grow in the short to medium term.

The government has reiterated its commitment to speeding up the rollout of a national broadband network, in a bid to improve what is already some of the most developed telecommunications infrastructure on the continent. The information divide is still a concern, however, with country’s overall penetration rate still lagging behind some of its neighbours in terms of broadband access and price.