South African companies want faster and more reliable connectivity. They also want fair competition, predictable costs and accessible support so they can better navigate a challenging economic climate and a complex infrastructural environment.
Operating in an environment that’s structurally unkind, SMEs need to know they can stay connected so they can consistently deliver high-level services to their growing customer base, both locally and abroad.
This need has driven the growth of the South African fibre to the business (FTTB) market which reached 257,000 connected and active endpoints by December 2024, up from 243,000 in September 2023.
It’s a market segment anticipated to grow at a 5.7% compound annual growth rate over the next five years, according to Africa Analysis, thanks to the introduction of more cost-effective products and services provided by a wider variety of service providers.
But uptake is not without its obstacles.
Many SMEs are still struggling to access reliable FTTB services due to a mix of cost, infrastructure availability and uncertainty about the correct package for their needs.
Economic pressures, including currency volatility, rising interest rates and increased power and logistics costs, are forcing SMEs to reassess every operational expense.
So, while connectivity remains a priority, it has to equally deliver both value and stability to warrant the cost that comes with FTTB.
Companies want consistency and uptime, not vague SLAs and best effort response times – when fibre goes down, the business goes down.
SMEs need to trust that their ISP and network provider will keep them online and informed. With so much of the business relying on cloud tools, real-time communication and remote access, downtime costs money and companies are no longer willing to accept generic excuses or outsourced accountability.
An ISP and network operator must be proactive, provide clear updates and ensure the fastest possible resolution timelines, and the FTTB service needs to hold up under pressure when the data requirement is at its peak, like month-end for a retail store in a shopping centre.
This translates to using a service provider that has a proven uptime rate, even through loadshedding, and that has invested in power redundancy and network failovers, but also in the customer experience and service value it offers.
However, trust also comes from transparency. The reality of operating in the South African environment is that there are cable thefts, loadshedding, battery issues and infrastructure damages that take place outside of the service provider’s control.
Providers need to offer real-time updates that give SMEs visibility into the problem and offer clear insights into timelines and downtime.
When companies know how long a problem will last, they are better equipped to manage downtime and customers.
Unfortunately, there’s a perception in the market that SMEs are often given less favourable SLAs compared to larger companies and that more affordable options are unreliable and lack transparency.
For many, FTTB is a frustrating experience with unaffordable and unflexible options that aren’t fit for purpose and are complicated to understand and manage.
It’s a disconnect that points to a bigger issue: fibre offerings that aren’t designed around real business needs.
Smaller companies don’t have the time to decode contention ratios or navigate vague product tiers – they want a provider that can match their requirements with the right service, explain what they’re getting and deliver what’s promised.
This means clear pricing, defined performance expectations and upgrade paths that don’t involve major disruptions.
There’s also the issue of support. SMEs often don’t have dedicated IT teams so they rely on their providers to troubleshoot, escalate and resolve problems quickly.
A missed update or a long ticket queue can damage client relationships and internal operations – companies just want support that’s easy to access and that provides accurate updates without lengthy delays.
Some providers are addressing this gap. Frogfoot, for example, enables ISPs to offer tailored options across the SME and enterprise spectrum such as cost-effective asymmetrical connections for smaller teams, and dedicated, SLA-backed fibre for high-demand environments.
More importantly, these solutions are built with scalability and clarity in mind so companies of all sizes gain control over their connectivity without being locked into contracts they can’t grow out of.
FTTB providers are fighting for more than market share, they’re fighting for SME trust and loyalty. If they can deliver a range of business-aligned products, transparency, open-access infrastructure, competitive costs, and uptime guarantees, then companies will invest in their services and stay with them as they grow.
Reliability, transparency and customer support will define who leads in the next five years.
