KZN community to receive fibre connectivity via Huawei

Huawei South Africa has this week announced a new fibre connectivity project in the KwaZulu-Natal city of Empangeni. The project was announced in partnership with Openserve and the KZN Government, with the trio launching a Fibre Pre-Provisioning Proof of Concept (POC).

The project is being rolled out at the Phase 1A Empangeni IRDP Mega Housing development in the uMhlathuze Municipality. There are 405 houses that are currently under construction in the area, with the physical infrastructure for fibre being installed in the houses during the construction, so the homes are ready for high-speed connectivity once services are deployed.

“The Empangeni development is among the first in South Africa to use the ‘Pipe and Box’ method to put the infrastructure for future connectivity in place while the homes and other essential infrastructure are being built. This makes connectivity part of the community’s core infrastructure, so that services can be switched on more quickly and affordably once they are deployed,” said Huawei in a release to Hypertext.

“The broader vision is to plan human settlements with digital infrastructure in mind, considering connectivity alongside housing, roads, water, electricity and other essential infrastructure from the earliest stages of development,” it added.

Charles Cheng, deputy CEO, Huawei South Africa.

Along with being a proof of concept, this project will also serve as a blueprint for how private and public sector stakeholders can collaborate on initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide in South Africa. On that front, it brings together the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, the KZN Department of Human Settlements, the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, Huawei, and Openserve.

“This initiative is a shining testament to the power of the public and private partnerships. It’s a pioneer step. It is our firm belief that fibre pre-provisioning must become a standard policy at a national level, integrated into municipality building codes and national housing strategy across South Africa,” noted Charles Cheng (pictured above), deputy CEO of Huawei South Africa regarding the partner-led connectivity initiative.

While no timeframe has been mentioned regarding when the 405 houses will be fully built and have fibre services deployed, it will be interesting to see what it delivers for families in that community moving forward.

“Beyond Empangeni, the project provides a practical learning opportunity for government, municipalities, developers and network operators. Insights gathered on site will inform how fibre is planned, costed and installed in future housing developments, helping guide similar projects to support digitally inclusive, fibre-ready communities across South Africa,” Huawei SA pointed out.

“Lessons from Empangeni are expected to inform the national integration of digital infrastructure into human settlements, as government and industry partners evaluate the model for broader adoption,” it concluded.

[Images – Provided]

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