The operator is to provide coverage to a further 400,000 homes in the country’s underserved communities – its goal is to connect 2m homes by 2028
Under a new agreement, fibertime will deploy Nokia’s Lightspan access nodes and Wi-Fi 6 enabled fibre access points to offer fibre broadband to 400,000 homes in South Africa’s underserved communities. This agreement builds on a previous deal between Nokia and fibertime to deploy FTTH networks across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch.
The new arrangement regarding underserved townships is part of fibertime’s wider goal of connecting 2 million homes by 2028, deploying a combination of Nokia’s IP and fibre access technologies to build semi-mobile networks in underserved areas, providing end-users with unlimited, high-speed internet from anywhere in their home, business or community.
Nokia’s ONT Easy Start will automate and simplify activation of fibre modems and streamline deployments. Fibertime will also use Nokia’s 7750 Wireless Access Gateway to create a single service set identifier (SSID) on the network so customers will be able to walk around their township and stay connected.
Connecting 1,200 households daily
Danvig De Bruyn, CEO, fibertime, noted, “We’re now connecting 1,200 households a day to flexible, high-speed access – up to 950Mbps in some cases – without the need for contracts or debit orders. Once a township is connected, customers simply buy vouchers at a local spaza, retail outlet or via their banking app, enter the voucher number in their fibertime app, and immediately have access to unlimited and unthrottled fiber-to-the-home internet at a cost of R5 [€0.25] per day.”
To drive automation and scale across its network, fibertime will deploy Nokia’s Altiplano and Network Services Platform solutions along with its Altiplano Fiber Health Analyzer which can detect network anomalies and identify potential issues before they escalate.
He added, “To drive automation and scale across its network, fibertime will deploy Nokia’s Altiplano and Network Services Platform solutions along with its Altiplano Fiber Health Analyzer which can detect network anomalies and identify potential issues before they escalate.”
Sandy Motley, President, Fixed Networks, Nokia, said, “Reliable broadband is critical for thriving communities – powering education, healthcare and local economies. Yet too many people remain unconnected because of the unique challenges tied to where they live. With our fiber and IP solutions, we’re changing that, bringing broadband services to thousands of customers at once, in regions once considered too difficult to serve.”
