Nokia has announced that Fibertime will deploy its fiber solution
to rapidly expand broadband access to underserved regions of South Africa.
Fibertime will quickly connect the next 1.5 million customers leveraging
Nokia’s Lightspan FX Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6 enabled Optical
Network Terminals (ONTs). Nokia’s technologies are key to enabling Fibertime’s
flagship product: R5 a day for uncapped, unthrottled internet.
Currently, less than 85% of South Africans have access to
high-speed broadband, leaving many reliant on costly mobile plans that are up
to 70 times more expensive per gigabit than fiber. Through Nokia’s fiber
solution, Fibertime will unlock a new wave of affordable, reliable,
pay-as-you-go broadband, empowering local communities with increased access to
education, employment, and business opportunities. The deployment will help
create a semi-mobile network within underserved areas, allowing end-users to
access high-speed broadband services from anywhere in the community, not just
their homes or businesses.
The fiber deployment will initially cover Cape Town, Johannesburg,
Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch, with plans to rapidly expand into
additional countries and communities. As part of the agreement, Fibertime will
deploy 500,000 Nokia Wi-Fi 6 enabled ONTs over the next 36-months, prioritizing
homes in underserved areas. Fibertime will also leverage Nokia’s ONT Easystart
to automate and simplify the ONT activation process, helping to streamline
deployments. Fibertime is also working on an advanced network upgrade powered
by Nokia’s Altiplano platform to further drive automation and scale. Nokia and
Fibertime are also working on new R&D projects to develop technologies that
enhance connectivity and enable operations in Africa’s most remote areas.
Sandy Motley. President of Fixed Networks at Nokia stated “Nokia’s
fiber solution is uniquely positioned to help Fibertime reach millions of
underserved customers needing high-speed broadband for essential services like
online education and telehealth. Our scalable OLT portfolio provides flexible
coverage for both densely populated and rural areas. Paired with our Wi-Fi
6-enabled ONTs, we enable fast, automated onboarding. Together, these solutions
allow Fibertime to speed up deployments and provide the capacity to bring
thousands of customers online at once.”
Alan Knott-Craig, Founder of Fibertime noted “With Nokia’s support, we’re confident in our ability to
reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years. We’re unlocking a massive,
untapped market of 13 million homes in South Africa that are ready for
affordable, quality internet. That market will need approximately
R60billion of investment over the coming decade and will generate reliable
returns for investors. The market opportunity is akin to that presented to
mobile operators when they expanded into prepaid markets. Together with Nokia,
we can bridge the digital divide, accelerate
growth, and create lasting social and economic impact across South Africa.”
