Vumatel Passes One Million Broadband Subscribers

Vumatel, owned by Maziv, has surpassed one million subscribers, making it South Africa’s largest fibre-to-the-home network operator. The fibre connection company’s latest milestone shows how quickly the technology is replacing legacy fixed-line broadband across the country.

The one-million mark was reached roughly a decade after the company launched its first fibre project in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, in 2014. Adoption has moved faster than with earlier fixed-line technologies. By comparison, ADSL took around 14 years to reach its peak of just over one million subscribers in South Africa.

“Reaching one million subscribers is a major milestone for Vuma and a strong validation of our long-term strategy,” Maziv CEO Dietlof Mare said in a statement on Monday. “It shows the growing role of fibre as essential infrastructure and the strength of our partnerships with internet service providers, who are critical to connecting and supporting customers on our network.”

Market position and competitive landscape

Vumatel has now passed more than two million homes and works with over 75 ISPs through its open-access wholesale model. Industry data shows the company accounts for about 36% of the local FTTH market by both homes passed and homes connected.

Its closest competitor, Openserve, had passed 1.38 million homes with fibre and connected 694,630 customers as of 31 March 2025. This translates into a connectivity rate of 50.4%, the highest in the market. During the year, Openserve’s fibre data revenue grew 5.9%, with fibre services contributing 82% of its total operating revenue.

Growth driven by underserved communities and affordable access

A key driver of Vumatel’s recent growth has been its Reach service, which focuses on previously underserved, lower-income communities. Mare noted that while early demand was concentrated in established suburbs in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, expansion into Reach areas has gained strong momentum. Today, about half of the homes on Vumatel’s network are in traditionally underserved areas, including townships such as Soweto, Khayelitsha and Umlazi.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen strong growth from our rollout into Reach areas, delivering much-needed uncapped broadband to communities that were previously underserved,” Mare said.

In 2024, the company also introduced Vuma Key, its most affordable fibre product. Aimed at households earning under R5,000 a month, the service has been piloted in areas including Alexandra and Khayelitsha.