Telecommunications Market Research
Telecommunications businesses compete in markets shaped by regulation, capital intensity and rapid technological transition — 5G rollout, spectrum policy, fibre economics and the shift from connectivity to platform revenues all in play at once. Meraki Research works with operators, tower companies, ISPs and telco-adjacent platforms across South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and international markets.
Why Telecommunications Research Matters
- African telecoms markets differ materially from EU and US benchmarks — mobile-first behaviour, prepaid dominance and specific spectrum realities reshape every research question.
- Regulatory decisions from ICASA and counterpart regulators directly move commercial outcomes, and must be factored into research design.
- B2B and platform-play revenues (fintech, IoT, enterprise ICT) are where most operators are seeking growth but research frameworks are still lagging.
- Customer experience research in telecoms has to combine high-volume quantitative work with deep qualitative diagnostics — neither alone is adequate.
- Churn economics differ across pre-paid and post-paid segments in ways that generic CX work does not surface.
Our Telecommunications Research Services
Customer Experience and NPS Diagnostic Research
Blended quantitative and qualitative work that moves beyond tracker NPS scores into the specific moments and behaviours that drive retention and advocacy.
Enterprise ICT and B2B Research
Structured research with enterprise buyers of connectivity, cloud, managed services and fintech products, covering vendor selection, renewal triggers and value-chain economics.
Regulatory and Market Structure Research
Research into how specific regulatory moves — spectrum pricing, licensing changes, universal service obligations — affect commercial planning.
Pricing and Segmentation Research
Conjoint, Gabor-Granger and behavioural-cohort work to refine prepaid, post-paid, fibre and bundle pricing and packaging.
Tower, Fibre and Infrastructure Research
Specialised research for tower companies, fibre providers and data-centre operators, covering end-customer economics, co-location behaviour and competitive density.
Platform and Adjacent-Revenue Research
Research into mobile-money, fintech, enterprise cloud and IoT adjacencies where operator-led platforms are competing against pure-play challengers.
How We Approach Research in This Sector
Telco research at the scale the industry requires demands operational capability most boutiques lack — high-volume quantitative fieldwork, panels across multiple markets, and analytical rigour to interpret it. We combine that with senior qualitative depth and a perspective on the African competitive environment that syndicated research rarely gets right.
Why Choose Meraki Research for Telecommunications?
- Panel and fieldwork capability across major African markets — SA, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and others.
- Senior researchers with direct operating experience in African telecoms commercial, strategy and regulatory roles.
- Genuine qualitative depth on enterprise ICT and platform-revenue topics where most telco research is thin.
- Understanding of the current SA regulatory environment including ICASA, the SA Connect roadmap and the spectrum allocation process.
What We Deliver
| Deliverable | Format | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Experience Research Report | Slide deck + dashboard | Week 5 |
| Enterprise Segment Briefing | PDF + workbook | Week 6 |
| Pricing and Packaging Recommendation | PDF + model | Week 7 |
| Regulatory Impact Memo | PDF report | Week 8 |
| Quarterly Tracker | Dashboard + commentary | Ongoing |