The latest fibre network operator survey from the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) casts a dim view on South Africa’s fibre industry, suggesting that many private-sector operators have grown as sluggish as the former monopoly, Telkom. Yet one company remains an outlier: Octotel, a Western Cape-based provider, has not only kept its standing but continues to surpass national peers.

‍

ISPA’s Industry Survey

In its third and latest study, 44 ISPs provided 321 ratings across 38 networks, with Octotel emerging as the industry leader in terms of reliability. The respondents interact daily with the networks they rate, making the survey an accurate gauge of service quality.

Eight major fibre network operators (FNOs), led by Octotel, Openserve, and Liquid Intelligent Networks, were rated most frequently. Octotel topped the rankings, replacing Metrofibre, while Liquid showed significant improvement, rising from fifth to second place. Openserve, recovering from a previous drop, took third.

Octotel excelled in reliability and software systems, although their adherence to open access principles were not quite as good as they were last time round. Liquid’s technical skills were rated highly, with minor concerns around business processes. Openserve scored well for reliability and open access but experienced a dip in perceptions of communication and staff. Metrofibre and Link Africa, former leaders, saw their rankings decline, while Frogfoot remained steady and Dark Fibre Africa and Vumatel faced mixed evaluations, notably around support and software systems.

Reliability, technical competence, staff, and support were generally well-regarded, while software systems and business processes were weakest across all FNOs. Smaller operators, like Comtel and FibreGeeks, received higher ratings than many larger networks, showcasing their competitiveness.

A bonus question revealed that reliability and pricing are primary factors for ISPs choosing an FNO in overlapping service areas. Secondary considerations included support, repair times, installation speed, and operator reputation. ISPs’ preferences highlight a priority for network stability and cost-effectiveness, though other factors like ease of interaction and national coverage also play roles.

‍

Promise, and decline

Historically, ISPA played a crucial role in dismantling Telkom’s dominance, securing fair access to infrastructure and opening the market. Founded in 1996 and incorporated as a non-profit in 2016, they recently began regular surveys of their ISP members on the quality of our FNOs.

After ISPA's efforts created an accessible market, South Africa briefly became globally competitive for its internet speeds. But we have since fallen far behind global standards, with several FNOs now plagued by inefficiencies and a lack of competition due to companies refusing to compete over the same local areas and neighbourhoods.

Today, in many neighbourhoods, as much as 80% of customers do not have the option to switch fibre networks, and this counts double for private estates, who tend to purchase single service contracts for their tenants.

Today, major operators such as Vumatel, Openserve, and Frogfoot often offer limited local alternatives, and increasingly, growth is focused on low-cost contracts, particularly in townships and informal settlements, where locking in local monopolies is easier with less-discerning customers with fewer financial options.

Vumatel just went through a disastrous Salesforce operational system implementation, and dipped under 5/10 in customer satisfaction. Frogfoot, an FNO owned by the ISP Vox, has been suffering from network reliability issues and short outages, with some question marks about their FTTB services designed to give Vox an unfair advantage.

Most providers also lock customers into “losing-provider switching” schemes, binding them to one ISP until contract expiry. Octotel, by contrast, champions “gaining-provider led switching,” enabling new ISPs to handle customer transfers in 24–48 hours, a standard long overdue in South Africa.

‍

Octotel’s Approach

Octotel’s success can be attributed to its limited geographic reach—focused on the Western Cape—and a streamlined product range. Their business model avoids large corporate contracts and dark-fibre leasing, allowing a focus on high-quality residential and small-business fibre. Technicians work locally, and service remains available on weekends. Free from the constraints of national expansion and KwaZulu-Natal’s notorious construction mafias, Octotel’s Western Cape focus has reinforced its quality standards.

By adhering to open-access principles, Octotel allows ISPs to compete equally on its network, leveling the playing field. But industry insiders warn that new ownership under African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM)—with stakes in Metrofibre, a vertically integrated competitor that prioritises its own ISP—could challenge Octotel’s ethics. AIIM’s consortium partners include STOA, a Paris-based impact investor, and Thebe Investment Corporation, a BEE firm linked to the ANC.

For now, Octotel remains a beacon of quality in a lagging industry. And for those lucky enough to be within its service reach, pairing Octotel’s infrastructure with a top-rated Cape based ISP like Atomic Access (4.9/5), Krypton Web (4.9/5), or Vanilla (4.7/5) could offer one of South Africa’s rare first world internet experiences.

Whether Octotel’s model can survive under new ownership is another question. You can find the full survey results on the ISPA website.