Image: Cell C

Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt

According to the 2010 Telco Innovation Study conducted by advisory firm Innovation Agency, from the overall 14% of respondents who switched telecommunications providers, 47% chose to subscribe to Cell C. 

While respondents cited a variety of reasons for swapping networks, disappointing customer service topped the list. Women were also more likely to switch than men, according to Innovation Agency.

"As the newcomer, and soon after their Trevor Noah campaign, it was not surprising that the results showed that Cell C were the biggest gainers," said Rory Moore, CEO of Innovation Agency.

Additional findings from a sample of 456 people revealed that Vodacom has the biggest appeal among individuals over 50 and MTN () was a favourite among people under the age of 30.

Vodacom was rated as the most innovative telecoms company in SA by quite a margin in the 2010 study.

"What was quite interesting was correlating the demographic breakdown of the respondents with their rating preference - people over the age of 50 were the biggest group to rate Vodacom the most innovative provider. MTN was rated second overall with their biggest fans falling in the under 30 age group," said Moore.