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South Africa · ICASA
SIP Trunk in South Africa — Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban Inbound + Outbound
A South Africa SIP trunk with real +27 South Africa DIDs, ICASA-compliant allocation, Johannesburg + Frankfurt ingress POPs, TLS:5061 with SRTP, every standard PBX integration. From $4.40/mo per DID plus per-minute usage, activation in Instant after KYC.
Real South Africa DIDs allocated through licensed carriers
TLS + SRTP end-to-end
5–200 channel scale per trunk
1. What a SIP trunk in South Africa actually is
A SIP trunk is the IP delivery pipe between a carrier and your PBX, AI voice agent, or call-control platform; signaling over SIP, audio over RTP. A South Africa SIP trunk is the same thing carrying +27 South Africa DIDs allocated under ICASA.
DIDHub provides the trunk authentication and SIP transport; ICASA-compliant number allocation is coordinated through our in-region carrier partners. Your PBX or platform sees a standard SIP trunk; we handle the regulator-side paperwork.
2. South Africa regulation: ICASA, KYC, compliance
ICASA doesn't require KYC for standard South Africa number allocation. Activation is Instant.
What people typically use a South Africa SIP trunk for:
- Sub-Saharan Africa entry, Johannesburg 011 numbers signal trust to South African and broader African enterprise buyers.
- Cape Town tech presence, 021 is the standard for South African startups, fintech, and the Western Cape tech corridor.
- National 087 VoIP, non-geographic single-number presence across South Africa, common for VoIP-friendly setups.
- Toll-free 0800, free for South African callers, standard for premium customer service.
- AI voice agents targeting SA, Johannesburg ingress + South African Caller ID gives noticeably better answer rates than international IDs.
South Africa's regulator ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) does not require KYC for standard geographic, 087 VoIP, 086 shared-cost, or 0800 toll-free numbers. Activation is instant. South Africa is one of the easier African markets to operate in.
For the broader picture across countries, see our guide to international DID compliance & KYC bundles. For the SIP-trunk concept end-to-end, see the DID Number Provider guide.
3. Number types you can route over the trunk
DIDHub supports the standard South Africa number types over the SIP trunk:
| Code | Type | National dialing | International dialing | Mobile | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
011, 021, 031, 012 … | Geographic | 011 XXXX XXXX | +27 11 XXXX XXXX | Yes | $4.40/mo + usage |
087 | VoIP / non-geographic | 087 XXXX XXXX | +27 87 XXXX XXXX | Yes | $5.00/mo + usage |
086 | Shared cost | 086 XXXX XXXX | +27 86 XXXX XXXX | Yes | $6.00/mo + usage |
0800 | Toll-free | 0800 XXXX XXXX | +27 800 XXXX XXXX | No | $16.00/mo + usage |
For a deeper look at how number types differ globally, see DID number types explained.
4. How DIDHub's SIP trunk works in South Africa
The technical surface of the trunk is standardised; the South Africa-specific choices are the POP, the codec list, and the failover topology.
Ingress POPs
- Johannesburg (primary), lowest in-region latency to South Africa endpoints.
- Frankfurt (failover), secondary route used if the primary path degrades.
Transport & security
- TLS:5061 recommended for any production trunk; UDP allowed for legacy.
- SRTP for media via DTLS-SRTP or SDES.
- SIP authentication: digest registration (PBX behind NAT) or IP-ACL (static peering). See SIP authentication.
Codecs
- G.711 a-law (PCMA), the African default.
- G.722, wideband HD on capable endpoints.
- Opus, for AI voice agents.
For the codec deep-dive, see voice codecs explained.
DTMF
- RFC 4733 (telephone-events over RTP) is the default. SIP INFO and in-band DTMF available for legacy interop on request.
Channel concurrency
- Trunks start at 5 concurrent channels and scale to 200 per trunk off the shelf. Larger requires a custom arrangement.
