 South Africa's post-apartheid government placed universal access and service at the center of their communications policy and regulatory interventions. This included establishing a universal service fund, USF, and a dedicated universal access regulatory body, UARB, as well as awarding targeted operator licenses in areas of low-tele-density. While these interventions were successful in increasing access to telecommunication services, they have not been effective in improving overall quality or coverage. In fact, fixed line tele-density has fallen and prepaid customers now make up the vast majority of telephony users. Additionally, the rapid growth of mobile technology is at little to do with the success of these interventions. As such, the implications of this for future universal access and service policy and regulation must be considered. This article was authored by Charlie Lewis.