The access provider is to cover five more cities and 14 townships throughout South Africa using Nokia’s tech
Nokia announced that Fibertime will deploy its fibre solution to expand broadband access to underserved regions of South Africa. Fibertime will connect 1.5 million customers using Nokia’s Lightspan FX Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6 Optical Network Terminals (ONTs).
The vendors says its technologies are key to enabling Fibertime’s flagship product – R5 (£0.22/€0.26) a day for uncapped, “unthrottled” internet use.
Less than 85% of South Africans have access to fixed broadband, meaning many rely on mobile plans that are up to 70 times more expensive per Gigabit than fibre.
Through the expansion, Fibertime offer “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 consumers to access fast broadband services from anywhere in the community, not only their homes or businesses.
Initial deployments
Initially fibre deployment will cover Cape Town (pictured), Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch, with plans to expand rapidly into more communities.
As part of the agreement, Fibertime will deploy 500,000 Nokia Wi-Fi 6 enabled ONTs over the next 36-months, prioritising homes in underserved areas. Fibertime will also implement Nokia’s ONT Easystart to automate and simplify the ONT activation process, helping to streamline deployments.
Fibertime is working on a network upgrade, moving to Nokia’s Altiplano platform to boost automation and scale. Nokia and Fibertime are also working on R&D projects to develop technologies that improve connectivity and support operations in Africa’s most remote areas.
Alan Knott-Craig, Founder of Fibertime, said, “With Nokia’s support, we’re confident in our ability to reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years. 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 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. Together with Nokia, we can bridge the digital divide, accelerate growth, and create lasting social and economic impact across South Africa.”
Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, said, “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. 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.”