Cell C has unveiled a bold new strategy to support South Africa’s small and medium enterprises. The strengthened SME connectivity strategy follows extensive research into South Africa’s small business landscape. The study, conducted with research house Kantar, confirms that connectivity now underpins core business operations.

The study reveals that SMEs, which form the backbone of South Africa’s economy, are facing rising pressure as connectivity directly impacts their ability to operate, serve customers and grow. SMEs describe downtime not as a “technical issue” but a business failure, with connectivity underpinning sales, bookings, payments, delivery management and staff coordination.

Visit www.cellc.co.za/business or call 084 1234 to learn more

Other studies reinforce this picture: infrastructure gaps, unreliable internet access and rising operating costs are weakening SME competitiveness, with many business owners concerned about long-term survival if connectivity challenges persist.

While the research focuses on SMEs, the pressures are equally felt across growing mid‑market corporates, sectoral operators and small enterprise clusters whose operations depend on reliable connectivity.

New chapter for SMEs

In response, Cell C Business has repositioned its SME offering around a single, powerful conviction: nothing should stop a South African business because of connectivity. This refreshed proposition reflects three SME-driven priorities that combine reliable connectivity, radical simplicity, predictable spend and human support. Cell C has enhanced the value to SMEs with bespoke cloud solutions that enhance productivity and operational resilience.

“SMEs cannot afford downtime, not even for a moment,” says Chris Lazarus, chief officer: sales, regions and customer care at Cell C. “They told us they want reliability, simplicity and affordability. They want solutions that work every time, are simple to manage and come with real human support. We’ve redesigned our entire SME offering around these priorities to mirror their realities and remove the barriers that slow growth.”

Cell C Business is applying the same reliability, simplicity and human‑support principles to Sohos, large multi‑site businesses and sector‑specific operations that require consistent uptime.

Network strengthened for always-on businesses

Cell C’s innovative network model now provides access to more than 28 000 towers, delivering best-available-signal performance nationwide. Independent Opensignal reports show significant gains in network reliability, positioning Cell C among the top performers for reliability and experience.

The assessments show sustained improvements in Cell C’s network reliability and experience metrics, highlighting progress in availability and consistency. These network gains strengthen the foundation for Cell C Business’s uptime‑focused SME proposition.

These improvements benefit businesses of all sizes, from home-office operators to national enterprises requiring multi-location continuity.

Solutions for real business realities

SMEs do not all look the same – and neither do their challenges. Recognising the differences in not only size but digital maturity and operational, Cell C has structured its offering to meet businesses exactly where they are:

Small office/home office (Soho, one to nine people): Affordable, integrated mobile voice and data propositions plus fibre to the business.
Small businesses (10 to 50 people): Business-grade mobile voice and data connectivity, cloud-based time and attendance solutions, plus fibre to the business.
Medium businesses (51 to 500 people): Business-grade mobile voice and data connectivity, digital pen and Formflow solutions, fibre to the business, cloud PBX, and time and attendance.
Corporate/large enterprises: Business-grade mobile voice and data connectivity, digital pen and Formflow solutions, fibre to the business, cloud PBX, time and attendance, and scalable, multisite connectivity supported by dedicated account management.

The study highlights that SMEs deeply value human support and trusted advisors. Across every tier, each solution must deliver on the same foundational commitments: reliable connectivity, simplicity, cloud‑ready solutions and support when it matters most.

A partner in South Africa’s economic growth

“Connectivity is becoming the new driver of economic participation. By showing up as a partner that will walk the journey with the business – not just a provider – we’re helping SMEs stay online, stay productive, adopt cloud tools with confidence and stay competitive. Nothing should stand in the way of their growth,” concluded Chris.

Ready for reliable, simple, cloud‑ready connectivity and personal service? Cell C Business will walk the journey with you to find the right solution for your business. Visit www.cellc.co.za/business or call 084 1234 to learn more.