> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getsmartalex.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# South Africa

> South African regional context. POPIA compliance, local carriers, Icasa considerations, and common deployment patterns.

<Info>
  **Audience**: South African IT or compliance lead. **Purpose**: everything specific to deploying SmartAlex in the South African regulatory and telecoms context.
</Info>

## Regulatory framework

### POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act)

SmartAlex's voice platform handles personal information as defined under POPIA: caller phone numbers, voice recordings, transcripts, and any business-specific data captured during the conversation (names, ID numbers if volunteered, account numbers).

**Lawful basis** for processing during a business call is typically:

* **Performance of a contract** (the caller has requested a service)
* **Legitimate interest** (responding to an enquiry)
* **Consent** where explicitly required by sectoral rules (e.g., medical)

**Responsibilities** fall to the customer as the responsible party. SmartAlex is the operator.

### Recording consent

Under POPIA, you generally have the right to record calls for business purposes, subject to:

* **Informing the caller** that the call is being recorded (typically in the opening greeting)
* **Lawful purpose** (training, quality assurance, compliance, dispute resolution)
* **Proportionate retention** (don't keep recordings longer than necessary)

Most SmartAlex customers configure the agent's first message to include a brief disclosure:

> "Calls may be recorded for quality and training purposes."

Recording can be disabled per agent for sensitive call types (medical, legal privileged).

### Data subject rights

Callers can request:

* **Access** to the personal information you hold (including recordings and transcripts)
* **Correction** of inaccurate information
* **Deletion** (subject to your lawful retention grounds)
* **Objection** to processing in specific circumstances

SmartAlex supports these requests through the workspace admin interface: you can export or delete call records, recordings, and transcripts on demand.

### Cross-border data transfer

POPIA requires lawful grounds for transferring personal information outside South Africa. SmartAlex infrastructure is currently located primarily in Europe (with European GDPR-equivalent protections). This satisfies POPIA's transfer requirements in most configurations.

Dedicated South African data residency is on the roadmap.

### Icasa (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa)

SmartAlex is a voice AI platform, not a licensed telecommunications service provider. We integrate with your licensed carrier; we don't terminate or originate PSTN calls on our own.

Your PSTN service provider (Telkom, MTN Business, Vodacom Business, Liquid, Openserve-connected ISPs) holds the Icasa licences for the carriage layer. SmartAlex sits above that.

If you're deploying SmartAlex for a business that has compliance obligations specific to its sector (FSCA for financial services, HPCSA for medical), your sector regulator's rules apply in addition to POPIA.

## South African telecoms context

### Common SA PBX deployments

| PBX                    | Typical customer                                              |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 3CX                    | Dominant across SMB and mid-market. Large installed base.     |
| Yeastar                | Strong mid-market. Popular via local distributors.            |
| Grandstream UCM        | SMB, often via MSP channels.                                  |
| FreePBX / Asterisk     | MSPs and technical teams.                                     |
| Avaya IP Office        | Enterprise legacy, still widespread.                          |
| Mitel MiVoice          | Enterprise. Aastra legacy common.                             |
| Euphoria Telecom       | Hosted PBX. Cape Town based. Popular with smaller businesses. |
| Switch Telecom (Atria) | Hosted PBX. Johannesburg focused. Enterprise presence.        |
| Microsoft Teams Phone  | Growing rapidly. Via Direct Routing and SBC.                  |
| Panasonic NS-series    | Legacy, still present.                                        |

### Common SA carriers

For BYO-carrier setups:

* **Telkom**: Dominant voice carrier. ISDN-era contracts common; SIP available.
* **MTN Business**: SIP trunking available, Elite.
* **Vodacom Business**: SIP trunking available, Bespoke voice.
* **Liquid Intelligent Technologies**: Pan-African, strong SIP offerings.
* **Openserve-connected ISPs**: Various (Cipherwave, Vox, Internet Solutions).
* **Euphoria Telecom**: Their own hosted voice service.
* **Switch Telecom**: Their own hosted voice service.

For SmartAlex-provisioned numbers (no BYO), we provide South African DIDs directly.