- Channels are independent of DID count; you can carry 200 numbers on a 10-channel trunk if your concurrent-call peak is 10. See multiple concurrent calls on one DID.
STIR/SHAKEN
- Not applicable. STIR/SHAKEN is US/Canada-only. African trust signals come through national regulator registration and operator-side caller-ID validation.
5. Outbound calling from your South Africa trunk
Outbound from a South Africa-allocated DID to South Africa destinations is allowed within approved use cases. The per-minute economics:
| Destination | Per-minute | Billing increment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa landline (geographic) | $0.10/min | 1+1 second | Standard use cases |
| South Africa mobile | $0.18/min | 1+1 second | Standard use cases |
| International from South Africa DID | Per destination rate | 1+1 second | See global rates |
Outbound caller-ID rules
- Your outbound CLI must match a DID you've allocated through the trunk. Setting an arbitrary caller ID is rejected at the SBC.
- Origin-based rating (OBR) applies on cross-border outbound, the regulated EEA tier may apply depending on the source carrier.
- For multi-region operators, see origin-based rating savings.
6. Setup in 6 steps
Sign up & submit details
Create a DIDHub account, supply your business details and the intended use case for South Africa numbers.
Allocation through our South Africa carrier partner
Allocation through our in-region carrier; typically Instant.
Allocate DIDs & channel capacity
You pick the South Africa number types you need and how many. Channel capacity allocated at the same time.
Receive trunk credentials
SIP URI (defaults to sip.didhub.io, terminating to Johannesburg), digest username/password or IP-ACL details, TLS cert verification fingerprint, and your assigned DIDs.
Wire up your PBX or platform
Standard SIP trunk configuration on Asterisk, FreePBX, 3CX, Kamailio, OpenSIPS, or any modern stack. For Teams Direct Routing, Vapi, Retell, or other BYOC platforms, paste credentials into their BYOC config.
Test inbound + outbound
Place a test call to one of your DIDs from a South Africa mobile or landline; place a test outbound back. Confirm caller-ID resolves correctly, codec negotiates as expected, and audio quality is acceptable.
Asterisk pjsip example
; /etc/asterisk/pjsip.conf [transport-tls] type=transport protocol=tls bind=0.0.0.0:5061 cert_file=/etc/asterisk/keys/asterisk.crt priv_key_file=/etc/asterisk/keys/asterisk.key method=tlsv1_2 [didhub-south-africa] type=auth auth_type=userpass username=YOUR_DIDHUB_USERNAME password=YOUR_DIDHUB_PASSWORD [didhub-south-africa] type=aor contact=sip:sip.didhub.io:5061;transport=tls qualify_frequency=30 [didhub-south-africa] type=endpoint transport=transport-tls context=from-didhub disallow=all allow=g711a,g722,opus outbound_auth=didhub-south-africa aors=didhub-south-africa dtmf_mode=rfc4733 media_encryption=sdes direct_media=no
3CX SIP trunk template snapshot
# 3CX -> SIP Trunks -> Add SIP Trunk -> Generic SIP Trunk Trunk name: DIDHub South Africa Registrar: sip.didhub.io Transport: TLS Port: 5061 Authentication: Register/Account based Auth ID: YOUR_DIDHUB_USERNAME Auth password: YOUR_DIDHUB_PASSWORD Outbound caller ID: +27 ... (one of your allocated DIDs) Codecs (priority): G.711a / G.722 / Opus
7. Integration patterns
Every modern PBX, UC platform, and AI voice stack can authenticate against the trunk:
Asterisk / FreePBX
Standard pjsip trunk config (snippet below). FreePBX trunk module maps cleanly to DIDHub's IP-ACL or registration modes.
Asterisk → · FreePBX →3CX
Generic SIP trunk template with TLS:5061. Outbound caller ID per extension; per-DID inbound routing rules.
3CX guide →AI voice agents (Vapi, Retell, ElevenLabs)
BYOC SIP trunk with Johannesburg ingress for tight latency. Bind specific South Africa DIDs to specific agents.
