WhatsApp ‘Stole’ USD 635 M From South African Telcos’ Mobile Revenue

South Africans talked more on their phones in 2025 than ever before, but their mobile providers made less money out of it.

National voice traffic surged 21.5% to 88.6 billion minutes, according to Icasa’s latest State of the ICT Sector report. Yet mobile services revenue fell ZAR 10.4 B (USD 635 M). Total mobile revenue dropped nearly 8% to ZAR 122 B (USD 7.4 B). Every major category took a hit. Voice revenue down 2%. Data revenue down 3%. Roaming revenue down 12%, and text messaging saw a 38% collapse in a single year.

The culprit is WhatsApp. South Africans have migrated their calls, their chats and their group banter to Meta’s platform. They are talking more, just not paying for the privilege. “Declines in SMS and voice revenue are consistent with long-term substitution towards OTT messaging and calling applications,” Icasa said in the report.

Generally, though, total telecoms revenue still edged up 1.6% to ZAR 236 B. This growth happened elsewhere.

Fixed broadband is booming. Fibre-to-the-home subscriptions crossed three million for the first time, up 22%. Fixed internet revenue jumped 16% to ZAR 41 B. Telcos poured 12% more into fixed‑line infrastructure while slashing mobile investment by 21%. They appear to be following the money, and the money is following the fibre.

The industry now faces a regulatory reckoning. Icasa has recommended a “comprehensive market enquiry into OTT communication and streaming services”.

The draft white paper on audio and audiovisual media services already proposes licensing obligations for global streaming platforms once they hit revenue thresholds. In other words, WhatsApp, Netflix and YouTube may soon face bills for using South African networks. The mobile operators would welcome that. But the numbers suggest they are already adapting.

Feature Image Credits: MyBroadband