Fiber ISPs are very a lot on the rise in South Africa, with a number of gamers gaining traction with their regional rollouts. Unusually, nearly all of these operators use an open entry enterprise mannequin, permitting dozens of smaller corporations to market and resell fiber connectivity.
In 2025 a regulatory U-turn paved the way in which for Vodacom South Africa to amass a co-controlling stake in MAZIV – a deal that had first been tabled 4 years earlier. Going ahead, Vodacom expects to mix its home fibre property with MAZIV associates Vumatel and Darkish Fibre Africa (DFA) to create an enlarged fiber supplier.
With Vumatel’s proposed takeover of rival participant HeroTel subsequently rubberstamped by the authorities in December 2025, the fiber panorama in South Africa is undeniably shifting.
Right now, we check out the principle gamers driving fiber progress in South Africa.
Vumatel
URL: vumatel.co.za
Possession: MAZIV, itself owned by Remgro-owned Group Funding Ventures Holdings (CIVH)
Houses Handed: 2,040,231 (March 2025)
Houses Linked: 864,208 (March 2025)
Vumatel first launched fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) expertise in Parkhurst, Johannesburg again in October 2014, turning into one of many nation’s fiber pioneers within the course of. In October 2016, Vumatel acquired rival Fibrehoods, which began its personal fiber deployment in Gauteng in March 2015. In July 2017, the corporate snapped up fiber infrastructure belonging to Hyperlink Africa.
The ISP is at present backed by MAZIV, which was created in 2022 by Remgro-owned Group Funding Ventures Holdings (CIVH) after it merged Vumatel and DFA into a brand new infrastructure firm. Vumatel’s community consists of over 50,000 kilometers of fiber, whereas DFA’s spans 15,000 kilometers.
Vumatel reached the two million houses handed milestone in August 2023, prompting Chief Working Officer Dewald Booysen to remark: “We’ve rolled out protection in areas similar to Soweto, Khayelitsha and Umlazi. These are historically neglected communities. Vuma’s method can also be community-orientated and allows us to work with the neighborhood to beat challenges which have historically hampered efforts.”
In its 2025 Built-in Annual Report Remgro reported that Vumatel’s fibre networks handed greater than 2.040 million houses as of 31 March 2025 and supported 864,208 finish consumer connections.
Going ahead, Vumatel’s property are set to be mixed with these of sister firm DFA and Vodacom South Africa, as per a long-gestating merger settlement (see Vodacom South Africa profile under).
Openserve
URL: openserve.co.za
Possession: Telkom South Africa
Houses Handed: 1,453,810 (September 2025)
Houses Linked: 756,409 (September 2025)
Openserve is Telkom South Africa’s 100%-owned wholesale unit.
Business fiber providers had been launch in 2014. With its footprint rising rapidly, Openserve ceased providing legacy DSL-based providers from October 1, 2021, forward of its deliberate – however nonetheless ongoing – copper shutdown.
In 2023 Telkom revealed that it was contemplating promoting a minority stake in Openserve. Within the telco’s buying and selling replace protecting the three months ended December 31, 2022 (Q3 FY2023), Telkom famous: “Following the authorized separation of Openserve to a stand-alone entity, efficient 1 September 2022, varied initiatives are underway with the aim of realising worth by way of the sale of a minority stake within the 100% owned Telkom subsidiary. Telkom has been receiving numerous unsolicited approaches for this enterprise and is at present endeavor a market sounding train to check the breadth of curiosity for this deemed to be core enterprise of Telkom.”
By November 2024, nonetheless, Telkom had scrapped plans to promote Openserve, now believing the infrastructure unit to be integral to its future connectivity ambitions. CEO Serame Taukobong acknowledged: “We’ve suspended any discussions or investigations into partnerships for Openserve.”
As of 30 September 2025, its fiber networks handed a complete of 1.454 million houses, up 12.7% year-on-year. Of this determine, greater than three-quarters-of-a-million houses are linked with fiber (756,409).
HeroTel
URL: herotel.com
Possession: Vumatel (100%)
Houses Handed: 585,981 (June 2025)
Houses Linked: 293,036 (June 2025)
Based in 2014, Stellenbosch-based HeroTel initially gained prominence as one of many largest suppliers of fastened wi-fi entry (FWA) broadband providers in South Africa. Lately. the ISP has additionally thrown its weight behind FTTH expertise, with a view to rising its broadband enterprise.
In February 2017, black-owned personal fairness firm Medu Capital acquired a 15% stake in HeroTel for ZAR74.25 million.
Subsequently, in February 2022 Vumatel purchased a forty five% non-controlling stake in HeroTel; the promoting occasion was firm co-founder Alan Knott-Craig Jr.
