South Africa shifts focus to meaningful digital participation at Infrastructure Investment Forum

By:  Kanto Kai Okanta

Stakeholders in South Africa’s telecommunications and digital development sectors have called for a renewed focus on enabling meaningful participation in the digital economy, as the country moves beyond expanding network coverage.

The shift in emphasis emerged during the launch of South Africa’s Digital Infrastructure Investment Study, hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The event brought together leaders from government, development finance institutions, industry, and policy circles to discuss strategies for unlocking the next phase of digital growth.

Dr. Sunil Piyarlall, Executive for Network Architecture and Modelling at Openserve, a division of Telkom Group, participated in the discussions, highlighting the evolving priorities within the sector. He noted that while significant progress has been made in expanding connectivity infrastructure, the current challenge lies in ensuring that such infrastructure delivers tangible socio-economic value.

Participants at the forum emphasized that improving affordability, efficiency, and reliability of connectivity services is essential to driving broader digital inclusion. The focus, they noted, must shift toward enabling individuals, businesses, and communities to actively participate in the digital economy rather than merely having access to network coverage.

Telkom, through its Openserve division, reaffirmed its role in supporting this transition by leveraging its scale and open-access network model to deliver more cost-effective and efficient connectivity solutions. The company indicated that enhancing system performance and accessibility is central to building a more inclusive digital ecosystem.

Discussions at the event also pointed to the need for greater coordination across stakeholders to ensure that investments in digital infrastructure translate into measurable economic and social outcomes.

As South Africa advances its digital transformation agenda, industry leaders stressed that scalable, sustainable, and impact-driven connectivity solutions will be critical to unlocking long-term growth and inclusion in the digital economy.