Benjamin Deveaux, Head of Business Development at Workonline Communications Group. (Image: Supplied)
As demand for cloud services, content, video, software and other data-intensive applications continues to grow, the infrastructure supporting South Africa’s Internet ecosystem must grow with it.
Workonline Communications is supporting the South African Network Operators Group, ZANOG, by providing high-capacity connectivity between KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The connection is now live and provides additional capacity behind ZANOG’s community services, shared technical resources and collaborative initiatives.
ZANOG brings together network operators, engineers and other internet professionals to exchange practical knowledge, develop technical skills and work collectively on the challenges affecting South African networks.
Its role extends beyond events and industry discussion. The community helps operators share expertise, access technical resources and collaborate on issues such as routing, interconnection, resilience and the efficient movement of internet traffic.
As bandwidth requirements increase, these shared resources become increasingly important.
For network operators, meeting rising demand is not simply about adding capacity within their own networks. It also depends on efficient regional connectivity, access to shared infrastructure and a strong technical community capable of responding collectively to new operational requirements.
The connectivity provided by Workonline gives ZANOG greater headroom between two important regions of South Africa’s internet ecosystem. It will help support current community services while creating space for new projects and initiatives to develop.
Edrich de Lange of ZANOG says the contribution reflects the collaborative model on which the organisation is built.
“ZANOG depends on people and organisations across the industry contributing knowledge, time, infrastructure and technical expertise. As internet traffic and operational requirements continue to grow, the community services supporting network operators must be able to grow with them. Workonline’s contribution gives us additional capacity behind this work and creates room for future initiatives to develop.”
Much of the infrastructure supporting internet communities is built through this kind of industry participation. Different organisations contribute connectivity, equipment, hosting, engineering expertise, facilities and volunteer time, creating resources that can benefit operators across the ecosystem.
Benjamin Deveaux, Head of Business Development at Workonline Communications, says supporting this shared layer of infrastructure ultimately strengthens the wider industry.
“Networks are carrying more cloud traffic, content, software and data-intensive services every year. Keeping pace requires continued investment not only in individual networks, but also in the shared infrastructure and technical communities around them. Supporting ZANOG is a practical way for Workonline to contribute capacity that can benefit the broader operator ecosystem.”
The collaboration reflects a shared belief that a stronger internet is built through both commercial investment and active participation in the technical community.
By putting working infrastructure behind ZANOG’s services, Workonline is helping to support the people, knowledge and collaboration that keep South Africa’s internet ecosystem moving forward.
