South Africa’s telecoms sector has a customer sentiment problem

The telecommunications sector scored lowest in customer sentiment compared to other major industries in 2024, according to the PwC South African Telecommunications Sentiment Index , produced in collaboration with DataEQ.

“Sentiment data offers a real-time lens into customer experience performance,” said Liska Kloppers, head of growth at DataEQ. “It empowers brands to act with precision, knowing exactly where to intervene, where to invest and how to drive meaningful change.”

The index analysed more than 1.3 million public social media mentions to develop a comprehensive view of customer experience. While previous editions of the report focused on pureplay mobile network operators, this year’s version includes data regarding internet service providers, fibre network operators (FNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).

ISPs recorded the worst public net sentiment due to long wait times and poor communication

PwC said South African consumers’ expectations are rising, with traditional service channels such as call centres, branches and e-mail performing below par, while digital platforms like WhatsApp and mobile apps, which businesses have been migrating to in the hope they will provide improved accessibility and ease of use for customers, are failing to meet customer expectations.

“Network providers reached a five-year sentiment high, but reputational praise masked persistent operational complaints. ISPs recorded the worst public net sentiment due to long wait times and poor communication. Fibre operators were caught in the middle, often blamed alongside ISPs for outages and delays,” said the report.

Certain telecoms subsector top performers bucked the trend, however, improving their sentiment scores from the previous year. Network provider Rain improved its sentiment score by 9% year on year, while Telkom’s fibre business improved by 2% in the ISP subsector. Telkom’s infrastructure subsidiary Openserve improved its net sentiment by 24%. Capitec’s MVNO achieved the largest improvements in sentiment score, growing by 88% year on year. And Cell C’s net sentiment rose 29% over the same period.

Outpacing

Companies with improved net sentiments scores achieved notable growth in their businesses over the survey period, suggesting there is a positive correlation between customer satisfaction and bottom-line growth. Telkom, for example, is outpacing its counterparts in subscriber and revenue growth, while Cell C’s steady performance in the past two years has set it up for a separate listing from its largest shareholder, Blu Label Unlimited Group, in 2026.

When it comes to customer service, however, personalised offerings are winning over more generalised approaches.

“In a saturated and ever-evolving telecoms market, service and personalisation speak loudest. With standout players showing what’s possible, there’s real momentum to build on,” said PwC telecoms partner Basheena Bhoola.

Read: MTN vows to claw back market share lost to Telkom

Issues with poor network quality remain the main driver of poor sentiment ratings among consumers. PwC said 16% of customer service complaints were related to network quality in 2024.

The industry-wide net sentiment for network quality sits at -87%, with customers frustrated by dropped connections, vague outage communication and unusable data bundles. Cell C outperformed the sector average by 16 percentage points, achieving a network sentiment of 68% due to improved stability and coverage.

Cell C has received recognition for improvements in network quality, including from network ratings agency OpenSignal, after the operator chose to relinquish its own masts and towers in favour of a roaming deal – using its own spectrum – on Vodacom and MTN tower infrastructure.

With digital uptake driving the bulk of data consumption, the quality of a customer’s digital experience is playing an ever-more important role in their perception of their telecoms providers. PwC reported a net sentiment score of -89% relating to digital experience and cited the category as the one most likely to fuel service cancellations by customers.

Interestingly, MVNOs, although newly added to the index calculation, are outperforming their traditional counterparts on sentiment. Influencer-led campaigns and smoother customer journeys were cited as reasons for the improved outcomes. However, the report warned that sentiment drops sharply when campaign-driven interactions are removed, highlighting the need for consistency in MVNO service performance.

Read: Blu Label clinches tribunal approval to take control of Cell C

“The path to customer experience transformation is clear. As customer expectations evolve in a hyperconnected world, telecoms providers must move beyond reactive service models. Investments in digital agility and proactive support don’t just improve sentiment – they’re shaping the future of the industry,” said Bhoola. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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