Backed by two development finance institutions and Microsoft, Vuyani Jarana −former Vodacom Business chief officer and South African Airways CEO − has unveiled llitha Telecommunications, promising affordable internet in underserviced areas.
Yesterday, it launched its brand and services in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, with co-founder Jarana saying the company has funding support from the Industrial Development Corporation and Development Bank of Southern Africa.
Jarana says the name Ilitha, which means the rays of the sun or sunshine or light, is a reflection of the company’s core values, which is “providing light at the end of the dark tunnel for people who have been left behind without access to affordable internet”.
He explains: “The speed at which the company is providing this connectivity through fibre is super-fast – much like the speed of light.
“Initially our informal payoff line was ‘leave no person behind’, and consistent with this, and in providing the people who pay the most for data access to the internet, the name Ilitha was most fitting.”
Its entrance on the market comes as more companies and government are increasingly seeking to connect underserviced areas.
Government is leading the charge in the provision of cheaper and stable digital telecoms connectivity across SA after concluding the auctioning of high-demand spectrum.
Last week, Project Isizwe became the latest entity to reveal plans to provide affordable internet access in underserviced areas.
TooMuchWifi, a South African internet service provider, recently revealed plans to scale the provision of affordable internet, after receiving $1 million (about R16 million) to hasten operations.
Now, llitha has joined the race, setting an ambitious target of “connecting homes in the township and rural areas, delivering affordable broadband to all”.
“Government has been on record about its desire to lower the costs of data. At Ilitha Telecommunications, we have just started making that dream a reality,” says Jarana.
According to Jarana, the company “offers unique fibre-to-the-home products with access to the network available in one-day, seven-day and 30-day increments”.
All products offer unlimited data on a 20/20 Mbps speed basis. Buying access can be done online with vouchers from all major retailers, or through debit cards, credit cards and other widely-used payment methods which are familiar to customers.
“Through our investment in Ilitha, we will connect humanity, create possibilities and change lives. The internet has become the most powerful engine for human development and reduction of inequality, hence access to affordable quality broadband has become a human rights issue,” says Jarana.
“We see our project going beyond what traditional telcos in South Africa have done all these years; we see internet as a vehicle to create digital jobs in the townships.”
Furthermore, Jarana says the company is working with the Microsoft Airband initiative, which aims to close the digital divide and bring high-speed internet connectivity to unconnected communities around the world.
Since 2017, the initiative has helped more than 33 million people in underserved communities globally gain access to affordable broadband coverage.
“We are not launching just another telco; our purpose goes beyond the internet. We can’t see why someone living in a township cannot also live in a smart city. To do this, we need to start with affordable unlimited internet.
“We know that the poorest South Africans pay the most for data in South Africa, as they cannot afford data contracts or bigger data bundles,” Jarana notes.
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