South Africa Communications - 2024

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 1,309,590 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 100,259,890 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 167 (2022 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: South Africa’s telecom sector boasts one of the most advanced infrastructures on the continent; the focus in recent years has been on back haul capacity and on fiber and LTE networks to extend and improve internet service connectivity; several satellite solutions also appeared in 2023, aimed at providing additional backhaul and improving connectivity in rural areas; the mobile sector has developed strongly in recent years, partly due to the poor availability and level of service of fixed-line networks, which meant that many people had no alternative to mobile networks for voice and data services (2024)

domestic: fixed-line is 2 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular is 167 telephones per 100 persons (2022)

international: country code - 27; landing points for the WACS, ACE, SAFE, SAT-3, Equiano, SABR, SAEx1, SAEx2, IOX Cable System, METISS, EASSy, and SEACOM/ Tata TGN-Eurasia fiber-optic submarine cable systems connecting South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, Asia, South America, Indian Ocean Islands, and the US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

Broadcast media

the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) operates 6 free-to-air TV stations; e.tv, a private station, is accessible to more than half the population; multiple subscription TV services provide a mix of local and international channels; well-developed mix of public and private radio stations at the national, regional, and local levels; the SABC radio network, state-owned and controlled but nominally independent, operates 18 stations, one for each of the 11 official languages, 4 community stations, and 3 commercial stations; more than 100 community-based stations extend coverage to rural areas

Internet country code

.za

Internet users

total: 42.48 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 72% (2021 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 1,303,057 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2020 est.)