Cape Town – One of Africa’s Top Digital Cities
Digital technology is revolutionising the world we live in, transforming civil society and impacting both public and private sectors. For investors and businesses, this shift has created an ease of doing business, and new opportunities to innovate and grow. South Africa is ranked second for having the fastest internet speed in Africa, with Cape Town leading the way with easy-to-find, reliable, fast WiFi.
Cape Town has made significant strides in harnessing the power of Information Technology, resulting in investment opportunities in Cape Town. This focus on tech has led to substantial investments in infrastructure and now facilitates greater digital connectivity across the continent than ever before. This robust digital environment makes the city an attractive destination for businesses and investors in the tech sector.
Cape Town’s Municipal-Owned Fibre-Optic Network
The Mother City boasts strong fibre-optic cables that have greatly accelerated internet access to over a million people in the city, making the ease of doing business convenient for businesses and entrepreneurs.
This is largely due to the introduction of more than 400 free WiFi zones spread throughout the city. The city’s broadband project aims to deliver a fully functional, municipal-owned fibre-optic network that will serve the entire metro area. This expansion will provide even more internet options in Cape Town, particularly for businesses that require reliable and fast fibre connectivity.
A Thriving Hub for the Digital Age
Cape Town’s digital economy and broadband access are key drivers of growth for the Western Cape region.
To support this, the City of Cape Town has implemented a comprehensive Digitech strategy aimed at making the metro a globally competitive city in terms of digital infrastructure, business initiatives, and digital government services to tap into the city’s thriving tech scene.
This strategy focuses on key areas including:
- Investing in telecommunication services and infrastructure: this allows companies and businesses to extend their networks and provide high-speed broadband throughout Cape Town.
- An open-access city network: this allows telecom providers to expand their reach and deliver broadband services. Fibre-optic cables and microwave links are currently used to connect over 346 city buildings at speeds of up to 1Gbps.
- Related services: such as co-location of equipment and cross-connecting between networks.
- Remote working: due to its numerous coworking spaces, digital-nomad–friendly cafes, lower cost of living, and fast internet, this makes Cape Town an ideal place for remote workers and digital entrepreneurs to meet like-minded professionals.
Cape Town’s digital economy and broadband access remain crucial elements in driving growth in the Western Cape region. In light of this, the Wesgro Annual Performance Plan 2024/25 emerges as a significant resource guiding the city’s investment and innovation strategies. This comprehensive plan outlines key initiatives aimed at bolstering Cape Town’s global competitiveness and fostering economic resilience.
In collaboration with our Strategic Business Partners, our Investment Programmes are is committed to:
- Cultivating a vibrant deal flow through active market engagement and network development.
- Establishing Cape Town as an internationally competitive hub, building on existing strengths like Africa’s Start-up Capital and the Green Economy.
- Providing investor-centric service delivery at every stage of the investment lifecycle.
- Prioritising green initiatives like renewable energy and e-mobility to ensure future competitiveness.
- Fostering a thriving tech ecosystem, addressing skill development, and supporting tech start-ups.
- Crafting targeted investment pipelines in tech and green sectors.
- Nurturing strategic sectors such as film, health, and agri-processing.
- Pioneering innovative lead generation techniques and forging strong private sector partnerships.
- Adapting swiftly to changing landscapes with increased agility and responsiveness.
- Implementing detailed reporting mechanisms for transparent progress tracking.
Future Growth Opportunities
Cape Town boasts a strong foundational infrastructure that offers numerous opportunities for digital connectivity in the Western Cape. The city’s creative software design and development sector is thriving, positioning Cape Town as a potential global innovation hub. Additionally, South Africa’s robust banking sector provides a unique opportunity for Cape Town to serve as the African gateway to greater ICT-related technologies in software development.
The city’s mission is that, by 2030, every citizen will have access to affordable high-speed internet (infrastructure and services), as well as the necessary skills to be able to effectively utilise this infrastructure. World-class courses provided by the four universities in the Western Cape also ensure that this education can be prioritised for anyone interested in digital career streams.
Improving telecommunications and technological infrastructure across provincial and local government spaces is a continuous effort by the City of Cape Town. This includes improving access to broadband infrastructure, information, and opportunities to broaden participation in the economy for citizens from all walks of life. These efforts will increase access to new opportunities and markets, making the city more competitive and attractive to enterprises worldwide. It also creates opportunities for new service-oriented businesses to emerge on local, national, and international levels.
Contact us today for detailed information on digital connectivity in Cape Town and the greater Western Cape region. Our friendly, knowledgeable Invest Cape Town team provides support and advice on everything you will need to set up a business or organisation within the Mother City’s globally competitive environment.
