South Africa is consulting on whether to update its 2010 universal access and service determination, with comments due by 30 October 2026. The reported proposal would modernise definitions for broadband and emergency communications, but it sets no new minimum speeds, affordability limits or access-point distances. Separately, government has said it intends to disestablish the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA); that change is not yet law.
What does universal access mean?
Universal access and universal service policy is intended to address whether people and communities can obtain communications services, including where commercial provision alone may not meet the need. The current consultation revisits the ministerial determination made in 2010. According to TechCentral’s report of 2 October 2026, the discussion document was published in the Government Gazette and asks whether that determination should be updated. Comments close on 30 October 2026.
The reported proposal keeps two ideas distinct: shared access available to a community, such as a public access point, and service available to an individual or household. That distinction matters because a community facility and a connection at home are not interchangeable measures of access.
What is USAASA proposing to change?
TechCentral describes the preferred option as a “targeted revision” of the determination. The proposed definitions would account for broadband and emergency communications and describe adequate service in terms of quality and cost sufficient for “effective use.” This is a proposed policy framework, not a new entitlement specifying what connection a person must receive.
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No numerical service benchmarks in this consultation
The reported proposal does not set a minimum broadband speed, an affordability threshold or a maximum distance to a public access point. Those benchmarks would be developed later through a separate instrument, with its own consultation and review timetable. The report says the discussion document cautions against setting fixed percentages or speeds without considering consequences for low-income households.
Technology-neutral definitions
The approach is described as technology neutral: satellite, wireless and fixed networks could be assessed against the service attributes rather than treated differently simply because of the technology used. That does not mean a particular network has already been found to qualify, or that the proposal guarantees a specified service to each household.
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The detailed description here is based on TechCentral’s account of the discussion document. No replacement numeric targets are identified in that report.
Are the old universal access targets still in force?
The 2010 ministerial determination, Government Notice 85, set targets relating to public access points, household access, affordability and broadcasting. The reported document says those numerical targets were intended to apply for no more than two years. USAASA is reported as cautioning that they “must not be presented as current targets” without separate legal verification, and as saying the determination’s current legal status still needs confirmation.
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How many South African households have internet at home?
Internet access “from any location” and fixed internet at home measure different things. The 2023 Stats SA General Household Survey figures summarised by the South African government show a large gap between households with some form of access and those with fixed home access:
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| Measure | Figure | Source and period |
|---|---|---|
| Households with at least one member able to access or using the internet at one or more locations | 78.6% | Stats SA, General Household Survey 2023; government summary |
| Households with fixed internet access at home | 14.5% | Stats SA, General Household Survey 2023; government summary |
| Households able to access the internet using mobile technology | 72.6% | Stats SA, General Household Survey 2023; government summary |
| Rural households with internet access at home | 1.7% | Stats SA, General Household Survey 2023; government summary |
| Metropolitan households with internet access at home | 23.8% | Stats SA, General Household Survey 2023; government summary |
A separate series reported by TechCentral from ICASA’s March 2026 State of the ICT Sector report gives 2024 figures: 82.1% of households had internet access from any location, while 17.4% had access at home. These are ICASA’s 2024 figures, not a continuation of the Stats SA 2023 survey table above; the years and sources should not be combined as though they were one survey.
Is USAASA being abolished?
No. Government has announced an intention to disestablish the agency and repurpose its fund, but the necessary legislative change had not been completed as of 2 October 2026. In a parliamentary answer reported by TechCentral, Communications Minister Solly Malatsi said disestablishment “must be preceded by legislative enablement.”
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The separate bill is intended to convert the Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF) into a Digital Development Challenge Fund, disestablish USAASA, and transfer employees, assets and liabilities to successor arrangements. At the time of TechCentral’s report, the bill had not been published. It first needed to pass through a ministerial cluster and Cabinet process before public consultation; Malatsi anticipated possible introduction in Parliament “in the next financial year.” The Electronic Communications Amendment Bill then before Parliament did not include provisions for USAASA or USAF.
The plan is not new: Malatsi’s 2025/26 budget vote described continuing the process of disestablishing USAASA and repurposing the fund. An announcement of intent, however, does not itself dissolve a statutory agency. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies separately said on 28 January 2026 that prolonged leadership and governance instability “continues to undermine institutional performance, accountability and the effective delivery of its mandate to advance universal connectivity.” That is the committee’s assessment, not an independent audit finding.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where does the Universal Service and Access Fund spend its money?
USAFA’s reported 2025/26 expenditure shows that its work has included both broadcasting digital migration and broadband projects. TechCentral reported the following USAF figures for that financial year:
| Reported spending category | Amount | Share of reported total |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcasting digital migration project | R430.7 million | About 83% |
| Broadband projects | R83.3 million | 16% |
| Overheads and audit fees | R7.2 million, calculated as the remainder of the reported total | About 1%, calculated from the reported amounts |
| Total reported expenditure | R521.2 million | 100% |
The remainder above is calculated from the total and the two reported project amounts; TechCentral describes it as overheads and audit fees. Parliament’s 2026 budget material says the fund will continue subsidising set-top boxes for indigent households that applied and qualified. It also plans to build or extend broadband networks in underserved areas identified by ICASA, with a projected R168.7 million over the medium term to target 60 such areas.
Stats SA’s 2022 Census found that 79% of South African households owned televisions. That context helps explain why digital-TV equipment appears in the fund’s work, but it does not make a set-top box an internet connection or a requirement for taking part in the universal-access consultation.
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