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SA SME consortium aims to create 5m WiFi hotspots

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb news editor.
Johannesburg, 11 Nov 2024
The JUMP consortium has a target of five million WiFi hotspots in SA.
The JUMP consortium has a target of five million WiFi hotspots in SA.

JUMP, a consortium of internet service providers (ISPs), last week launched its WayaMore WiFi network, which aims to build five million hotspots across the country.

The consortium is made up of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – Jireh, Udynet, Mzansi and Pixel Tone – which came together under lobby group the Progressive Blacks in ICT’s (PBICT’s) #Internet4All programme.

According to the PBICT, the SMEs have been in the space for year, and have jointly been operating networks in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Mpumalanga.

“We have a vision of connecting people at R2.50 per day once the network is fully operational in 2030,” says Leon Rolls, president of the PBICT.

“Our model operates on an open access hybrid model with a franchise business model that allows local ISPs to build and operate networks where they live. We have tried and tested this model in eight of the nine provinces and it is working like a dream.

“We believe our people must not only connect to the internet, but must connect to it so that they can participate in the digital economy.”

Rolls notes the biggest challenge SMEs face is backhaul that gives them reach, speed and low latency.

He points out that one of the decisions the lobby group has taken is to advocate for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service to be allowed to operate in South Africa.

South Africans are eagerly awaiting the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink in the country.

With Starlink already launching in SA’s Southern African peers, many have questioned why the satellite-based internet service has yet to be launched in the tech billionaire's country of birth.

For it to be able to operate in SA, Starlink must apply for a licence from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. One of the requirements for licence approval is that the company must be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently met with Musk in the US in a closed door meeting.

“We do not understand why and who is this 30% equity owner that is delaying the process of getting our people connected. We have SMEs that have individual licences and the law allows for open access sharing of licences,” notes Rolls.

“We believe a programme such as ours will change the lives of the people. Our target of five million hotspots will be reached with the support of our strategic stakeholders that share the same vision with us.”

Rolls adds that Starlink is the missing ingredient that smaller ISPs need to get people connected.

“The target for 2024 is to have 1 000 hotspots deployed. We know that backhaul is a serious issue that is the only hold-up that will prevent us from reaching our target. We will be engaging with various stakeholders and partners in the sector to joins us as we embark on a journey of ensuring Starlink lands in the country.

“We believe in good competition. The data monopoly must relax and stop using monopoly tricks behind closed doors to stop development and progress.”

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