Last mile boosts performance

For years, South Africa has lagged behind other nations in terms of Internet technology. However, with the advent of alternative telecoms providers and their implementation of advanced solutions, we are catching up fast.

Currently, there are still significant portions of South Africa's telecoms infrastructure that are underdeveloped. This is most evident in terms of last mile connectivity. "Innovation in the last mile is one of the best ways to improve connectivity for consumers and businesses, but it is also the most costly for service providers without their own networks," explains Mondi Hattingh, co-executive at Skywire. Even though major backhaul investments have been made, alternative providers will battle to gain a competitive advantage without moving quickly to install last mile connectivity options."

That's where Skywire comes in, filling the gap in the market by leveraging its countrywide best-of-breed network to provide last mile connectivity for telecoms providers, who then use the infrastructure to terminate voice for their customers. The company's investment in last mile network options is paying dividends, as potential competitors have become customers, using Skywire's network to provide better services to their clients.

"We allow our customers to offer theirs access to better connectivity options, leading to a considerable boost to network performance," says Jaco Visagie, co-executive at Skywire. "This not only contributes to new revenue opportunities for telecoms providers, but makes it much easier for businesses to grow. The last mile is often the final aspect of a network investment, but our focus has always been on providing a comprehensive solution, so we have not neglected any area. Without last mile connectivity, all of the backhaul is limited by the network's ability to handle bandwidth requirements to the middle mile network."

Through its partnerships with South Africa's telecoms solution providers, Skywire is not only creating new opportunities throughout the value chain, but also paving the way for more advanced network deployment in regions that often do not have access to sophisticated connectivity options.