AI voice integrations →Kamailio / OpenSIPS
Per-trunk DNID auto-correct, SRV-based POP failover (Johannesburg primary / Frankfurt failover).
Kamailio →Softphones (Zoiper, Bria, Linphone)
Per-extension digest registration; useful for distributed support teams routing South Africa DIDs to remote agents.
Softphones →Start your South Africa SIP trunk today
Live in Instant. Real South Africa DIDs, no setup fee after KYC, no contract.
8. Pricing
Four line items: per-DID monthly rental, per-minute inbound usage on every South Africa DID (even landline geographic numbers carry an inbound MOU charge in South Africa), channel capacity, and per-minute outbound. Setup is $0 once ICASA paperwork is approved.
Per-DID monthly
| Type | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic (South Africa city codes) | $4.40/mo + usage | Inbound per-minute applies; standard use cases |
| Non-geographic / national | $24.00/mo + usage | Subject to regulator allocation |
| Toll-free | $16.00/mo + usage | Free for callers; you pay inbound per-minute |
Channel capacity
| Channels | Monthly | Suited for |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Included with first DID | SMB / single office |
| 25 | $95/mo | Small contact centre, AI agent low concurrency |
| 50 | $180/mo | Mid-size contact centre, AI agent medium concurrency |
| 100 | $330/mo | Large contact centre, multi-tenant SaaS |
| 200 | $580/mo | Enterprise; larger by arrangement |
Per-minute outbound
See section 5 above and the full global rate sheet.
9. Porting an existing South Africa number
Existing South Africa number? Porting timeline is 2-4 weeks.
- Typical port time: 2-4 weeks
- Required documents: phone bill + LOA + ID + proof of address (ICASA requirements)
- Cost: port-in fee per number; carrier-side fees may apply
For the full porting playbook (US/UK/EU + the global gotchas), see number porting explained.
10. FAQ
Which POP should I connect to for a South Africa SIP trunk?
Johannesburg is the recommended primary; Frankfurt is the standard failover. Both terminate to South Africa via in-region carriers.
How long does activation take for a South Africa SIP trunk?
Instant after KYC documents are accepted (or instantly where KYC isn't required). Provisioning the SIP side itself is hours, not days; the variability is on the ICASA/carrier side.
What codecs should I configure for a South Africa SIP trunk?
G.711a / G.722 / Opus as the negotiation list, in that order. G.711a is the regional default for South Africa interop.
Can I use my South Africa SIP trunk with Microsoft Teams?
Yes, via Microsoft Teams Direct Routing through DIDHub's managed SBC. See Teams Direct Routing.
Can I use my South Africa SIP trunk with AI voice agents (Vapi, Retell, ElevenLabs)?
Yes, BYOC SIP trunk works with every major AI voice platform. Bind specific South Africa DIDs to specific agents; outbound CLI must match an allocated DID.
How many concurrent calls can one South Africa DID handle?
The DID is an address; concurrent-call capacity is set by the channel count on the trunk. A 50-channel trunk with 1 DID can carry 50 concurrent calls to that one number; the same trunk with 200 DIDs can carry 50 concurrent calls across any combination of those numbers.
Does STIR/SHAKEN apply in South Africa?
N/A (regional construct). Trust signals come instead through national regulator registration and operator-side caller-ID validation.
Can I port my existing South Africa number to a DIDHub SIP trunk?
Yes. Typical South Africa port timeline is 2-4 weeks. Required documents vary by number type; contact us for the specific checklist. See number porting explained for the global picture.
What use cases get approved most easily?
Customer service inbound, opted-in callbacks, transactional 2FA, inbound AI voice agents, and Microsoft Teams Direct Routing for registered entities. Cold outbound, unsolicited SMS campaigns, and anonymous-relay setups are routinely rejected.
Start your South Africa SIP trunk today
Live in Instant. Real South Africa DIDs, every standard PBX and AI-voice integration, no setup fee after KYC, no contract.