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Telecommunications Developer Salary Trends in South Africa

25 July 2023, by Josh Nel

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Approximately 1 in 20 South African developers are based in the Telecommunications industry. This makes it the seventh largest industry for developers in the country behind sectors like FinTech, SaaS, Consulting and eCommerce. Here we’ll look at the average salaries for Telecommunications developers at each stage of their careers and how they compare to those for 2022.

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Average salaries for entry-level Telecommunications developers start at R25 959 per month, 41.5% higher than 2022’s average. In spite of this, it remains one of the lowest-paying industry for entry-level developers in South Africa.

At this stage of their careers, Telecommunications developers earn just 1.8% less than entry-level FinTech developers, but 25.4% less than those working in Cloud Tech, and 22.6% less than their eCommerce counterparts.

Junior Telecommunications developer see their average salaries rise by 14.1% once they’ve acquired at least two years of experience. This gives them an average salary of R29 209, 14.6% less than 2022’s average.

As a result of this smaller increase, they’ve seen the gap between themselves and juniors working in other industries widen. They now earn 21.1% less than the average junior FinTech developer, 30.1% less than their Cloud counterparts, and 25.6% less than junior eCommerce developers.

Mid-level Telecommunications developers can expect the most significant increase of their careers once they pass the four-year mark:

Telecommunications developers with four to six years of experience see their salaries rise by 60.9% to an average of R47 009. By this stage of their careers, they’re earning 13.1% and 9.9% less their FinTech and Cloud Tech counterparts, respectively. However, they now earn just 3.5% less than the average mid-level eCommerce developer.

Average Telecommunications Developer Salaries by Experience



Average Salary by Years Experience, showing 25th and 75th percentiles
Years of Experience 25th Percentile Average 75th Percentile
0-2 R10,000 R25,595 R28,500
2-4 R22,500 R29,209 R42,500
4-6 R32,500 R47,009 R52,500
6-10 R42,500 R64,631 R72,500
10+ R56,250 R81,985 R92,500

Salary growth for Telecommunications developers starts to slow at the senior level, but that’s not to say there’s no growth at all.

Senior Telecommunications developers with at least six years of experience can expect a 37.5% increase giving them an average monthly salary of R64 631, 3.4% more than their eCommerce counterparts. They’ve also closed the gap on senior FinTech and Cloud developers to 7.7% and 8.6%, respectively.

Senior Telecommunications see their salaries rise by an additional 26.9% to an average of R81 985. However, it remains the lowest paid industry for seniors in the country.

By this stage of their careers, they earn 8.6% less than senior FinTech developers with similar experience, 9.5% less than those working in eCommerce, and 10.2% less than their Cloud Tech counterparts.

Average Telecommunications Developer Salaries in 2022 vs 2023

Years of Experience 2022 2023
0-2 R18,088 R25,595
2-4 R34,186 R29,209
4-6 R43,636 R47,009
6-10 R56,029 R64,631
10+ R72,031 R81,985

Keep in mind

The data in this article is taken from OfferZen's 2023 State of the Software Developer Nation Report. In this article, 'salary' refers to the gross monthly salary (before tax) provided by more than 4500 survey respondents.

Average salaries are single data points and only one part of a bigger story. It's expected that many respondents may earn significantly more or less than these averages. However, we hope to provide a picture of underlying trends by mapping the average salaries for different experience levels.

Salaries depend on the industry, individual, perks and nature of work. These factors all influence the salary a company will offer to a prospective hire. In addition, most developers are "fluent" in several languages, which will affect the final figures.

It's also important to remember that every individual's context is different. Ultimately, salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.

On OfferZen, you can hire software developers and find software engineer jobs.

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