Township fibre needs to be fit for purpose, as well as affordable

As the digital divide widens, the necessity for reliable connectivity is more important than ever. It is why a number of infrastructure providers in the country are ramping up efforts, particularly in township and peri-urban areas where connectivity is viewed as a key difference maker.

Sharing his insights on the matter is Ilitha Telecommunications CEO, Vuyani Jarana, who recently looked at the ever-evolving connectivity landscape through the lens of SA’s competitive fibre market, which has seen a distinct rise in the number of “affordable” options coming to the fore.

As fibre operators push for greater affordability, Jarana argues that they need to have a fundamental understanding of the how in which people living in these areas actually make use of connectivity. This would enable them to deliver true value, according to Jarana, which is ultimately a longer term solution than simply looking any cost.

“We are moving from asking how we connect a community to asking what we can enable once that community is connected. That is where we see the next opportunity,” he emphasised in a release to Hypertext.

“For Ilitha, broadband creates access to things that can have a practical impact on people’s lives, from education and employment to healthcare, entertainment and essential services,” the telecommunications company explained.

On this front, Jarana stressed that people living in townships need more from their connectivity. While creating specific bundles for social media consumption is great, does it really move the needle in a significant way?

The CEO used a recent launch in the Eastern Cape to highlight how Ilitha Telecommunications is looking to partner with companies that can add greater value beyond traditional connectivity.

“The company’s Mthatha launch demonstrated that approach, including the introduction of TruMD, a digital healthcare service providing access to HPCSA-registered doctors through secure online consultations. The service can provide medical advice and, where appropriate, prescriptions and referrals remotely. They also showcased their partnership with SpecCon, an innovative learning platform that delivers accredited learnerships, short courses, and nationally recognised qualifications designed to equip learners with workplace-ready skills,” Ilitha highlighted.

Along with looking to add access to critical services on top of its connectivity, Jarana also explained how the company is aiming to deliver a better experience in terms of capacity, too.

“litha takes a different approach to the capacity available within the home. Depending on the package, the network can support between 200 Mbps and 300 Mbps of capacity across up to 15 devices, with up to 20 Mbps allocated per device. Jarana argues that this gives households considerably more usable capacity than a conventional shared connection, where multiple devices may compete for the same bandwidth,” the company shared.

It is this approach that makes its offering a better fit in environments where a dense array of devices are present. It is also here, where Jarana noted the nomadic broadband model that it is pushing within the township space and similar communities.

“litha takes the idea of connectivity further by connecting entire communities. When a user is in a connected community they remain connected, even outside the home. This nomadic connectivity further responds to the unique context of how people consume and need internet,” it shared.

“The company’s prepaid, uncapped model means broadband connectivity can become the primary service for a household, rather than one of several data options,” it continued.

Moving forward, Ilitha plans to expand on this nomadic model, with Absa Corporate and Investment Banking supporting the company with R500 million in funding to accelerate the expansion of affordable fibre connectivity across local township economies.

“We have spent the past 18 months proving that this model works. The next phase is about taking what we have learnt and scaling it responsibly,” concluded Jarana.

[Image – Provided]

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