South African Telecommunications Sentiment Index

Rain retains its position at the top of the network provider category, while Cell C shows real momentum with a sharp year-on-year sentiment lift. Telkom Fibre was the only ISP to achieve a positive public Net Sentiment, with praise for reliable connectivity and innovative prepaid fibre products. FNO Openserve earned solid sentiment for its reliable infrastructure and efficient service delivery. MVNOs are gaining ground—led by Capitec Connect with an impressive +88% Net Sentiment—driven by simplified offerings and agile digital experiences.

These are the standouts—top performers and key movers across the index:

1. Operational issues are costing telecoms their customer loyalty

Customers are hitting roadblocks when trying to cancel, query bills or activate SIMs. Traditional service lines—call centres, branches and email—are underperforming. Long wait times and unreliable service channels are pushing customers to look elsewhere.

2. Campaigns spark interest—but service seals the deal

Industry-wide reputational sentiment stood at +25%, driven by campaign-led engagement. Marketing activations are clearly driving reputational wins. But without operational follow-through, these sentiment gains are short-lived.

3. ISPs and FNOs must close the accountability gap

ISPs recorded the most negative sentiment, with complaints about outages, billing and poor digital support. FNOs faced similar issues, compounded by unclear handoffs and blame shifting between ISPs and FNOs. Openserve stood out with positive sentiment, thanks to reliable infrastructure and proactive communication.

4. When the network drops, so does trust

Connectivity complaints are some of the top drivers of negative sentiment, with a -87% industry-wide net sentiment for network quality. Customers are frustrated by unstable signals and unusable data. The fix is clear: proactive communication and smarter outage resolution.

5. Digital support cuts costs, complaints and churn

With a -89% overall industry net sentiment, poor digital experiences are driving customer frustration and cancellation intent. Improving digital support is the most cost-effective way for telecoms to cut complaints, ease contact centre pressure and unlock smarter services.

6. MVNOs are winning hearts—and market share

MVNOs are winning on sentiment, thanks to simplified offerings, agile digital experiences and influencer-led campaigns. But sustaining momentum will require consistent service delivery, not just marketing flair.

South Africa’s telecoms industry faced notably more negative discussion than any other industry

South Africa’s telecoms sector is under pressure, recording an overall Net Sentiment of –25%. Telecoms was the only industry where negative sentiment outweighed the positive: this was apparent across network providers, ISPs and FNOs. 

Campaigns cushion customer complaints

Telecoms scored highest on reputational net sentiment, thanks to high-impact campaigns and brand partnerships. But these wins are masking deeper service issues. Operational net sentiment is the lowest across all industries and was impacted by complaints linked to poor network quality and customer service. 

Service sentiment reveals the real gap

Across industries, serviceable posts are a clear barometer of customer experience. Telecoms recorded the lowest Net Sentiment in this space, with widespread frustration over billing errors, outages and poor responsiveness. Retail was an outlier, achieving a positive score by turning service interactions into opportunities—leveraging promotions and offers to drive positive operational conversation.

Lessons from leading industries

South African banks are setting the benchmark with emotionally resonant campaigns and strategic partnerships that drive both reputational and operational uplift. Insurers are converting service excellence into industry-leading operational sentiment. Retailers, despite operational challenges, are maintaining reputational strength through loyalty programmes and brand collaborations.

Network providers, FNOs and ISPs all faced heavy criticism for poor connectivity, slow issue resolution and weak support. Serviceable interactions were overwhelmingly negative, with ISPs recording the worst public net sentiment due to long wait times and poor communication. Network providers fared better, but reputational praise masked persistent operational complaints. Fibre operators were caught in the middle, often blamed alongside ISPs for outages and delays. 

Traditional service channels fall short in the eyes of customers​

Traditional support channels: Stuck. Slow. Struggling

Traditional service channels—call centres, branches and email—are driving dissatisfaction across telecoms. Customers cite no responses, slow responses, inaccurate information and unhelpful agents—especially when reporting technical issues.

