Fibre-optic infrastructure company Broadband Infraco (BBI) yesterday officially launched its 800Gbps intelligent backbone network, in collaboration with Huawei SA.
The launch, which took place at Gallagher Convention Centre, in Midrand, was attended by government and industry stakeholders, including the communications ministry’s leadership.
BBI is one of several entities under the stewardship of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), with the mandate of bridging the digital divide. The entity is among those tasked with the roll out of the South Africa Connect (SA Connect) project.
The state-owned entity offers long-distance national and international backhaul connectivity. Its wholesale broadband connectivity products are supplied to private and public customers across South Africa, as well as neighbouring Southern African nations.
Network capacity boost
Speaking at the launch event, BBI CEO Gift Zowa said the intelligent backbone network is line with the entity’s commercial and social strategy.
“We are introducing a fully intelligent network infrastructure, which will allow us to connect multiple users,” he stated.
According to Zowa, more than two million households have been connected through projects that BBI has embarked on, to date, led by DCDT and the Broadband Access Fund. A further 14 000 public WiFi hotspots have been rolled out, providing connection to 800 schools and 200 health facilities.
The CEO explained that the intelligent backbone network marks a “huge increase”, in terms of BBI’s core network. This, as the entity’s core network has been running at about 100Gbps.
Given the increase in capacity demand, BBI noticed that 100Gbps was becoming “too small”, he revealed. “As part of rolling out SA Connect, we have now increased the core network capacity, to provide services to all areas and the core engine will still be able to hold and provide services that are required without the congestion you’d ordinarily see when downloading a file, for example.
“When it takes forever to download the file, it’s because the speed is slow. The speed may be slow at the customer end and on the core network. We are now unbundling that core network, to make sure that it is not the bottleneck. When we roll out the rest of our projects, we’ll know for sure that they will run smoothly for both enterprise and individual customers, public WiFi hotspots and everybody else in between.”
He further explained that the addition of 800Gbps per channel transmission within the BBI optical transport network represents advancement in data transmission capabilities, allowing for the transfer of 800 billion bits of data per second and ensures that BBI is well-positioned to meet the capacity demands of a digitally-connected society.
“This capability extends to, but is not limited to, the recently-built high-capacity BBI optical fibre route terminating at the Kopfontein border [a crossing point for SA and Botswana],and Isando (Johannesburg), via Tshwane, Rustenburg and Northam. The route further enables high-capacity cross-border connectivity within the SADC region.
“We have provided connectivity all the way to Botswana…all the people along the route become connected or have an opportunity to be connected, because that route has been built. This project makes sure that in areas where there was no connection, the people will be connected.”
Huawei SA CEO Will Meng commented that the 800Gbps intelligent backbone marks a new era of intelligent, resilient, and inclusive digital infrastructure.
“Under the leadership of DCDT, Huawei is honoured to support this journey – and we remain fully committed to deepening our collaboration with BBI. We’ve delivered intelligent optical technology and end-to-end services to build a high-reliability backbone from Johannesburg to Kopfontein – ensuring this network doesn’t just connect but empowers.”
Meaningful connectivity
Zowa said as the economy moves into the digital space and access to services becomes crucial, it is important to ensure everyone is connected.
“For those that don’t get connected, their livelihoods might be affected…and that is why it is crucial to understand how the connectivity that will go through the intelligent backbone network is going to make a difference to the lives of the people in the rest of the country.”
He expressed that the digital divide must be redefined, noting that it shouldn’t just be about those without network coverage but also those with the coverage but can’t afford to pay for it.
“Stats show that South Africa has 99.9% coverage in terms of 3G and 4G; however, if it’s not affordable, it might as well not exist. That is why BBI must play a critical role…to bring down the costs and provide services as mandated by government.”
The SA Connect project is premised on not only overcoming the digital divide but offer services at an affordable rate.
“The DCDT has led the SA Connect project, starting with SA Connect phase one and two. We are planning for phase three, if the funds become available. They’ve mandated BBI, Sentech, SITA and sister entities like USAASA collaborating and working towards narrowing the digital divide.”
However, he pointed out that among barriers to roll out network connectivity infrastructure is vandalism, lack of access to roads and lack of access to electricity in some cases. “The problem is big but with a key focus – both from the department and government – we can start chipping at it. There are people that truly understand the key opportunities that come with connectivity.
“Even if we have not reached 100% coverage that we need, we are moving one step at a time, which is very crucial.”
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