Surge in SA internet users
More than 20 million South Africans now connected, according to industry study
THE South African internet user population passed the 20 million mark for the first time last year‚ reaching 21 million‚ and is expected to grow to at least 22.5 million this year. This is the main finding of the Internet Access in South Africa 2017 study‚ released yesterday by World Wide Worx with the support of Dark Fibre Africa (DFA)‚ a provider of wholesale open-access fibre connectivity.
Based on Stats SA’s estimate that the South African population reached 55.9 million people in June last year‚ the companies said this meant that the country would reach the 40% internet penetration mark this year.
“Finally reaching the point where we can say every second adult South African is connected to the internet is a major landmark‚ because internet access is becoming synonymous with economic access‚” DFA chief strategy officer and executive director Reshaad Sha said.
This contrasts with a report last year by the ITU‚ the UN specialised agency for information and communication technology (ICT)‚ which found that almost 75% of people in Africa were non-users.
The agency said: “By the end of 2016‚ more than half of the world’s population – 3.9 billion people – will not yet be using the internet.
“While almost one billion households in the world now have internet access (of which 230 million are in China‚ 60 million in India and 20 million in the world’s 48 least developed countries)‚ figures for household access reveal the extent of the digital divide‚ with 84% of households connected in Europe‚ compared with 15.4% in the African region.”
To illustrate the surge of internet penetration in South Africa‚ however‚ a previous PWC Southern Africa report quantified the number of internet users in South Africa at 8.9 million in 2011‚ which was nearly twice the 4.6 million total in 2008.
This growth had principally been driven by a surge in the number of mobile broadband users‚ which jumped to 5.8 million in 2011 from only 600 000 in 2008‚ PwC said.
More than half of the world’s web traffic now comes from cellphones‚ according to a report conducted in January.
It also stated: “Mobile social media use in Africa increased by nearly 50% in 2016‚ although at just 12% penetration across the region‚ there’s still plenty more room to grow.”
The internet Access in South Africa 2017 report reveals that the single most common use of the internet among South African adults is:
ý Communication‚ reported by almost a third (31%) of respondents; followed by ý Social networking (24.9%); and ý Information (23.7%)‚ both reported by almost a quarter of respondents. ý Only then comes entertainment at 22.1%. The question on primary uses of the internet was answered by a sample representing 4.1 million South African adults across all income and education levels.
“The findings emphasise the potential of the internet to enhance lives when we have greater penetration across all segments and demographics‚” World Wide Worx managing director Arthur Goldstuck said. – TimesLIVE