Maziv-owned fibre operator Vumatel has crossed the one million subscriber mark, cementing its position as South Africa’s largest fibre-to-the-home network operator and underscoring the rapid pace at which fibre is displacing legacy broadband technologies in the country.
The milestone, reached roughly a decade after Vuma launched its first project in the Johannesburg suburb of Parkhurst in 2014, represents a significantly faster adoption curve than previous fixed-line technologies. By comparison, ADSL took about 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,” said Maziv CEO Dietlof Mare in a statement on Monday. “It reflects the growing importance of fibre as essential infrastructure and the success of our close collaboration with internet service provider partners, who play a critical role in connecting and supporting customers on our network.”
Vuma has passed more than two million homes and works with over 75 ISPs through its open-access wholesale model. It commands roughly 36% of the local FTTH market by homes passed and homes connected, according to industry data.
Its nearest rival, Telkom’s Openserve, had passed 1.38 million homes with fibre and connected 694 630 as at 31 March 2025, giving it a connectivity rate of 50.4% – the highest in the market. Openserve’s fibre data revenue grew 5.9% during the year, with fibre-based services now making up 82% of its total operating revenue.
A significant portion of Vuma’s recent growth has come from its Reach service, which targets previously underserved, lower-income communities. Mare said that while early subscriber growth was concentrated in established suburbs in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, the expansion into Reach areas has delivered strong momentum. Half of the homes on Vuma’s network are now in traditionally underserved areas, including townships such as Soweto, Khayelitsha and Umlazi.
Strong growth
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen strong growth from our roll-out into Reach areas, providing much-needed uncapped, unrestricted broadband to previously underserved communities,” Mare said.
The company also launched Vuma Key in 2024, its most affordable product, aimed at households earning less than R5 000/month. It has been piloted in areas including Alexandra and Khayelitsha.
Read: South Africa’s new fibre broadband battle
Vuma’s growth trajectory has attracted strategic interest. In August 2025, the competition appeal court approved Vodacom’s proposed acquisition of a 30-35% stake in Maziv, setting aside an earlier Competition Tribunal ruling that had blocked the deal on anticompetitive grounds. The approval came with conditions to limit Vodacom’s influence over Maziv and expand capital expenditure commitments. — © 2026 NewsCentral Media
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