### Number portability

Existing DIDs can usually be ported to carriers that SmartAlex integrates with. Porting timelines are carrier-dependent (typically 7 to 21 business days). Plan migrations with buffer time.

### Dialling plan

South African dialling:

* E.164: `+27` then the significant number (e.g., `+27821234567`)
* National format: `0` then the significant number (e.g., `0821234567`)

SmartAlex uses E.164 internally. Most SA PBXes send DIDs in national format on inbound; you may need a prefix-strip rule to match E.164 in the trunk DIDs list. Most PBX templates handle this automatically.

### Emergency services

SmartAlex does not handle emergency calls (10111, 10177). These must remain on your PBX's direct-dial routing to the PSTN.

Do not configure an agent to answer calls to or from emergency numbers.

## Common SA deployment patterns

### Pattern 1: medical practice

Typical setup: 5 to 15-practitioner practice, 150 to 300 calls per day.

* PBX: 3CX or Yeastar on-premise, or Euphoria Telecom hosted
* Carrier: Telkom or MTN Business SIP trunk
* AI handles: appointment bookings, prescription refill requests, general enquiries
* AI transfers: clinical questions to on-duty nurse, billing questions to accounts
* Compliance: POPIA-aligned, HPCSA guidance where relevant

### Pattern 2: real estate agency

Typical setup: 20 to 200-agent office, 50 to 400 calls per day.

* PBX: 3CX cloud or Euphoria Telecom
* AI handles: lead qualification, property information lookup, viewing scheduling
* AI transfers: qualified leads to the assigned agent (not round-robin)
* Tools: property search, calendar, CRM lead capture, SMS confirmation

### Pattern 3: dealership (automotive)

Typical setup: single-brand dealership, 10 to 30 sales/service staff.

* PBX: Avaya IP Office or 3CX
* AI handles: service appointment status, parts enquiries, trade-in interest capture
* AI transfers: customers to their assigned Sales Executive or Service Advisor (named routing)
* Recognition: caller phone number matched against DMS (dealer management system)

### Pattern 4: professional services (law, accounting, consulting)

Typical setup: 5 to 50-person firm.

* PBX: 3CX, Grandstream UCM, or Switch Telecom hosted
* AI handles: new matter intake, existing matter routing, appointment scheduling
* AI transfers: routed by partner, associate, or matter owner
* Tools: conflict check, matter lookup, CRM lead capture
* Compliance: sector-specific (LPC for attorneys, IRBA for auditors)

### Pattern 5: hospitality / restaurant

Typical setup: single venue or small chain.

* PBX: 3CX hosted or Yeastar
* AI handles: reservations, hours, menu enquiries, directions
* AI transfers: special requests to manager
* Tools: reservation system integration, knowledge base for menu

## Local support and partnership

SmartAlex operates out of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Local support during South African business hours (08:00 to 18:00 SAST).

Implementation partners accredited to deploy SmartAlex in South Africa:

* (Your accredited partner network)

If you're an MSP or telephony reseller interested in partnering, contact `partners@getsmartalex.com`.

## Common pitfalls for SA deployments

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="SIP ALG enabled on SA business routers">
    MikroTik and Sonicwall devices common in SA often ship with SIP ALG on. Disable it. See [Network Requirements](/telephony/network-requirements).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Under-provisioned internet bandwidth">
    Some SA ADSL and LTE fallback circuits can't sustain 10 concurrent calls. Verify 90 kbps per concurrent call before rollout.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Dialling plan mismatches">
    PBX sends DIDs in national format (`0821234567`) but SmartAlex expects E.164 (`+27821234567`). Most PBXes can be configured with a prefix-strip or prefix-add rule.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Recording consent wording">
    Generic "calls may be recorded" is acceptable for most business contexts under POPIA. Sectoral rules (medical, financial) may require more specific disclosure. Check with your compliance team.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Timezone configuration">
    SAST (UTC+2) is not always the default. Set `default_timezone` on the agent correctly so scheduling offers the right hours.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Security & Compliance" href="/telephony/security-compliance">
    Platform-wide compliance posture.
  </Card>

  <Card title="3CX" href="/telephony/3cx">
    The most common SA PBX integration.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>