Customer sentiment woes plague South Africa’s telecom industry
South Africa’s telecommunications sector is grappling with significant challenges related to customer sentiment, ranking significantly below other industries, according to new research from PwC and DataEQ.
In their research, titled ‘South African Telecommunications Sentiment Index’, PwC and DataEQ analysed over 1.3 million public social media mentions to gain a comprehensive view of customer experience. The assessment included sentiment for traditional network providers, internet service providers (ISPs), fibre network operators (FNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).
The study uncovered a paradox: while telecom scored highest on reputational Net Sentiment, thanks to high-impact campaigns and brand partnerships, this performance masks deeper service issues. Operational Net Sentiment is the lowest across all industries and was impacted by complaints linked to poor network quality and customer service.
In comparison with other sectors such as banking, insurance and retail, telecom was the only industry where negative sentiment outweighed the positive.
Connectivity complaints, poor customer support and digital service failures are driving widespread dissatisfaction in telecom. Traditional service channels – call centres, branches and email – are underperforming, while digital platforms like WhatsApp and mobile apps are failing to meet expectations.
ISPs recorded the worst public net sentiment due to long wait times and poor communication. Fibre operators were caught in the middle, often blamed alongside ISPs for outages and delays.
Network quality
Connectivity issues remain a common source of frustration, mentioned in 16% of serviceable conversations. The industry-wide Net Sentiment for network quality sits at -87%, with customers frustrated by dropped connections, vague outage communication and unusable data bundles.
With a -89% overall industry Net Sentiment, poor digital experiences are fuelling cancellation intent.
The leaders
According to the research, Rain scored highest in the network provider category, while Cell C booked the highest growth in Net Sentiment. Telkom Fibre was the only ISP to achieve a positive public Net Sentiment, with praise for reliable connectivity and innovative prepaid fibre products. FNO Openserve earned solid sentiment for its reliable infrastructure and efficient service delivery.
“In a saturated and ever-evolving telecoms market, service and personalisation speak loudest. With standout players showing what’s possible, there’s real momentum to build on,” says Basheena Bhoola, partner at PwC.
The PwC and DataEQ report highlights that improving digital support is the most cost-effective way for telecoms to reduce complaints, ease contact centre pressure and unlock smarter services.
Bhoola: “The path to customer experience transformation is clear. As customer expectations evolve in a hyper-connected world, telecoms providers must move beyond reactive service models. Investments in digital agility and proactive support don’t just improve sentiment – they’re shaping the future of the industry.”
