The Communication Risk Information Centre (COMRiC) has warned that South Africa’s telecoms sector enters 2026 facing intensifying cybercrime, infrastructure fragility and global supply threats that pose a direct risk to national digital stability.
The assessment comes from COMRiC’s new Telco Risk View for 2026, which shows the industry absorbed R5,3-billion in fraud and cyber losses in 2025 but avoided systemic collapse only because operators coordinated, shared intelligence and stabilised systems under pressure.
Advocate Thokozani Mvelase, CEO of COMRiC, says the sector held firm in 2025 because of collective action rather than isolated defensive efforts.
“Our industry did not avoid a crisis through fortune. It avoided a crisis because operators worked together, shared data and responded faster than the threats evolving around them. The next phase will require even deeper cooperation and a commitment to transparency. South Africa’s digital economy depends on networks that do not fracture under pressure.”
COMRiC has identified several high-risk factors for 2026, including rising data privacy penalties as regulators intensify enforcement, supply chain delays linked to geopolitical tensions, and a widening digital skills gap that undermines the sector’s ability to secure and expand next generation networks.
African operators have invested heavily in fibre, 5G, cloud and AI systems – and must now prove that these investments translate into visible improvements in service quality and operational efficiency. Boards and shareholders are expected to demand measurable returns as capital expenditure continues to escalate.
Mvelase says the industry’s digital backbone remains far more vulnerable than the public realises. “The recent undersea cable disruptions exposed the fragility of South Africa’s connectivity. Resilience planning can no longer sit in technical departments. It must be a boardroom priority. The sector needs terrestrial redundancy, satellite backup, and stronger cross border fibre routes if we are to protect national uptime.”
Cybersecurity is highlighted as one of the most urgent threats. COMRiC notes that highly co-ordinated criminal groups and state linked actors continue to target telcos, turning cyber defence into a licence to operate rather than a compliance requirement.
“A breach at one operator can cascade across the entire economy. No company can defend itself alone. Shared intelligence, unified response systems, and sector wide early warning protocols are essential to national resilience,” says Mvelase.
COMRiC also stresses that South Africa’s digital ambitions are constrained by a growing shortage of critical skills. The sector does not have enough cybersecurity specialists, fibre planners, data scientists, or AI engineers to match demand.
“Our future growth depends on people. Without accelerated skills development we cannot innovate, secure our networks, or expand capacity. Operators that convert today’s risks into strategic advantages will shape Africa’s digital decade.”