Alternative means of trenching fibre conduits need to be looked at if SA is to meet government's vision of 2020 broadband access for everyone.
This is according to Musa Phungula, MD and founder of nine-month-old infrastructure and consultancy company Techteledata, which is driving a subsea cable project that seeks to connect Mtunzini (KwaZulu-Natal) and Cape Town.
Techteledata's next project - after that of bridging the subsea gap - is to secure its own backhaul by convincing government to allow for alternative fibre trenching methods.
Terrestrial infrastructure, says Phungula, represents a missing link in the country's telecommunications ecosystem. "The need for extensive terrestrial infrastructure by complementing rather than competing entities is an obvious one in order to release the potential of broadband access, free from exorbitantly high prices that throttle broadband access."
Phungula says the challenge lies in the "arm and leg" cost of the processes involved. He cites "enforced and sometimes unreasonable regulatory enforcement by regulatory authorities" as the main reason for this.
He says, currently, about 80% of terrestrial fibre infrastructure consists of labour trenching - estimated at R5 000 per metre. He says alternatives such as co-building, fibre colocation and neat overhead fibre need to be examined.
Viable alternative?
Phungula says the TTD cable is expected to be operational by Q4 of 2014, after which the company will approach the Department of Communications and Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) with a proposal for an alternative fibre trenching method that Phungula says is glaringly obvious, but as yet untapped.
While he cannot go into detail on the method Techteledata has in mind "for competitive reasons", Phungula says it is a viable alternative to the current laborious and expensive trenching method SA employs.
"It's not opportune to speak about what we are planning at this stage, as competitors are sure to jump on the idea and claim it as their own, but let's just say it is something so obvious - but no one has picked up on it yet. It will be a first for optic fibre trenching in SA."
Ultimately, says Phungula, Techteledata wants to secure its own backhaul infrastructure. This is all part of the bigger scheme for the company, which seeks to set itself up as an independent player in the telecoms market.
"Currently, the wet segment (undersea portion) of broadband is very cheap compared to the terrestrial counterpart; for example, 1Mbps dropped from $200 in 2008 to less than $50 in 2013. [On the other hand] the dry segment (backhaul) costs about $200 for 1Mbps, a staggering ratio of 1:4."
He says the high cost is all because of the R5 000 per metre cost of laying fibre in trenches, which are sometimes more than one metre below the surface. "This causes a lot of capital outlay for capital investments and the stringent ICASA regulations, and is aggravated by the lack of infrastructure-sharing and co-builds by the telcos. This expense is specific to the backhaul and last mile."
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