Nokia and Fibertime, a pay-as-you-go fibre provider, are working together to bring fast and affordable internet to underserved areas in South Africa.
This partnership delivers uncapped, unthrottled internet for just R5 a day, using Nokia’s Lightspan FX Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6-enabled Optical Network Terminals (ONTs).
Fibertime founder Alan Knott-Craig Jr. said, “With Nokia’s support, we’re confident in our ability to reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years."
Fibertime initially launched a fibre-to-the-home pilot last year in the Kayamandi township. It initially connected over 1 000 homes, providing them with unlimited data, but on a time-based and pay-as-you-go model, while VulaCoin provides digital wallets to initiate micropayments. The project, the brainchild of Knott-Craig Jr, is run in partnership with Nokia, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, and other players.
Currently, fewer than 85% of South Africans have access to high-speed broadband, leaving many reliant on costly mobile plans that are up to 70 times more expensive per gigabit than fibre, according to Nokia. The company further said in the statement that through its fibre solution, Fibertime will 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 help create a semi-mobile network within underserved areas, allowing end-users to access high-speed broadband services from anywhere in the community, not just their homes or businesses.”
Knott-Craig says this project is "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. The market opportunity is akin to that presented to mobile operators when they expanded into prepaid markets.”
Deployment plan
The fibre deployment will initially cover Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung, and Stellenbosch, with plans to rapidly expand into additional areas and communities. As part of this effort, Fibertime will deploy 500 000 Nokia Wi-Fi 6-enabled devices in underserved areas over the next three years. To speed up deployments, Fibertime will use Nokia's ONT Easystart technology, which automates and simplifies device activation.
Looking ahead, Fibertime is working with Nokia to upgrade its network using the Altiplano platform, driving further automation and scalability. Additionally, the two companies are collaborating on research and development projects focused on enhancing connectivity and enabling operations in Africa's most remote and challenging regions.
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.
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