South Africa
Communications in South Africa
South Africa related forum posts
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Selling my Franchise
Hi My husband and I have franchised our travel business. How easy or difficult would it be to sell our UK franchise to South Africans? Is it very complicated in relation to the authorities? We will continue to live in the UK but are prepared to travel to South Africa whenever required. We are also hoping to communicate via the internet to keep in touc
Total Posts: 8 Last post by ElizaSmith
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I need loan to expand my existing business in South Africa
Hi Guys,I am looking to secure funding for my existing South African venture. Which is very successful and has huge potential to grow in to one of the prominent IT Distributon company for Southern Africa region. Please get in touch if you want to invest or fund in intrest.Thanks Samir Doshi
Total Posts: 2 Last post by sandownpark
Communications in South Africa
Telephone
The international dialling code for South Africa is 0027. To call the UK from South Africa, you will need to dial 09 44 and then the number. All numbers in South Africa are 10 digits long (this includes the three digits for the area code), and even if a call is local you will have to dial all 10 numbers.
South Africa has a very good telephone infrastructure. There is also a well developed mobile telephone network. Mobile phones can even be hired in the airport. Coverage is extensive apart from some more remote areas.
Telkom is government owned and is the country's only land-line service provider. The network is extensive and covers all major and most minor areas of the country. Call charges are among the most expensive in the world.
Mobile
Mobile telephony is abundant in South Africa with contract, pay-as-you go and 3G options. Nearly 80% of the population are subscribers.
Post
Airmail to Europe takes up to seven days.
Post office hours are generally Monday to Friday 0830-1530, and Saturday 0800-1100.
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Voice over Internet Protocol
VoIP is a new technology which allows users to verbally communicate through their computer. Essentially a telephone call made using the internet, VoIP is becoming increasingly more common in the business world due to its low costs, and easy set-up and maintenance.
Forget installation engineers and phone number changes, as long as you have a broadband connection, you can use VoIP any time, any where.
For businesses, this software is sure to eventually phase out the traditional phonecall. For as low as 4p for local and national calls, the economical potential is vast. With international calls often even less than that, VoIP is perfect if you are prone to long-distance telecommunication, or have offices, clients, partners, etc, overseas. What's more, calls made between VoIP users are typically free all you pay for is the standard internet service.
Internet
South Africa is increasingly using the internet and email for communication. However, internet connectivity, although readily available, lags behind much of the world. Because local call costs are not free, dial-up connections incur per-second call charges in addition to ISP fees. Broadband service is only available in major urban centres.
The number of internet uses has increased 121% in the last two years. However, bandwidth, until now, has been a little limited and expensive. But between Government initiatives and private companies, wireless systems and fibre-optic cables are either being installed or are in the plans for the near future.
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