South Africa’s most trusted mobile network operator for businesses – MyBroadband

MyBroadband’s business technology survey revealed that Vodacom and MTN are the most trusted mobile network operators among South African IT decision-makers.

783 respondents completed the survey. Only responses from executives and managers who decide which ICT products their companies buy were considered.

Survey respondents were asked which mobile network operator they would pick for their business.

Vodacom was the preferred provider with 44% of the vote, which confirms its strong brand awareness in the business market.

The mobile operator recently celebrated its thirtieth birthday. It signed up its first customer on 1 June 1994, when it switched on its network in South Africa.

Three decades later, the Vodacom Group serves more than 200 million customers across DRC, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania.

South Africa remains Vodacom’s most important market, and it continues to pump billions into its network to ensure it is the most reliable network in the country.

Vodacom South Africa expects to invest around R11.5 billion in capital expenditure in the current financial year to further enhance customer experience.

These significant investments ensured that Vodacom remained the most popular network among South African businesses.

MTN was a close second with 38% of the vote. Like Vodacom, MTN celebrated its thirtieth birthday this year.

Over the past decade, investments averaging R10 billion annually have bolstered MTN’s network infrastructure.

These investments have helped MTN to win South Africa’s best mobile network award on numerous occasions.

It has built a strong brand around its excellent network quality, which is evident from the latest business technology survey results.

Telkom ranked third with 13% of the vote. The company is best known for its fixed-line services, where it has a strong position in the business market.

However, it has made big strides in positioning it as an alternative to Vodacom and MTN in the mobile market.

Over the last year, Telkom invested R6.1 billion towards network resilience, expanding its mobile network and modernising its fixed network infrastructure.

“This investment included spectrum, which Telkom has deployed to further improve offerings to retail, enterprise, and wholesale customers,” the company said.

Telkom grew mobile subscribers by 11.9% to 20.4 million. Mobile broadband subscribers grew 9.5% to 12.7 million.

This growth positioned Telkom as the biggest challenger to Vodacom and MTN’s dominance in the highly competitive mobile market.

Cell C, with 3%, and Rain, with 2%, failed to convince IT decision-makers in South Africa that they are an alternative to the big three.

However, the new Cell C CEO, Jorge Mendes, is confident that the mobile operator will have a bright future.

His turnaround plan includes a new management team, a great culture, a fully operational network, and a robust strategy.

“We have implemented several strategic initiatives to drive revenue generation and reverse the struggling performance we experienced in the past,” he said.

Mendes added that Cell C remained committed to providing high-quality telecommunications services and enhancing customer experiences.

“By leveraging our robust network infrastructure, we aim to capitalise on growth opportunities in the market and deliver sustainable performance in coming years,” he said.

Rain has focussed its energy on the consumer market with its fixed-wireless 5G products and its Rain One mobile offering.

Its under-performance in the business market is, therefore, understandable.

The chart below shows the mobile network operators South African business decision-makers trust the most.