South Africa - Digital Economy and Media Markets - Statistics and Analyses

Synopsis

With its relatively well-developed and diverse infrastructure, South Africa has taken a regional lead role in the convergence of telecommunication and information technologies within the media and entertainment sectors. This promises to generate further reductions in the cost of telecom products, as well as improve the availability of information and services. Digital media and social media have reached a level of development that is fostering an associated advertising and marketing industry.

Considerable investment in IP-based next-generation networks capable of delivering converged services more efficiently have changed the telecoms landscape, and provided greater opportunities for providers of bundled services. Telcos and ISPs are delivering audio and video content over their networks, while in turn the traditional electronic media carriers have discovered the potential of their infrastructure for telecommunications service delivery. Bundled service offerings are more widely available, combining voice, data and videostreaming services.

In recent years the sector has been characterised by further improvements of national and international fibre optic infrastructure, which has led to improved bandwidth availability and so to lower broadband prices.

While South Africa lags behind other countries on the continent in the development of e-government, e-health and e-learning applications, it is a regional leader in the areas of online retail, electronic banking, mobile banking, social media and cloud computing.

Key developments:

MTN launches its SVoD service FrontRow; maturing VoIP services deliver corporate productivity gains and foster a rapidly growing call centre industry; FttP and VDSL2 deployments enabling improved IPTV and triple play services; rapidly growing online retail, online media and internet advertising sectors; mobile banking sector maturing with new products; emerging cloud services.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Telkom, Neotel, Transtel, Eskom, SITA, MultiChoice, Goal Technology Solutions (GTS), SmartVillage, Internet Solutions, Vodacom Business, MTN Business (Verizon Business, UUNet), MWEB, Vox Telecom, Storm Telecom, iBurst, Vodacom, Cell C, Sentech, Orbicom, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), MXit, Naspers, Media24, Standard Bank, First National Bank, ABSA, Nedbank, Barclays Bank.