How Nokia & Fibertime Are Expanding South African Broadband

Currently, more than 75% of South African households have internet access, with 97% of households with at least one mobile phone. However, less than 85% of the population have access to high-speed broadband.

In order to further boost connectivity, regional Internet service provider Fibertime is expanding its broadband coverage to five cities and 14 townships throughout South Africa using Nokia’s fibre solution.

Nokia’s fibre solution will allow Fibertime to provide affordable broadband access to millions of low-income customers, many connecting for the very first time.

Fibertime will deploy Nokia’s Lightspan FX Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6 enabled Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) to rapidly expand broadband access to underserved regions of the country. As a result, the company is aiming to quickly connect the next 1.5 million customers. 

Affordable broadband for South Africans

In South Africa, many are reliant on costly mobile plans that are up to 70 times more expensive per gigabit than fibre, according to Nokia. 

By using the telco’s fibre solution, Fibertime seeks to unlock a new wave of pay-as-you-go broadband that is affordable and reliable. It also aims to empower local communities with increased access to education, employment and business opportunities.

The deployment will also help create a semi-mobile network within underserved areas, allowing end-users to access high-speed broadband services from anywhere in the community, instead of just within their homes or businesses.

The fibre deployment will initially cover Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch, with plans to rapidly expand into additional countries and communities. As part of the agreement, Fibertime will also deploy 500,000 Nokia Wi-Fi 6 enabled ONTs over the next 36-months, prioritising homes in underserved areas. 

Additionally, Fibertime is planning to leverage Nokia’s ONT Easystart to automate and simplify the ONT activation process. This should help to streamline deployments. 

“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,” says 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.”

Nokia enhancing coverage across Africa

Nokia has been making moves across the African continent to enhance rural connectivity. Notably, the telco recently partnered with iSAT Africa in Liberia to reduce the country’s digital divide and provide reliable and affordable network access to underserved rural communities.

The company seeks to provide people across Africa with the latest connectivity technologies, ranging between 1G and 5G, in addition to telegraph lines and fibre optics. When it comes to Fibertime, the company is confident they can reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years.

Alan Knott-Craig, Founder of Fibertime, said: “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 R60billion of investment over the coming decade and will generate reliable returns for investors.”

He adds: “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.”

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