Digital platforms aren’t delivering either

Digital platforms like WhatsApp and mobile apps had lower volumes but were also negatively perceived. Websites and mobile apps are under fire for login failures, password reset issues and unreliable OTPs. In-app data or airtime purchases often fail, and users also report difficulty cancelling services. Live chat and WhatsApp support were criticised for bot-like interactions, long response times or no replies at all.

Across South Africa’s telecom landscape, network quality has emerged as a main source of customer dissatisfaction, mentioned in 16% of serviceable conversation. Whether through dropped connections, unsatisfactory issue resolution or vague outage communication, consumers are losing patience and providers are losing trust. A handful of providers showed signs of progress, but the broader industry continues to fall short of customer expectations, with an overall network quality net sentiment at -87%. The sentiment gap between subsectors was narrow, with all scoring close to the average. 

Across the industry, poor network quality and contract issues were widely cited cancellation drivers. Contract cancellations were often described as intentionally difficult and obstructive, with unhelpful agents, delayed responses, branch-level restrictions, early cancellation fees and continued billing after cancellations. Network performance issues directly motivated requests to switch providers.

Digital customer support didn’t just show up as a weak spot—it cut across multiple pain points. It was flagged as a service channel issue, with lower usage but consistently poor sentiment. It was the most negatively rated customer experience driver across the industry, at -89%. And for ISPs, it formed part of cancellation intent conversation.

Yet, this is also where the biggest opportunity lies. When implemented well, digital channels can ease pressure on underperforming contact centres and branches, offering faster, more scalable support. Improving digital service reducereduces operational costs, thanks to automation and self-service. Digital channels also generate rich data on behaviours, pain points and preferences that can be used to continuously improve customer experience.

MVNOs offer a glimpse of what good can look like. Their rapid growth and strong sentiment scores show what’s possible when marketing meets digital agility. But sustaining that momentum means moving beyond campaigns to consistent customer experience.

Capitec Connect (South Africa’s largest MVNO) led both in volume and overall Net Sentiment at 88%. A well-executed campaign encouraged users to tag friends and share reasons to switch. Capitec Connect’s quick subscriber growth was also widely praised. 

MVNOs are also winning on digital experience. Their smoother onboarding and personalised features (like eSIMs and flexible month-to-month plans) contributed to positive sentiment.

The MVNO sector’s success in driving both operational and reputational positivity, especially through targeted campaigns and influencer engagement, sets a marketing benchmark for the broader industry. However, when campaign-driven conversation was removed, Operational Net Sentiment dropped by 104 points, shifting from strongly positive to negative (-39%, 10% above the operational Net Sentiment for network providers).

Customer complaints focused on SIM and network-related issues, including failed activations, poor coverage and porting delays. Many users also raised concerns about slow response times, poor communication, and unresponsive support. While some organic praise remained especially around affordability, friendly agents, and the fresh appeal of new entrants, maintaining long-term sentiment will depend on the ability to deliver consistent service beyond campaign spikes. 

MVNOs must now match their marketing efforts with consistent service delivery. 

Customer sentiment remains a critical performance signal

The data is clear. Service failures are costing trust, loyalty and growth. From cumbersome cancellations to digital dead ends, South Africa’s telecoms sector is facing challenges that can’t be ignored. We’ve pinpointed the pain points. Now it’s time for action.

Agile players drive momentum

Agile players are already showing what’s possible: simplified offerings, smarter support and campaigns that connect. They’re not just adapting—they’re accelerating—and reinventing.

Digital is the fastest fix—and the smartest investment

AI-driven support, self-service apps and real-time support channels are outperforming traditional service lines. They’re cheaper to run, easier to scale and better at solving problems. But it needs to be done right. That means predictive support, intuitive platforms and real-time responsiveness. The opportunity is clear: scale digital before sentiment slips.

The path forward is pragmatic—and urgent

Telecoms must move from reactive fixes to proactive system design. That means embedding sentiment metrics into performance dashboards, scaling proven digital channels and aligning network reliability with customer-facing transparency.