In brief: Telkom is raising fixed-line, fibre, and BCX tariffs from 1 April 2026. SA resellers using Telkom as a wholesale or retail provider should review margin impact and prepare customer communications now.
Telkom South Africa will increase tariffs across its fixed-line, fibre, and mobile portfolio from 1 April 2026. BCX — Telkom’s enterprise IT services division, formerly known as Business Connexion — will implement separate increases on business access lines from the same date.
For South African telecoms resellers and connectivity providers, this is a billing event that needs to be planned for. If any of your customers are on Telkom fixed voice, BCX PSTN or ISDN lines, or Telkom-supplied fibre, their costs are going up in less than four weeks.
What’s increasing and by how much
Based on information published by local technology media, the reported increases are as follows. Resellers should verify exact figures against Telkom’s official notification before adjusting customer billing.
Telkom fixed voice
- Legacy fixed voice products: average increase of approximately 10%
- Current fixed voice products: average increase of approximately 6%
Telkom fibre (consumer and SMB)
- Average increase of approximately 6% on consumer and SMB fibre tariffs
BCX business access lines (from 1 April)
- PSTN lines
- ISDN BRI lines (Basic Rate Interface)
- ISDN PRI lines (Primary Rate Interface)
- Indoor and outdoor extensions
What is not increasing
Telkom has indicated the following are excluded from the April increases:
- Device instalments
- Popular uncapped data plans
- 5G services
The increases apply to all customers — those on month-to-month arrangements and those on fixed-term contracts alike.
Understanding BCX and why it matters for resellers
BCX (formerly Business Connexion) is Telkom’s enterprise and government ICT services division, responsible for managing business connectivity and legacy infrastructure contracts. If your customers have PSTN lines, ISDN BRI, or ISDN PRI circuits supplied through a BCX contract — often the case for older enterprise telephony deployments — those are the lines being priced up from April.
Many South African businesses that still run traditional PBX systems (Panasonic, NEC, Siemens HiPath, older Mitel systems) are connected to the PSTN or ISDN infrastructure that BCX manages. This increase touches a wide base of legacy enterprise telephony customers.
The ISDN story: this is not just a price adjustment
The BCX ISDN price increases deserve specific attention, because they’re not just a cost recovery exercise — they’re part of a deliberate strategy.
Telkom has been under pressure to sunset its ISDN network for years. The infrastructure is expensive to maintain, it’s declining in active use, and global carriers have already completed ISDN shutdowns in several markets. In South Africa, the sunset has been slower, but the direction has been consistent: ISDN infrastructure is being run down, and price increases are one of the mechanisms to accelerate customer migration off the platform.
If you have customers still running ISDN BRI or PRI lines, this is likely the first of several annual increases — not a one-off event. The business case for migrating those customers to SIP trunking has just improved significantly.
The migration opportunity
For each ISDN PRI line your customer is running, they’re paying for 30 simultaneous call channels in a fixed bundle — whether they use them all or not. SIP trunking is elastic: customers pay per channel (or per concurrent call), scaling up and down with actual usage. In most South African SME and mid-market deployments, businesses that migrate from ISDN PRI to SIP find their monthly voice spend drops, often materially.
With BCX ISDN now increasing, the conversation is simple: “Your ISDN costs are going up from April. Let’s run the numbers on SIP trunking and see what you’d actually save.” That’s a warm conversation that benefits both the customer and your business.
What resellers and service providers should do before 1 April
- Identify all affected customers. Audit which of your customers are on Telkom fixed voice, BCX PSTN, BCX ISDN, or Telkom fibre. These are the accounts with a billing change coming.
- Verify exact figures from Telkom or BCX directly. The percentages reported in the media are averages — your customer’s specific plan increase may differ. Request the official Telkom/BCX notification if you haven’t received it.
- Review your own cost base. If you resell Telkom or BCX services, understand your updated wholesale costs before April so your own billing is correct from day one.
- Start the ISDN migration conversation now. For any customer still on BCX ISDN BRI or PRI, this price increase is the trigger for a migration conversation. Don’t wait — the April bill is the deadline that makes the conversation easier.
- Communicate proactively with customers. Customers on Telkom or BCX services who haven’t yet received formal notification will appreciate a heads-up. Position it as advisory: you’re watching the market for them.
Sources
TechCentral | Stuff South Africa | JoburgEtc
Frequently asked questions
When do Telkom’s April 2026 price increases take effect?
The increases take effect from 1 April 2026 for Telkom fixed voice, fibre, and BCX business access lines including PSTN, ISDN BRI, and ISDN PRI.
Are customers on fixed-term contracts affected by the Telkom price increase?
Yes. Based on published reports, the increases apply to both month-to-month and fixed-term contract customers. Check your specific contract terms or contact Telkom/BCX directly to confirm how the increase applies to your customer’s agreement.
What is BCX and how does it relate to Telkom?
BCX (formerly Business Connexion) is Telkom’s enterprise ICT services division. It manages business connectivity, legacy PSTN and ISDN infrastructure, and managed IT services for enterprise and government customers. BCX-supplied business lines are separate from retail Telkom products but are subject to the same April 2026 increase cycle.
Is Telkom planning to shut down ISDN in South Africa?
Telkom has not announced a formal ISDN shutdown date, but the infrastructure is being wound down. Ongoing price increases on ISDN BRI and PRI lines are consistent with a managed exit strategy for legacy infrastructure. Businesses still on ISDN should plan migration to SIP trunking — the financial case improves with each price increase.
What is the alternative to Telkom ISDN for South African businesses?
SIP trunking over a broadband or fibre connection is the standard modern replacement for ISDN. Unlike ISDN PRI (which provides 30 fixed channels), SIP trunking is elastic — you pay for channels based on actual concurrent call usage, typically at lower cost. Providers in South Africa include Switch Telecom, Euphoria Telecom, Telviva, Nology, and others. Your existing PBX may need a SIP licence or gateway to support the transition.
About BCX on Telecoms-Channel
For the full BCX portfolio, company background, and South African reseller resources, visit the BCX vendor page on Telecoms-Channel.
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.
