More than 300 000 South Africans, most of them women working in the informal economy, can now earn a share of the money the country spends on airtime and data, following the launch of a new mobile network in Midrand on Saturday, 24 October 2026.
TPC Africa Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), will not rely on retail stores or large advertising budgets to find customers. Instead, it will be distributed entirely through a community of independent business owners who earn commission each time their customers buy airtime, data or services on the network.
The model arrives as unemployment in South Africa remains above 30%, according to Statistics South Africa, and as households tighten their spending. ICASA’s latest State of the ICT Sector report shows that national mobile minutes rose by 21.5% in 2025 while mobile services revenue fell by 7.9%. South Africans are relying on their phones more than ever, but spending more carefully, and until now almost none of that spending has flowed back to the communities it comes from.
“For too long, ordinary South Africans have only been customers of the telecoms industry,” said Bathabile Moreki, founder of TPC Africa Mobile. “Every day, people in our townships and villages spend money on airtime and data, and that money leaves the community. We want some of it to stay with the woman who sold the SIM card, so she can feed her family and grow her business from something people need every single day.”
The approach departs from how South Africa’s MVNO sector has grown so far. Africa Analysis reports that the country had 4.4 million active MVNO SIMs in 2025 and projects 14.4 million by 2030, with growth led largely by banks and retailers that reward customers for spending. Survival has been difficult. Of the 38 MVNOs that have launched in South Africa, only 21 remain active. TPC Africa Mobile is testing whether a network that pays people for selling, rather than for spending, can build the loyalty that keeps a new operator in the market.
The implications extend to women’s economic participation. According to the Direct Selling Association of South Africa, 87% of the country’s direct sellers in 2023 were women. Telecommunications has historically concentrated ownership and earnings among a few large players, and community distribution models open a share of that revenue to a workforce that has largely been excluded from it.
“A network survives when people trust it, and trust is built person to person,” said Moreki. “Our sellers already know their customers by name. They live in the same streets and answer the same phone calls. That is not something a billboard can replace.”
TPC Africa Mobile was established by the team behind The Perfume Co. Africa, which was founded in 2021 and grew to more than 300 000 independent business owners across six countries within 24 months. Activations at stockists and a provincial roadshow will follow in the coming months, taking the network to communities across South Africa, with the regional footprint of its sellers positioning it for growth across the continent over time.