The level of IT spending in South Africa is forecast to increase in 2025 at a higher pace than the economy did in 2020. Although the general state of the economy has a direct impact on the growth of the ICT sector, its customers continue to invest in technology, and the sector consistently shows a growth rate that is higher than GDP. 

Cybersecurity is a high priority, with global statistics indicating that South Africa is the third most targeted country in the world for cyberattacks. Alleged IT-related procurement irregularities revealed through a number of commissions of inquiry and investigations continue to affect the reputation of some industry players. It is estimated that there are over 13,000 IT companies and over 3,000 electronics companies in South Africa, with the vast majority being small companies employing less than 50 people, according to Globe-News Wire.

Why Work With a South African IT Company

New and growing trends will provide significant opportunities for small and large players in the sector. These include growth in telecommunications, data center revenues and artificial intelligence, and the internet of things, where start-ups are expected to lead innovation. Digital transformation to improve customer experiences and online purchasing, fintech banking, blockchain, augmented reality, and virtual reality are some of the technologies that will disrupt the South African ICT industry in 2019. Improvements continue in 2025, with more than 120 million cellular mobile connections equal to 193% of the total population. 

The industry is characterized by consolidation and convergence of companies within the IT sector, and between companies in the IT and telecommunications sectors.

What You Should Be Aware of When Working With South-African IT Companies

The growth projections of the IT market could be higher were it not for certain factors that seem to constrain it, including the cost sensitivity of customers, low expenditure by the public sector, market maturity, and bigger companies sourcing directly from the original equipment manufacturers. 

 IT market growth is also impeded by bigger companies that bypass IT vendors and go directly to OEMs for products and services. This impacts negatively on smaller companies that provide niche services within the broader IT sector. 

How Reliable Are South African IT Companies

Despite the challenges facing the IT sector, its products and services have become part and parcel of everyday business and social life. The fast pace of innovation helps the sector to remain relevant while shaping the future of business and society. 

How Does the South-African IT Industry Relate to the Neighboring Countries?

The South African IT market, comprising hardware, packaged software, and IT services submarkets, is regarded as one of the most developed and sophisticated within the continent. South African IT companies rank among world leaders in areas such as mobile software, electronic banking services, pre-payment, revenue management, fraud prevention systems, and the manufacture of set-top boxes, according to a report provided by the South African Department of Communications. 

Mobile app development is the process of creating mobile apps for popular mobile operating systems like Android and iOS. 

There are about 7 billion smartphones worldwide, meaning that more than 85% of the world’s population has a mobile device at their disposal to perform various tasks online or offline.

Having a mobile app, businesses can reach a wider audience and have more control over their marketing activities. The benefits are obvious:

• Increases your brand awareness
• Creates a new marketing channel
• Creates a new feedback channel
• Improves your customer service
• Builds customer loyalty
• Improves your sales flow

Choosing the right mobile app development company to work with is not an easy task. There are multiple aspects to consider:

• Location
• Price
• Team size
• Previous experience
• Turnover time
• Communication means

You should also define your project specifications and set up clear goals and objectives, in order to get relevant offers and collaborate successfully with the companies you choose.

There are more than 9,600 service providers on our platform which offer a wide variety of mobile development solutions. Explore their profiles and feel free to get in touch with them.

To ease the selection process, we’ve created a powerful filter which you can use to narrow down the results based on your requirements and shortlist the companies.

Alternatively, you can submit your project and our team will select and send you the best matching companies in about 1 hour. It’s free and there is no obligation to hire.

Do Businesses Need Mobile Apps? The Answer is Obvious

Users are currently browsing and using different platforms and channels (AI chatbots, search engines, social media, email, etc.) to make a decision and ultimately purchase a product/service. Mobile devices became a significant part of their lives, so businesses need to adapt and deliver solutions for different kinds of devices and operating systems.

At minimum, businesses would need to offer a mobile app listed on Play Market (for Android) or App Store (for iOS), or offer a mobile first user experience on their websites.

The reality is that more than half of the companies don’t have a mobile app yet, or are just planning to develop one.

According to the latest survey on mobile apps conducted by TechBehmoths, 62% of businesses don’t have a mobile app and don’t plan to develop one, while around 19% of businesses don’t have one, but are planning to create one in the future, and 30% of businesses have a mobile app.

Of those firms that have one, the most popular mobile application types are the following:

• Cross-platforms mobile apps - when mobile apps are coded once and compatible with multiple mobile operating systems like Android and iOS

• Native apps - when mobile apps are specifically created for iOS, Android or any other mobile operating system

• PWA (progressive web apps) - these are web applications that provide a mobile app like experience on web browsers (desktop or mobile)

Companies can benefit from mobile apps in multiple ways. Here are the main advantages:

• Customer acquisition - there are billions of smartphone users worldwide, so it’s essential to reach your customers on the devices they use

• Revenue growth - mobile apps provide an extra channel to grow your revenue. With the rise of mobile banking, payments and transactions are not happening solely on desktops devices anymore. Digital commerce spend is expected to reach around $34 Trillion by 2029 (source)

• Brand visibility - mobile apps offer a consistent channel for brand awareness and marketing

• Internal operations - some companies choose the convenience of mobile apps to run internal operations like education, onboarding, HR, logs/checks, etc.

• Customer service - serving customers via mobile apps might be the fastest and most efficient way to keep them happy

• Customer retention - mobile app push notifications is possibly the fastest way to keep clients engaged and offer promotions

• Availability - mobile apps are there for users 24/7

Having a website might not be enough to acquire new customers and serve existing ones. Today's reality is that pretty much everyone is online and using a smartphone device for both entertainment and work.

Mobile apps will inevitably become a priority for most businesses in the next couple of years.

Companies have the option to build mobile apps in house or hire mobile app development providers. For less complex projects, low-code or no-code app tools might be worth considering.

If you have a mobile app project and don’t know where to start, or have an established business and need to expand by launching a mobile app, TechBehmoths offers an easy and straightforward Project Submission tool.

Simply include the requirements of your project and our system will match it with the most appropriate mobile app development companies. You will then receive curated quotes, and be able to shortlist/get in touch with the right companies to execute your projects.