Johannesburg – Poor network signal in South Africa’s rural communities is leaving many women entrepreneurs vulnerable in emergencies.
Rural dwellers are also getting left behind in the digital economy.
Across subsistence farming, tourism, and small trading, women entrepreneurs depend on connectivity for the basics of modern business.
This includes taking bookings, processing payments, and receiving phone calls.
Yet the reality in many rural areas is stark: calls drop, signals vanish, and online platforms remain out of reach for many.
“In the rural communities where we operate, a significant number of households are led by women,” says Khanya Shipalana, co-founder of Moropa Site Solutions.
“When they draw courage to start their own businesses to support their families, many of them face considerable challenges due to poor network connectivity.
“This hampers both their personal safety and business growth.”
Impact on the tourism sector
The hospitality industry is one of the hardest hit.
“Bookings come through too late because of poor connectivity,” says LadyJ Joji, who runs a guesthouse in the Eastern Cape.
“A guest sends a booking request, and by the time the email finally comes through, they’re already at the reception desk.
“Guests expect to confirm bookings online, share their experiences on social media, or check in with loved ones while they travel.
“When the network drops, these basic expectations cannot be met.”
Joji added: “For local women entrepreneurs, the result is devastating, with visitors often bypassing some towns altogether in favour of areas with stronger connectivity.
“Intermittent signal cuts off women entrepreneurs from the very market they need to survive”.
Safety and security
“There are still deep rural areas where you simply cannot get a cellphone signal. In other areas, the network drops so often that you can’t rely on it,” Joji said.
“I’ve seen someone use his own car to rush a neighbour to the hospital because he couldn’t call an ambulance.
“For women entrepreneurs, this is frightening – when you can’t call the police during a break-in, you’re on your own.”
The risks are compounded by distance.
Neighbours in rural areas often live kilometres apart, and with no signal, even simple communication becomes impossible.
For women who already face higher risks of gender-based violence and crime, unreliable connectivity strips away one of their most vital safety nets – the ability to reach out for help.
Disconnected from Digital Markets
Shipalana says poor signal also impacts the ability of women entrepreneurs to access digital markets.
“From point-of-sale devices to WhatsApp-based sales, e-commerce relies on stable connections,” says Shipalana..
“Women hoping to scale up are instead left frustrated when trying to access the digital economy and are often unable to reach broader markets or compete with their urban counterparts.
“The signal is just reliable enough to hope, never reliable enough to build on.
“In places like the Eastern Cape, women are running businesses with incredible resilience, but the lack of basic infrastructure in deep rural areas undermines their efforts.
“Imagine trying to sell your crafts online but losing the connection halfway through a transaction or missing a payment because your card machine won’t connect.
“These daily frustrations add up to lost income and lost opportunities.”
The Bigger Picture
A study by Opensignal published in 2023 found that South African smartphone users experience a 14.4% slower average download speed and 29.2% slower upload speed in rural areas than in urban areas.
The study also found that time spent with no signal was far higher in rural areas, with users in the Northern Cape and Limpopo recording the highest proportion of time with no signal.
It can take over a year to get through the permitting process to build a single cell tower in South Africa.
Shipalana has called on the government to do more to bridge the gap between urban and rural connectivity.
“The statistics are sobering, but the solution is within reach,” says Shipalana.
“By accelerating tower rollouts, cutting red tape, and prioritising rural coverage, South Africa can unlock a wave of entrepreneurial energy led by women.”