Vumatel went on to boost its stake in HeroTel to 100% in 2025. The Competitors Fee of (CompCom) really useful conditional approval of the transaction to the Competitors Tribunal, however required Vumatel to uphold open-access rules and guarantee truthful, non-discriminatory pricing. Vumatel additionally dedicated to rolling out FTTH connectivity in low-income areas to fulfill the deal’s public curiosity circumstances.
The ISP at present operates in additional than 500 cities and municipalities, throughout all 9 provinces. As of June 2025 (most up-to-date knowledge), the corporate claimed to cross 585,981 houses with its fiber networks, serving slightly below 300,000 customers.
MetroFibre Networx
URL: metrofibre.co.za
Possession: African Infrastructure Funding Managers (AIIM), South African Housing & Infrastructure Fund (SAHIF) and STOA
Houses Handed: 510,000 (June 2025)
Houses Linked: 172,000 (June 2025)
Established in 2010, MetroFibre Networx is an open entry fiber supplier based mostly in Gauteng.
In March 2016, African Rainbow Capital secured an 18.1% minority stake within the firm for an undisclosed sum. In November 2020, personal fairness fund African Infrastructure Funding Managers (AIIM) acquired a minority fairness stake within the enterprise.
Current shareholder STOA (23.08%)—a international funding car based mostly in France—supplied incremental funding as a part of the transaction, which was accompanied by new funding by the founders of the South African Housing & Infrastructure Fund (SAHIF), Rali Mampeule, and Kameel Keshav. Earlier backers Sanlam Personal Fairness and ARC remained onboard as shareholders at that date.
On April 1, 2021, MetroFibre purchased LinkAfrica’s FTTH community in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), including an additional 10,000 houses handed to its community. The transaction went on to shut in June that yr.
Additionally in June 2021, AIIM teamed up with fellow shareholders SAHIF (by way of its Digital Infrastructure Consortium platform) and STOA to purchase the 25.8% curiosity in MetroFibre beforehand held by Sanlam Personal Fairness, African Rainbow Capital and an unnamed minority shareholder.
As of June 2025 (most up-to-date knowledge), its networks handed greater than 510,000 houses in 5 provinces. The ISP claimed 172,000 residential connections on the similar date.
Frogfoot
URL: frogfoot.co.za
Possession: Vivica Group
Houses Handed: 406,000 (June 2025)
Houses Linked: 169,000 subscriptions (June 2025)
Vivica first launched in 1998, underneath the DataPro Group model. In 2007, it rebranded as Vox Telecom.
Frogfoot itself was acquired by Vox Telecom again in 2015. In September 2021, Frogfoot acquired LinkAfrica’s Western Cape FTTH property to assist its presence within the Western Cape.
Vox Holdings rebranded as Vivica Group in 2022, paving the way in which for the corporate to discover enterprise alternatives exterior of the telecom sector. Vox Telecom and Frogfoot at the moment are operated as subsidiaries of Vivica.
In late 2025 Frogfoot acquired the fibre community property of Infinity Wi-fi from its founders, the Koen Brothers. The Rustenburg-based infrastructure – which passes 8,000 houses – will likely be built-in into Frogfoot’s nationwide infrastructure in the end. The ISP famous that the enlargement into the North West province helps the corporate’s progress technique and deepens its presence in a key regional market, with the transition formally began on 1 November 2025.
Presently, Frogfoot’s fiber community passes 406,000 houses, connecting 169,000 houses and 13,000 companies.
Octotel
URL: octotel.co.za
Possession: African Infrastructure Funding Managers (AIIM), STOA and Thebe Funding Company
Houses Handed: 372,000 houses and companies (June 2025)
Houses Linked: 121,800 (June 2025)
Octotel payments itself as Cape City’s largest open entry fiber community, with infrastructure passing greater than 350,000 houses and companies, and connecting in extra of 100,000 prospects.
Launched in 2015, its community spans 16,000 kilometers throughout the Western Cape.
In December 2020, South Africa’s Competitors Tribunal authorised the ZAR2.3 billion ($150 million) majority takeover of Octotel by rising market funding agency Actis. The regulator hooked up no circumstances to the approval. Actis first introduced the deal on October 12, 2020.
Inside 4 years, nonetheless, Actis had cashed in on its funding. In March 2024 Actis offloaded the corporate to a consortium of buyers, led by African Infrastructure Funding Managers (AIIM) – a shareholder in MetroFibre – and in addition comprising STOA and Thebe Funding Company. Beneath Actis’ stewardship the variety of houses handed with fiber rose from 195,000 at funding to 350,000 right this moment, and the variety of prospects linked to the community elevated from 56,000 to 110,000 over the identical time interval.
