COMRIC Telecommunications Sector Report 2025

The telecommunications Sector industry body, COMRIC, today released its first Telecommunications Sector Report. The Communications Risk Information Centre (COMRIC) report, provides a comprehensive overview of the risks, challenges, and strategic responses shaping South Africa’s telecommunications sector.

Marking five years since COMRIC’s founding by telco operators, Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, and Liquid Intelligent Technologies, the report highlights the sector’s critical role in economic growth and the multifaceted threats it faces, including infrastructure theft, cybercrime, and fraud.

Through collaborative efforts, advanced technologies, and regulatory advocacy, COMRIC is in the process of gaining additional support and cooperation from associated industries such as the banking industry as well as administration bodies such as ICASA to drive security improvements, innovation and data sharing structures to secure South Africa’s digital future.

Key Highlights and Findings:

Telecommunications Platforms a Major Chanel for Crime and Fraud

While there has been progress made towards stemming the tide of various crimes and fraud attempts via telecommunications, it remains a major channel for criminal activities as well as cyber crime attacks. The numbers presented in the report, indicate that fraud via telecom, is costing the SA economy in the region of R5.3 billion annually.

Furthermore, the industry, according to COMRIC CEO, Advocate Thokozani Mvelase indicated that the telco industry itself is loosing in the region of R150 million per quarter with crimes such as infrastructure theft, particularly of copper cables and lithium batteries some of the main targets for crime syndicates.

Global and Regional Context:

• Africa faces 3,286 weekly cyberattacks, with South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Morocco heavily targeted. Globally, cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025.
• Tanzania and Ghana reduced SIM box fraud through deactivation of unregistered SIMs and fraud management systems, offering models for South Africa.

Critical Role of Telecom Infrastructure:

• The Comric 2025 report stresses the role of Telecommunications in supporting economic and social activities, comparable to electricity in importance. It supports banking, healthcare, logistics, and government services.
• Physical infrastructure (fiber-optic networks, cell towers, copper cables, submarine cables, satellite systems, and data centers) faces significant risks from theft, vandalism, and sabotage, costing the sector billions annually.
• This makes expanding the telecommunications infrastructure difficult as there is constant need to replace infrastructure instead of expanding new infrastructure in areas that need better coverage. The ongoing crime levels in the country was described as “not normal” by Mvelase.
• He stressed that in certain areas new telco infrastructure was not even being attempted due to pressure and risks from the “Construction Mafia” in local communities demanding payments for allowing work to continue.

Major Threats to the Sector:

• Infrastructure Theft and Vandalism: Copper cable and lithium battery theft cost South Africa R5-7 billion annually, disrupting networks and emergency services. In 2024, 963 arrests were made, but only 198 cases were finalized, highlighting challenges in securing convictions.
• Cybercrime Surge: South Africa faces 3,312 weekly cyberattacks, with ransomware (78% of companies affected in 2025) and SIM swap fraud (58% of mobile banking fraud in 2023) as dominant threats. The average data breach cost R53.1 million in 2024.
• SIM Swap and Synthetic Identity Fraud: These remain gateway crimes, with only 5% of 3,600 SIM swap requests (Jan-Apr 2025) confirmed fraudulent due to improved authentication.
• Emerging Risks: AI-powered attacks, misinformation campaigns, and climate-related disruptions (e.g., floods) pose growing challenges. South Africa’s cyber risks (66%) are a top concern compared to global (57%) and African (61%) averages.

Progress in Risk Mitigation:

• Fraud Reduction: Telecom fraud cases declined from March 2024 to April 2025 due to AI-driven analytics, biometric authentication, and real-time monitoring. A 30-40% drop in copper and battery theft was noted due to enhanced security measures.
• Industry Collaboration: COMRIC facilitates intelligence sharing among operators (MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, Cell C, Liquid) and partnerships with law enforcement (SAPS, Hawks), regulators (ICASA), and cross-sector bodies like SABRIC. However there is much work still to be accomplished in this regard with a heavily over-regulation on data sharing creating restrictions in effectively fighting crime.
• Technological Advances: Adoption of AI-powered fraud detection, zero-trust security models, and quantum-resistant cryptography strengthens defenses. The GSMA Open Gateway Initiative supports fraud prevention through APIs.

Strategic Initiatives and Recommendations:

• National Cybersecurity Resilience Plan (NCRP): COMRIC has called for a unified plan to integrate government, legislative, business, and law enforcement efforts to combat cyber threats.
• Consumer Awareness: COMRIC has plans to roll out a national campaign to educate users on fraud prevention, alongside a sector-wide Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) with a dedicated platform where all potential fraud can be reported by individuals and companies.
• Regulatory Reforms: COMRIC is also advocating for stricter laws (e.g., Criminal Matters Amendment Act) and harmonized regulations to address SIM box fraud and unregistered SIMs.
• Infrastructure Protection: There is furthermore coordinated investments in tamper-proof enclosures, GPS tracking, solar/hybrid power solutions, and blockchain tracking to deter theft.

Future Sector Innovations:

• Generative AI: Expected to unlock $6-9.6 billion in economic value through improved network resolution and customer service.
• Satellite Connectivity: Potential regulatory changes to allow providers like Starlink to expand rural broadband access.

The COMRIC report underscores the telecommunications sector’s pivotal role in South Africa’s digital economy and its vulnerability to sophisticated, evolving threats. Through collective action, advanced technologies, and strategic partnerships, the sector is making strides in fraud prevention and infrastructure protection.

However, a greater emphasis on cross sector cooperation and information sharing as well as sustained vigilance, regulatory reform, will be the key metrics that the industry will need to manage as they negotiate a path to rid the industry of higher risks and crime.