Comsol, a South African telecommunications company, has secured a multibillion-rand investment to build a national wholesale 5G broadband network, adding a new infrastructure player to the country’s growing 5G market.
The company has already begun rolling out the network, which currently reaches more than one million households, with plans to expand further by the end of 2026. Comsol is targeting about 2,000 base stations across South Africa.
Unlike MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, and Rain, however, Comsol is not building the network primarily to sell mobile or broadband services directly to consumers.
The investment, therefore, puts more than money behind Comsol’s expansion. It is also backing a different way of building and distributing 5G connectivity in South Africa.
Comsol is building the network for other providers to use
Comsol’s model is relatively simple: rather than competing directly for customers, the company builds and operates the underlying 5G infrastructure while other providers use that network to serve their customers.
Hence, Comsol would operate as a wholesale 5G network provider, allowing internet service providers (ISPs), mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), and other resellers to use its infrastructure to offer their own services.
This means an ISP could potentially offer 5G broadband without having to build thousands of its own base stations.
The model is similar to using a shared road. Comsol builds and maintains the road, while different businesses use it to deliver their own services.
Comsol’s existing infrastructure experience also gives it a foundation for the expansion. The company has operated wireless connectivity infrastructure in South Africa for decades and currently provides connectivity across more than 200 towns.
Its network is also already used for private connectivity in industries such as mining, manufacturing, and logistics, where private 5G can support applications including automation and real-time data systems.
The new national network takes that infrastructure strategy into a much larger market.
More 5G infrastructure could widen broadband competition
South Africa already has several established 5G operators.
Vodacom and MTN launched commercial 5G services in 2020, while Rain has built a significant 5G network focused heavily on data and home broadband. Telkom has also expanded its 5G footprint.
In early July, TechMedia Africa reported that MTN Group and Telecel Group are preparing to bid for 5G licences in Ghana after the government moved to end the exclusive rights previously granted to a state-backed wholesale network provider.
By selling network capacity to other providers rather than competing for their customers, Comsol could give smaller ISPs and MVNOs access to 5G infrastructure without requiring them to make the same level of investment in towers, spectrum and network equipment.
That could become increasingly important as demand for faster broadband and smartphone penetration grows beyond major African cities.
Other operators are also spending heavily to extend coverage. MTN South Africa, for example, allocated R332 million to expand and modernise its network in Limpopo in 2026, with a focus on improving 5G coverage.
The wider market is therefore moving in the same direction: more investment in infrastructure, more coverage and more capacity.
Comsol’s wholesale approach could add another layer of competition by allowing multiple service providers to build products on top of the same network.