South Africa - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses
South Africa’s MNOs can expect delayed multi-spectrum in early 2022
South Africa’s fixed telecom connections are gradually being migrated from copper to fibre. Telkom expects to complete the process by the end of 2024. As a result, the number of the company’s DSL broadband subscribers has fallen sharply in recent years.
Stimulated by demands made on broadband infrastructure during the pandemic, and on the need to improve digital services, the government in late 2021 began working on plans to roll out broadband services nationally by the end of 2023. This would update existing plans by which national coverage were expected to have been reached in 2030. Part of the wider plan includes completing the switchover to digital broadcasting by March 2022, which will release sub-GHz spectrum for mobile broadband services.
In addition, national coverage will rely on improved access to mobile broadband. The much-delayed multi-spectrum auction is scheduled by mid-2022. The MNOs have managed to address rising data traffic demand by refarming existing spectrum concessions, though 5G services are still offered under a legacy principle using existing concessions in the 3.5GHz band. Conscious that this is unsatisfactory on a number of levels, the regulator in November 2021 announced plans to issue provisional spectrum licences to MNOs under the new regulations introduced as a response to the pandemic. This will enable licensees to increase capacity and improve service quality. The provisional licences will be in effect until athe full auction is held.
- Executive Summary
- Key statistics
- Table Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities – South Africa – 2022 (e)
- Regional Africa Market Comparison
- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS
- MARKET LEADERS
- MARKET CHALLENGERS
- MARKET EMERGENTS
- TMI VS GDP
- MOBILE AND MOBILE BROADBAND PENETRATION
- FIXED VERSUS MOBILE BROADBAND PENETRATION
- Country overview
- Telecommunications market
- MARKET ANALYSIS
- Table Change in the proportion of households with telecom service by type – 2014 – 2020
- Table Development of Telecom sector investment – 2015 – 2021
- Table Development of telecom sector investment by sector (ZAR million) –2015 – 2021
- Table Development of telecom sector revenue by service (ZAR billion) –2015 – 2021
- Table Development of total telecom and broadcasting revenue (ZAR billion) –2015 – 2021
- Table Change in fixed revenue by type (ZAR million) –2015 – 2021
- MARKET ANALYSIS
- Regulatory environment
- HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
- REGULATORY AUTHORITY
- FIXED LINE DEVELOPMENTS
- Telecommunications Act
- Telecommunications Amendment Act
- Electronic Communications Acts (2005, 2014)
- Regulation of Interception of Communications Act 2002
- Electronic Communications Act and ICASA Amendment Act
- Converged licensing regime
- New Companies Act
- Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF)
- Interconnection
- MOBILE NETWORK DEVELOPMENTS
- Spectrum
- Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs)
- Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
- SIM card registration
- Infrastructure sharing
- Roaming
- Mobile market
- MOBILE STATISTICS
- Table Development of mobile sector revenue – 2015 – 2021
- Table Change in mobile revenue by sector (ZAR million) –2015 – 2021
- Table Development of mobile prepaid revenue by type (ZAR million) –2015 – 2021
- Table Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
- Table Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers (million) –2015 – 2021
- Table Change in mobile voice traffic by type (billion minutes) –2015 – 2021
- MOBILE VOICE (VOLTE/WI-FI CALLING)
- MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE
- 5G
- 4G (LTE)
- Table Telkom LTE subscribers – 2016 – 2018
- Table Increase in the number of LTE devices in service – 2018 – 2021
- Table Development of 4G (WiMAX/LTE) population coverage – 2012 – 2021
- LTE-U
- 3G
- Table Development of 3G population coverage – 2015 – 2021
- GSM
- Other infrastructure developments
- Table Growth in the number of M2M connections – 2015 – 2021
- MOBILE DATA
- SMS
- Table Growth in SMS traffic – 2013 – 2020
- MMS
- SMS
- MOBILE BROADBAND
- Table Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
- Table Increase in the number of Telkom’s mobile broadband subscribers by type – 2015 – 2021
- Table Growth in Telkom’s mobile broadband revenue – 2015 – 2022
- Table Growth in Telkom’s mobile data traffic – 2015 – 2022
- Table Growth in overall mobile data traffic – 2015 – 2021
- Table Growth in the number of mobile data subscribers – 2015 – 2021
- MAJOR MOBILE OPERATORS
- Vodacom South Africa
- Table Development of Vodacom South Africa’s mobile revenue (ZAR million) –2012 – 2022
- Table Growth in the number of Vodacom South Africa’s subscribers and market share – 2012 – 2021
- Table Change in the number of Vodacom South Africa’s prepaid and contract subscribers (million) –2017 – 2021
- Table Growth in the number of Vodacom South Africa’s mobile data subscribers – 2013 – 2021
- Table Development of Vodacom South Africa’s mobile ARPU (ZAR/subscriber/month) –2017 – 2021
