Digital Council Africa is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to leveraging digital infrastructure to enhance African citizens’ quality of life and maintain global competitiveness. Established in 2010 as the FTTx Council Africa, the organisation rebranded to reflect its expanded scope beyond fibre-to-the-x into the broader digital infrastructure landscape, encompassing fibre networks, wireless access, data centres, and digital services.
The organisation’s mission centres on the belief that digital transformation is about putting people first — promoting digital access and connectivity to give African countries and their citizens the tools to participate in the global digital economy.
Focus Areas
Fibre and broadband infrastructure: Digital Council Africa continues the FTTx Council’s legacy of promoting fibre network deployment across the continent. The organisation advocates for open-access network models, infrastructure sharing, and investment in last-mile connectivity.
Digital inclusion: The council promotes digital access for underserved communities, advocating for policies and investments that extend broadband coverage beyond urban centres. South Africa’s broadband access coverage has expanded to cover 82% of the country’s landmass, but significant gaps remain in rural and peri-urban areas.
Industry collaboration: Digital Council Africa brings together network operators, service providers, equipment manufacturers, and policymakers to address shared challenges in digital infrastructure deployment, including right-of-way access, environmental regulation, skills development, and investment frameworks.
Publications and Events
The organisation publishes Connex, a regular industry publication covering digital infrastructure developments, policy updates, and market trends across the African continent. Digital Council Africa also hosts conferences and industry events that bring together stakeholders from across the digital infrastructure value chain.
Why Digital Council Africa Matters for SA Telecoms Resellers
For telecoms resellers whose businesses depend on underlying broadband infrastructure, Digital Council Africa’s advocacy work helps shape the policies and investment frameworks that determine where networks are built, how infrastructure is shared, and what access terms apply. The organisation’s promotion of open-access network models is particularly relevant for ISPs and resellers who rely on wholesale fibre and wireless infrastructure to deliver services to end customers.
More information is available at digitalcouncil.africa.
About the Author
Mechelle Gindra
Mechelle Gindra is the managing editor and lead content strategist at Telecoms-Channel, South Africa's dedicated intelligence platform for telecoms resellers, ICT distributors, and channel partners. She oversees the editorial team's AI-assisted content production pipeline, ensuring vendor news, market analysis, and regulatory updates are accurate, timely, and actionable for the SA telecoms channel community. With deep expertise in the South African telecoms reseller ecosystem, Mechelle directs coverage of vendor partner programmes, ICASA regulatory developments, wholesale market dynamics, and channel business strategy. She is responsible for maintaining Telecoms-Channel's editorial standards, fact-checking processes, and corrections policy.
