Landlines are disappearing from South African homes and offices, and the shift is putting pressure on businesses that once made money installing, repairing, and supplying them.
In 2025, 93.8% of households relied exclusively on cellular phones, while virtually no households relied solely on landlines.
That change has reduced demand for traditional telephone services. Businesses that installed telephone lines, sold handsets and equipment, repaired systems or supported larger telecommunications companies have had to rethink what they offer.
The shift is also being felt by businesses that depended on fixed-line systems to operate.
Call centres had to replace old systems
Call centres provide a clear example of how the move away from traditional landlines affected businesses.
Many call centres relied on BRI and PRI connections running over Telkom’s copper network. As the old network was phased out, these businesses had to migrate to newer voice systems.
Telkom previously said that “in the case of call centres, many of them have already migrated to next-generation voice and are already noticing the benefits.”
The move allowed call centres to continue handling customer calls, but it changed the technology and services they needed.
That also affected the businesses supplying those services. Companies that installed and repaired traditional telephone systems increasingly needed skills linked to fibre, internet connectivity and newer voice technology.
The change therefore created a new market while reducing demand in the old one.
SMEs lose a traditional source of work
The decline in landlines means fewer customers need traditional telephone equipment and repairs.
A small contractor that once installed copper telephone lines cannot rely on the same workload when customers are moving to mobile networks, fibre, and internet-based communication.
The pressure extends to suppliers selling handsets, switches, cables and other equipment used in traditional telephone systems.
Cable theft has also created additional challenges around older copper infrastructure, increasing the need for repairs and making some networks more difficult to maintain.
But the main change has been technological. Customers have increasingly moved towards mobile and internet-based communication.
The businesses serving them have had to follow that change.
The telephone business is moving online
The demand for business communication has not disappeared. It has moved to newer platforms.
Doug Dawson, president of CCG Consulting, wrote in 2025 that some internet service providers had considered abandoning telephone services, while others continued offering them because business customers still wanted them.
His observation comes from the US market, but it highlights an important point, businesses may still need voice services even when they no longer use traditional landlines.
Cloud-based communication systems now allow employees to make and receive business calls through computers and mobile devices. Fibre networks can also carry voice and internet services through the same connection.
That creates opportunities for businesses with the right technical skills.
A former telephone installer could move into fibre installation, network cabling or digital voice services. An equipment supplier could also shift towards hardware used in modern communication networks.
The challenge is that adaptation costs money. Small businesses may need new equipment, training and technical expertise to compete in the new market.
The landline’s decline has therefore not ended the telecommunications business. It has changed what customers are buying and forced the SMEs that served them to change with it.
