Local open access dark fibre infrastructure provider Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) is deploying fibre infrastructure to the value of R15 million in the Western Cape.
DFA says the project, a collaborative initiative with the George Municipality, will bring significant investment into the area and help “launch the city into the digital age”.
The company has an expenditure plan in excess of R3.5 billion countrywide and plans to extend the rollout to other nearby cities, including Knysna, East London and Mthatha, with an investment value in excess of R80 million.
Local leaning
DFA CEO Gustav Smit says the company has developed a sustainable business model whereby local labour is used to maintain the network. In addition, says DFA, most of the project materials and consumables are purchased from local businesses.
“The socio-economic benefits of fibre-optic networks are vast, and affordable broadband contributes to increased economic activity. Expansion of communications infrastructure brings about new business opportunities that are dependent on broadband like Internet service providers (ISPs), Internet cafes and banking services.
End-user education
Smit says the company “merely provides the open fibre infrastructure, [enabling] licensed operators like Vodacom, MTN and Cell C to give communities access to the network” and the onus is on ISPs to get fibre Internet connections to the homes. He calls on ISPs to play a leading role in mobilising communities.
“End-users simply don't know what 20Mbps or 100Mbps to the home means. An opportunity needs to be created for users to test drive serious broadband.
“DFA is here to provide a long-term sustainable solution to the local community,” concludes Smit.
Share
