Fixed line telecommunications are mostly managed by Telkom, the public utility. South Africa’s second landline operator, Neotel, has recently commenced offering its services to both commercial and individual users.

Telkom is a key player in the optical fibre undersea cable project. Almost 40 nations and several international telecommunications operators have joined Telkom in the SAT – 3WASC/SAFE initiative, which links African nations with Asia and Europe.

Landline usage is however eclipsed by cell phone use. There are three cellular operators – Vodacom, MTN and CELL C.

The penetration rate for mobile users is estimated at 84% in 2007, compared with 9.8% for fixed line users. Costs for calls are globally competitive. Internet access is readily available throughout most of South Africa