- MTN South Africa
- Table Change in the number of MTN South Africa’s mobile subscribers and market share – 2012 – 2022
- Table Change in the number of MTN South Africa’s prepaid, contract subscribers (million) –2013 – 2022
- Table Development of MTN South Africa’s financial data (ZAR million) –2012 – 2021
- Table Development of MTN South Africa’s mobile ARPU (ZAR / month) –2013 – 2022
- Cell C
- Table Change in the number of Cell C mobile subscribers – 2013 – 2021
- Table Growth in Cell C’s mobile service revenue – 2013 – 2021
- Table Increase in Cell C’s mobile data revenue – 2016 – 2018
- Table Development of Cell C’s financial data (ZAR billion) –2016 – 2021
- Telkom Mobile
- Table Growth in the number of Telkom’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2021
- Table Growth in the number of Telkom’s prepaid and contract mobile subscribers (thousand) –2015 – 2021
- Table Development of Telkom’s mobile financial data (ZAR million) –2014 – 2022
- Table Change in Telkom’s annual mobile ARPU (ZAR / month) –2014 – 2022
- Mobile Virtual Network Enablers (MVNEs)
- Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)
- Vodacom South Africa
- MOBILE CONTENT AND APPLICATIONS
- m-music
- CellBook
- m-payment
- m-banking
- m-gaming
- m-health
- m-advertising
- Location-based services (LBS)
- Manobi
- Mobile social media
- MOBILE STATISTICS
- Fixed-line broadband market
- MARKET ANALYSIS
- Table Change in fixed internet revenue by type (ZAR million) –2015 – 2021
- COMMUNITY ACCESS PROJECTS
- Table Development of the Schools Connected program – 2016 – 2021
- Microsoft Digital Villages and telecentres
- The Smart Cape Access Project
- INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS ASSOCIATION (ISPA)
- INTERNET EXCHANGE POINTS (IXP)
- BROADBAND STATISTICS
- Table Growth in the number of fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
- Table Change in the number of fixed broadband subscribers by type (thousand) –2015 – 2021
- DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE (DSL) NETWORKS
- Table Change in the number of Telkom’s broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
- Table Growth in Telkom’s fixed data traffic – 2014 – 2022
- Table Change in the number of Telkom’s DSL subscribers by type – 2016 – 2019
- Table Change in Telkom’s fixed copper and fibre broadband subscribers – 2017 – 2021
- Wholesale
- ADSL2+
- VDSL
- FIBRE-TO-THE-PREMISES (FTTP) NETWORKS
- Table Increase in the number of Telkom South Africa’s fibre ports – 2017 – 2021
- Table Telkom South Africa fibre premises passed – 2016 – 2019
- Table Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers – 2013 – 2021
- OTHER FIXED BROADBAND SERVICES
- Broadband over Powerlines (BPL)
- Fixed wireless
- Table Change in the number of fixed wireless broadband subscribers – 2017 – 2021
- DIGITAL ECONOMY
- E-learning
- E-government
- E-health
- E-banking
- MARKET ANALYSIS
- Fixed network operators
- TELKOM
- Table Development of Telkom Group’s financial results (ZAR million) –2012 – 2022
- Table Change in Telkom Group’s capex by type (ZAR million) –2017 – 2022
- Table Development of Telkom’s data revenue – 2012 – 2022
- NEOTEL
- TELKOM
- Telecommunications infrastructure
- OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL TELECOM NETWORK
- Table Change in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
- Table Change in the number of fixed lines in service by type – 2015 – 2021
- Table Decline in fixed-line voice traffic (billion minutes) –2015 – 2021
- NATIONAL FIBRE INFRASTRUCTURE
- Broadband InfraCo
- Dark Fibre Africa
- Vodacom
- MTN
- FibreCo
- INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE CABLES
- Table Growth in international internet bandwidth – 2014 – 2020
- SAT-3/WASC/SAFE
- SEACOM
- EASSy
- WACS
- African Coast to Europe (ACE)
- SAEx, WASACE
- Seaborn
- METISS
- PEACE
- SATELLITE
- NEXT GENERATION NETWORKS (NGN)
- MUNICIPAL NETWORKS
- Knysna – Africa’s first municipal network
- OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL TELECOM NETWORK
- Data centres
- Smart infrastructure
- SMART CITIES
- Appendix – Historic data
- Table Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in South Africa – 1999 – 2011
- Table Historic - Vodacom South Africa subscribers and market share – 2002 – 2011
- Table Historic - MTN South Africa subscribers and market share – 2002 – 2011
- Table Historic - Average internet access speed – 2010 – 2015
- Table Historic - Fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration – 2002 – 2011
- Table Historic - Internet users and penetration rate in South Africa – 1999 – 2015
- Table Historic -Telkom South Africa broadband subscribers – 2003 – 2011
- Table Historic - Telkom fixed broadband subscribers by type – 2016 – 2018
- Table Historic - Telkom South Africa WiMAX subscribers – 2008 – 2014
- Table Historic - Telkom data revenue – 2002 – 2011
- Table Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity in South Africa – 2000 – 2011
- Table Historic - International internet bandwidth – 2000 – 2011
- Glossary of abbreviations
- Related reports
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