Open-access fibre network operator Vuma has reached a major growth milestone after surpassing one million active subscribers on its network, signalling a significant shift in South Africa’s fixed-line broadband market towards fibre-based connectivity.
The achievement comes nearly eight years after the company commenced operations and reflects rising household demand for faster, more reliable internet services, as consumers continue to move away from legacy fixed-line technologies such as ADSL.
Brandspur ICT News Desk reports that Vuma, which is owned by infrastructure group Maziv, has expanded aggressively across key metropolitan regions including Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, while also recording strong uptake in lower-income and previously underserved communities through its Reach rollout model.
Maziv Chief Executive Officer, Dietlof Mare, described the milestone as evidence that fibre has become critical national infrastructure, supporting both economic activity and digital inclusion. He said the company’s growth has been underpinned by strong collaboration with internet service providers operating on the network, who play a central role in customer acquisition and service delivery.
In recent years, subscriber growth has extended beyond traditional high-income suburbs into newer rollout areas, contributing to a broader geographic spread of fibre adoption. The company noted that this shift has reduced reliance on mature fibre markets and driven sustained growth across multiple regions.
Comparative data also highlights the pace of fibre adoption, with Vuma noting that previous fixed-line technologies took more than a decade to reach similar subscriber levels. The rapid uptake underscores fibre’s position as the preferred fixed broadband solution for South African households.
Vuma Chief Commercial Officer, Simon Butler, said the expansion into Reach areas has become a key contributor to overall subscriber growth, providing broadband access to communities that previously had limited connectivity options.
The one-million-subscriber milestone further entrenches fibre as a core component of South Africa’s digital ecosystem, supporting remote work, online education, small business operations and digital services. As competition among fibre network operators intensifies and rollout costs remain under pressure, subscriber scale is increasingly viewed as a critical indicator of long-term network sustainability and viability within the telecommunications sector.
