Researcher BMIT forecasts 5G will account for two-thirds of all residential wireless broadband connections by 2029.

TechCentral

BMIT's SA Broadband Report forecasts South Africa's broadband market will reach R82.8-billion by 2029, driven by 5G fixed-wireless access (FWA) and fibre-to-the-home growth. 5G is projected to account for 67% of residential FWA connections by 2029, up from 35% in 2024, as MTN, Vodacom, Rain, and Telkom expand coverage. Fibre growth is expected to accelerate at a 12.8% CAGR, partly boosted by Vodacom's stake in Maziv. However, a separate DBSA report highlights that connecting all South African households to 100Mbit/s broadband requires R108–142 billion by 2035, and affordability remains the key barrier — the majority of the population still relies on prepaid data. Satellite broadband via Starlink remains locked out due to unresolved licensing issues.

5G expected to reshape South Africa’s wireless broadband market

Read: South Africa’s 5G boom is bypassing rural areas: Icasa

Read: SA finally has a broadband map — and it reveals where the gaps are