In late-2025 Octotel confirmed that it had prolonged fiber connectivity to Paarl and Wellington, a pair of neighbouring cities in South Africa’s Western Cape, located 60 kilometers and 75 kilometers north-east of Cape City, respectively.
At that date the telco’s fiber community was understood to cross roughly 372,000 houses and serve 121,800 subscriptions.
fibertime
Possession: Alan Knott-Craig Jr. (founder, stake unknown), Finnfund (18%)
Houses Handed: 250,000 (December 2025)
Houses Linked: 65,000 (December 2025)
Stellenbosch-based fibertime was based by trade veteran Alan Knott-Craig Jr. in April 2022, following his exit from HeroTel. His mission was to offer inexpensive, pay-as-you-go fibre web to South African townships.
In November 2023 Mr Knott-Craig secured EUR2 million ($2.3 million) in funding from Helsinki-based investor Finnfund to assist bankroll the deployment. The End investor injected an additional EUR2 million in follow-on funding in March 2025.
In November 2024 fibertime enlisted Nokia to supervise the deployment of FTTH networks throughout 5 cities, specifically: Cape City, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch, alongside 14 townships. The rollout was conceived to happen over a 36-month interval.
In October 2025 fibertime signed a brand new settlement with Nokia to broaden its under-deployment FTTH community to incorporate a further 400,000 houses situated in underserved South African townships. The rollout is a part of fibertime’s wider aim of connecting two million houses by 2028.
fibertime’s flagship product is a ZAR5 ($0.29) per day package deal which incorporates uncapped, unthrottled 100Mbps web entry.
Fibertime handed over 170,000 new houses with FTTH between February and November 2025, to take the variety of houses handed to roughly 250,000 at that date. Its protection areas embrace elements of 39 townships in all 9 provinces.
Going ahead, the corporate goals to record on the Johannesburg Inventory Change (JSE) in 2027, which might make it the primary fiber supplier within the nation to have direct presence on the bourse.
Zoom Fibre
URL: zoomfibre.co.za
Possession: Unknown; based by CEO Mohammed Manjra
Houses Handed: 191,636 (June 2025)
Houses Linked: 65,100 (June 2025)
Zoom Fibre is an open entry fiber community operator that’s rolling out FTTH infrastructure in chosen suburbs throughout the nation.
The corporate was based by former Vumatel govt Mohammed Manjra and at present has networks in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape, and the North West province.
The corporate claims to be the quickest within the nation to cross 100,000 houses, having achieved that milestone in June 2022—simply two years after its launch.
At that juncture, Mr Manjra famous: “Rollouts are funded by way of a number of sequence of debt funding that we have now raised by way of native and worldwide funders over the previous 18 months.”
Zoom Fibre now has networks that cross 191,636 houses and claims greater than 65,000 finish consumer connections.
Going ahead, the operator has acknowledged that it seeks to deploy infrastructure passing 350,000 houses within the medium-term.
Vodacom South Africa
URL: vodacom.co.za
Possession: Vodacom Group
Houses Handed: 165,879 (June 2025)
Houses Linked: N/A; native media experiences estimate 55,000 connections (June 2025)
Vodacom South Africa—the nation’s largest cellular operator by subscriptions—entered the fiber sector in 2014, with an preliminary concentrate on small and medium enterprises in Cape City, Durban, and Gauteng.
Now-defunct vendor Alcatel-Lucent was handed a GPON deployment contract in January 2015, with a view to the telco extending fiber protection to 250,000 houses and companies in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape City, and Durban by 2018.
Progress has been far slower than anticipated, nonetheless, and Vodacom’s fiber networks handed simply 165,879 houses and companies as of June 2025, supporting roughly 55,000 fiber connections at that date.
In August 2023 the Competitors Fee really useful the prohibition of the proposed merger between Vodacom South Africa and MAZIV. Stating: “The Fee is of the view that the proposed transaction is prone to considerably forestall or reduce competitors in a number of markets and that the circumstances supplied don’t absolutely handle the resultant hurt to competitors.”
Subsequently, the 2 events submitted a discover of enchantment to the Competitors Attraction Court docket (CAC), difficult the Tribunal’s resolution. The CAC heard the enchantment on 22 July 2025 and authorised the merger with circumstances on 14 August 2025.
In November that yr the businesses obtained ultimate approval from the Unbiased Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to proceed with Vodacom’s acquisition of a co-controlling stake in MAZIV – some 4 years after first agreeing the deal. ICASA transferred the requisite licences the next month.
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