Mooketsi Mocumi, strategic communications and corporate affairs adviser.
South Africa now has something the telecommunications sector has long called for: a costed, structured roadmap to achieve universal, meaningful connectivity.
The proposed investment of roughly R142 billion to deliver 100Mbps broadband to all households by 2035 is ambitious, necessary and overdue.
But the most important question is no longer whether the country can afford to invest in connectivity. The real question is whether South Africa has the institutional and execution capacity to deliver at scale.
From coverage to meaningful connectivity
For years, the policy conversation focused on coverage. The assumption was that once networks were expanded, digital inclusion would follow naturally. That assumption no longer holds.
South Africa today has extensive mobile coverage and expanding fibre footprints, yet adoption gaps persist. Affordability, device access and uneven infrastructure economics continue to slow uptake.
If local government remains a bottleneck, the 2035 target will shift from ambitious to unrealistic.
The roadmap therefore represents an important shift from coverage to meaningful connectivity, a recognition that speed, reliability and affordability matter as much as signal bars.
The investment is manageable
The investment requirement itself should not be viewed as extraordinary. Spread over a decade, the R142 billion figure equates to roughly R14 billion per year across public and private investment.
In the context of national infrastructure spending, this is manageable. Telecommunications operators already invest billions each year in network upgrades, spectrum deployment and fibre expansion.
The roadmap, therefore, is less about creating new funding and more about aligning existing investment behind a shared national objective.
Execution is the real challenge
Where the real challenge emerges is coordination. Connectivity deployment in South Africa is not constrained by technology. Fibre can be laid, towers can be built, and wireless technologies can extend reach rapidly.
The bottlenecks lie elsewhere: municipal approvals, wayleave delays, inconsistent regulatory interpretation, infrastructure duplication, and fragmented planning between national, provincial and local authorities. These are execution risks, not financial ones.
The municipal bottleneck
Municipalities, in particular, will play a decisive role. Many of the areas that remain underserved are economically marginal, geographically dispersed and operationally complex.
Operators cannot justify large-scale investment without streamlined permitting processes, access to public infrastructure and supportive local policies. If local government remains a bottleneck, the 2035 target will shift from ambitious to unrealistic.
Choosing the right technology mix
Another strategic decision embedded in the roadmap is the technology mix. A mobile-led approach offers speed and lower upfront cost but may struggle to support long-term data demand. A fibre-heavy strategy delivers future-proof capacity, but it requires more capital investment and longer rollout timelines.
The most likely outcome is a hybrid model, combining fibre backhaul with fixed wireless access and selective fibre-to-the-home deployments. This approach balances economics with performance, but it requires careful coordination between operators to avoid duplication and inefficiencies, such as overlapping service areas and redundant infrastructure investments.
Affordability still matters
Affordability also remains a central issue. Even where infrastructure exists, many households cannot afford high-speed broadband. This means that infrastructure investment alone will not close the digital divide.
Policies that encourage competition, infrastructure sharing, innovative pricing models and device affordability will be equally important. Without demand-side interventions, networks risk being built faster than they are adopted.
Economic competitiveness at stake
The broader economic implications are significant. Connectivity is no longer a sectoral issue confined to telecommunications. It underpins digital services, remote education, healthcare delivery, e-commerce, financial inclusion and the development of an AI-enabled economy.
Countries that invest in high-capacity digital infrastructure position themselves for productivity growth. Those that underinvest risk widening inequality and slowing innovation.
South Africa’s roadmap therefore represents more than an infrastructure plan. It is an economic competitiveness strategy.
The target of universal 100Mbps connectivity is not simply about faster internet; it is about enabling participation in a digital economy that increasingly defines global growth.
Strategy must be matched by delivery
However, strategy without execution capability remains aspirational. The success of this roadmap will depend on aligning government departments, accelerating municipal approvals, encouraging infrastructure sharing and crowding in private capital.
The telecommunications sector has demonstrated its ability to invest and innovate, particularly in areas such as 5G technology and broadband expansion, which are crucial for meeting the demands of modern communication. The policy environment now needs to match that pace.
From ambition to delivery
The next decade will test whether South Africa can move from policy ambition to delivery discipline. The roadmap provides clarity. Funding appears achievable. Technology is available. The remaining variable is execution.
In infrastructure, as in strategy, plans do not fail because they are too bold. They fail because coordination breaks down.
South Africa has set the destination. The real work now begins in building the road.
