Sakeliga has announced a Pretoria High Court application challenging Icasa's interpretation of telecoms ownership requirements. It argues that the law permits alternatives to a fixed 30% shareholding threshold, including equity-equivalent investment. Icasa's position is that full alignment with those alternatives requires Parliament to change the law. The application could affect domestic operators and foreign entrants such as Starlink. No court ruling has changed the licensing rules, and a successful review wouldn't automatically grant any operator a licence.
Space42 has introduced an advertising-funded Wi-Fi offering for South African network partners using its YahClick satellite service. Users receive 20 minutes of internet access after watching a 30-second video and can repeat the process. Businesses can install new hotspots or add advertising to compatible existing equipment. The model gives venues another way to fund public connectivity where other access is limited. Space42 hasn't provided a national list of operating hotspots, so the announcement doesn't establish availability in every community.
Ookla's latest US Starlink study found median upload speeds rose 42% year on year, from 14.63Mbps to 20.73Mbps in the first half of 2026. The number of Speedtest users testing Starlink in urban areas grew 73%, compared with 33% in rural areas. Those figures describe Ookla's testing population, rather than an audited subscriber census. The findings suggest satellite broadband is attracting interest beyond remote homes, although Fierce Network reports that Starlink's median downloads still trail the major US fixed-wireless providers.
Telkom has argued that Icasa's empowerment rules create uncertainty and should recognise alternatives such as skills development and infrastructure investment. TechCentral's first report on its February submission says the operator wants any flexibility applied equally to existing licensees and satellite newcomers. Telkom also says companies selling services directly to South Africans should face the same licensing and social obligations. This is an operator's position in an existing inquiry, rather than an announcement that the rules have changed or Starlink has been licensed.
Vodafone has launched its Pro 4 broadband range in the UK, with tiers reaching up to 8Gbps over CityFibre's network. The package pairs a tri-band WiFi 7 router with mesh boosters and controls that prioritise work, gaming or streaming devices. Automatic 4G backup is included, but Vodafone's product page specifies a 100GB monthly backup allowance. Availability and speed depend on the address.
SA Connect has established more than 18,500 public Wi-Fi hotspots and connected 8,215 government facilities, communications minister Solly Malatsi says in a parliamentary reply reported by MyBroadband. The facilities figure is 55.7% of the programme's 14,742-site target, leaving 6,527 still to connect. The reply was signed on 30 October, so these aren't installations completed overnight. Further connections depend on funding.
Toshiba Europe has won an Innovate UK contract to develop equipment for longer-distance quantum links and networks serving multiple users. BT and Colt will help validate prototype subsystems under realistic conditions. Toshiba says the work aims to make quantum networks easier and cheaper to expand over existing fibre, including more efficient use of network resources. This is a research and development project supporting Britain's longer-term quantum networking plans.
Four months after BrainSAT's government-endorsed South African launch, MyBroadband reports no major rollout announcements and little response to questions about its progress. The email address listed on its website bounced, while BrainSAT, Space42 and the Presidency hadn't supplied answers by publication. BrainSAT resells satellite connectivity through Space42, whose services were already available locally through other providers. The launch promised always-on internet. A working email address would be a start. The report leaves customers without a clear picture of what's actually been delivered.
ICASA's proposed numbering rules would cap individuals at five mobile numbers per network, with companies exempt. The same draft calls for biometric identity checks against Home Affairs records when numbers are activated or reactivated, and real-time identity verification for SIM swaps. These are consultation proposals, not rules already in force. Fraud prevention deserves attention (not that it gets any at all), but so do families sharing one account holder's ID and the security of the biometric information.
South Africa could be ready to retire 3G in 12 to 24 months, Vodacom group technology chief Dejan Kastelic told TechCentral. He wants operators to coordinate a date, give a year's notice and help customers replace old handsets. Fewer than 10% of devices on Vodacom's local network are now 3G handsets, he says; 2G would remain longer. This is an executive's proposed timetable, not an announced shutdown. Freeing spectrum for 4G makes sense, provided customers aren't expected to upgrade their wallets first (as is usually the case...).
Vodacom topped MyBroadband Insights' Centurion voice tests with a 97.77 score, no dropped calls and 100% call-setup success in the sample. MTN placed second overall but recorded slightly better average speech quality. Telkom and Cell C met the cited regulatory thresholds, while Rain's 87.3% setup success hurt its result. These are controlled one-minute test calls, not a promise about every conversation or suburb. Still, successfully connecting a call remains a refreshingly practical network feature to measure.
