Several smaller fibre network operators (FNOs) received stronger performance ratings than many of South Africa’s largest networks in the latest ISP perception survey conducted by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa).

The survey measures how internet service providers rate fibre operators across factors including reliability, technical capability, support and adherence to open access principles.

Among smaller operators, Lightspeed (Cybersmart) achieved a score of 7.1, followed by Open Fibre and Lightstruck at 7.0 each. Evotel and Seacom FibreCo both scored 6.9, while Wecom recorded 6.6.

According to Ispa, these results placed several smaller operators ahead of most of South Africa’s largest fibre networks.

Octotel remains top-ranked among major operators

Among the eight largest FNOs by survey participation, Octotel retained the highest overall score at 7.5.

Openserve ranked second with 6.5, followed by MetroFibre at 6.4. Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Frogfoot, Link Africa, Dark Fibre Africa and Vumatel completed the rankings.

Ispa noted that Frogfoot, Dark Fibre Africa and Vumatel recorded their strongest scores in three years, while Link Africa received its lowest rating to date.

Reliability and support remain key measures

Ispa said reliability, staff responsiveness, technical proficiency and adherence to open access policies remain the strongest drivers of ISP perceptions.

The association also noted that operators receiving broader ISP participation tended to perform well on open access practices.

Ant Brooks, spokesperson for Ispa, said improving support processes and making it easier for ISPs to resolve operational issues remain important priorities for fibre operators.

Ispa added that survey participation continues to broaden over time, which it said reflects growing use of multiple fibre networks across the market.

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