Introduction
How is the communication system in South Africa? Here, Broadcast media include 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. What about Telecommuication systems and Internet? Explore this article to find out more.
More about communication in South Africa
Internet country code .za
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
Total 1,303,057 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2 (2020 est.)
Internet users
Total 42.48 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population 72% (2021 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)
Telephones - fixed lines
Total subscriptions 1.31 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2 (2022 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
Total subscriptions 100.26 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 167 (2022 est.)
All Important Facts about South Africa

Want to know more about South Africa? Check all different factbooks for South Africa below.

South Africa is found in Southern Africa