Fibertime broadens fibre access across South Africa’s underserved communities

With currently less than 85% of South Africans having access to high-speed broadband, leaving many reliant on costly mobile plans that are up to 70 times more expensive per gigabit than fibre, local unlimited pay-as-you-go broadband internet provider Fibertime is to deploy a fibre service to rapidly expand broadband access to underserved regions of South Africa.

Part of the Isizwe group holding company, the Stellenbosch-based firm currently has an active network presence in the Western and Eastern Cape, having launched a proof-of-concept fibre network in the Kayamandi township in November 2022, initially connecting 880 homes.

The service, called the Kayamandi Fibre Project, was regarded as a radically new way of deploying fibre to the home, offering free installation and router, no debit order, and vouchers available in increments of R5 for 24 hours of 100mbps uncapped internet. As it built out, the company said it has now landed on the Kayamandi Connected service, where almost all homes and shacks are connected to superfast, uncapped, affordable pay-as-you-go fibre.

In this latest iteration of the company’s services, Fibertime will connect its next 1.5 million customers initially covering Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch, with plans to rapidly expand into additional countries and communities.

Through the new fibre service, Fibertime said it can unlock a new wave of affordable, reliable, pay-as-you-go broadband, empowering local communities with increased access to education, employment and business opportunities. The deployment will look to create a semi-mobile network in underserved areas, allowing users to access high-speed broadband services from anywhere in the community, not just their homes or businesses.

Nokia’s technologies are seen as key to enabling Fibertime’s flagship product to be made available at R5 a day for uncapped, unthrottled internet. As part of the agreement with Nokia, the operator will be using Lightspan FX optical line terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6-enabled optical network terminals (ONTs). Fibertime will deploy 500,000 Wi-Fi 6-enabled ONTs over the next 36 months, prioritising homes in underserved areas. Fibertime will also use Nokia’s ONT Easystart to automate and simplify the ONT activation process, helping to streamline deployments.

Fibertime is also working on an advanced network upgrade powered by the Altiplano platform to further drive automation and scale. Nokia and Fibertime are also working on new R&D projects to develop technologies that enhance connectivity and enable operations in Africa’s most remote areas.

Fibertime founder Alan Knott-Craig said: “With Nokia’s support, we’re confident in our ability to reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years. We’re unlocking a massive, untapped market of 13 million homes in South Africa that are ready for affordable, quality internet.

“That market will need approximately R60 billion of investment over the coming decade and will generate reliable returns for investors,” he said. “The market opportunity is akin to that presented to mobile operators when they expanded into prepaid markets. Together with Nokia, we can bridge the digital divide, accelerate growth, and create lasting social and economic impact across South Africa.”

“Nokia’s fibre solution is uniquely positioned to help Fibertime reach millions of underserved customers needing high-speed broadband for essential services like online education and telehealth,” added Sandy Motley, president of fixed networks at Nokia.

“Our scalable OLT portfolio provides flexible coverage for both densely populated and rural areas. Paired with our Wi-Fi 6-enabled ONTs, we enable fast, automated onboarding. Together, these solutions allow Fibertime to speed up deployments and provide the capacity to bring thousands of customers online at once.”