Connecting SA to unlimited opportunity

Vuma began its journey in 2014, pioneering fibre-tothe-home (FTTH) in South Africa. Two seasoned industry veterans had the vision to create a company that provided high-speed fibre-optic infrastructure and connectivity to homes across the country via an open access fibre network.

What started as a pilot project in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, just eight years ago, has since evolved and transitioned to become a company that has connected hundreds of thousands of South Africans to the internet.

Vuma has passed over 1.5 million homes and, together with our internet service providers (ISPs), has connected over 600 primary and high schools to free 1 Gbps fibre, enlightening over 300 000 young minds with unlimited access to online education.

Vuma lives by the philosophy that adapting smart thinking and brave actions can lead to a brighter future –one that embraces South Africa’s rich culture, accelerates our dynamic energy, while encouraging passion in all that we do in life. It exists to enlighten and unlock human potential by ushering in a new era – one that renews hope, ignites human progress and celebrates new opportunities.

As a company, Vuma is dedicated to perpetuating connections –connections between people, between communities, in society and around the world. We want to help enable people to move forward because we believe that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when they are given the opportunity to do so. As we look forward to the road that lies ahead, we will continue to realise the vision set out when the company was in its infancy – to connect communities across the country with access to highspeed internet.

The Vuma ethos is founded on the belief that by bridging the digital divide with inclusive connectivity, it can help change the lives of many South Africans. Driven by a desire to become the best fibre provider in the country, the company is cultivating a passion to forge new paths and create exciting opportunities for all citizens.

As we march on with courage and conviction, we look forward to leading the way to an exciting future with innovative solutions such as the first-ofits-kind prepaid fibre service.

Vuma’s connectivity product offers fixed-line broadband services to people in densely populated communities –communities that have little to no access to the internet. As the company grows, it envisions a world where everyone is connected and truly looks forward to helping build a connected nation, including those in smaller towns – it all starts with accessible fibre.

The Vuma journey

Vuma helps build networks, in partnership with communities, in order to offer super-fast, world-class fibre broadband.

As a company, it is committed to connecting thousands of people to fast and reliable internet as it strives to drive transformation and break communication barriers by putting fibre in communities wherever it can. Here’s the company’s journey so far…

In 2014, Vuma broke ground in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, for the first time and by 2015, the network had already passed 50 000 homes. By early 2016, it was on an impressive exponential trajectory as it passed 100 000 homes in under one year –a wonderful accomplishment.

In 2015, it began a project that is still very close to heart. Together with its ISP partners, Vuma began its Schools Programme – a project that helped connect the local primary and high schools in the neighbourhoods it passed with free, 1 Gbps fibre internet.

Vuma believes in creating an imagination nation, one where every child is given the opportunity to connect to online educational platforms, to enjoy access to information and aspire to create the lives they imagine for themselves, with unlimited access to the internet.

This project has grown exponentially over the past seven years. When it began, it equipped 100 schools with fast fibre. Now, the number of schools connected has grown to over 600 – a figure the company is very proud of.

For many reasons, 2016 was a pivotal year for Vuma. The business was awarded Best Fixed Fibre Line Broadband Provider of the Year at the My Broadband Conference, a prestigious accolade to add to its achievements. This is a big part of its success story, as it was its first award, given only a few years after working extremely hard to realise its vision as a company and brand.

Most importantly, this achievement echoed the notion that Vuma was on the right path to connecting South Africa with world-class fibre and we were excited as to what the future held for the business and our communities.

The company also began moving across borders and provinces as it expanded into Cape Town.

Furthermore, in 2017, it was also awarded Best Fibre Infrastructure Provider of the Year at the FTTX Conference, another esteemed honour. By the end of 2017, it had successfully passed 200 000 homes and by the end of 2018, it had passed 400 000 homes and installed free fibre in 150 schools.

Prepaid fibre

In 2019, Vuma introduced its very first, groundbreaking prepaid fibre product. The product was first launched in Mitchells Plain, Western Cape.

This model has evolved to become known as Vuma Fibre Reach – a fibre product that offers so much more than just affordable and reliable internet. It has become a catalyst for change and opportunity.

Vuma Fibre Reach is now available in areas such as Soweto, Danville, Chatsworth and Ekurhuleni, while expanding into new communities.

This prepaid fibre service is designed to give communities in relatively dense neighbourhoods access to affordable and reliable fibre in the safety of their homes, without the fuss of long-term contracts and the stresses that come with the high costs of mobile data.

Every home in these communities is given the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of uncapped connectivity via a prepaid service from their preferred ISP.

In 2019, Vuma had the great pleasure of being awarded South Africa’s Best Fibre Provider at the MyBroadband Conference and Expo, which was followed by various awards in the succeeding years.

Vuma was recognised as the Fastest Growing Broadband Provider by the International Business Magazine Awards in 2020 and then as the Best Broadband Provider in 2021. Last year, the company also received the Global Economics Award for Fastest Growing Telecommunications Company and the nod for Best Fibre Provider for 2021 by MyBroadband.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to think that people across South Africa can have access to an abundance of information and knowledge that empowers them to move forward. We hope that, together with our ISP partners, we can make the move to create a world that encourages us all to reach for the future and connect to more.

Vuma today

Today, Vuma has passed more than 1.5 million homes. As the business grows, Vuma is partnering with new and existing residential developments to deliver connectivity to people living in highvolume complexes more efficiently.

Vuma connects South African communities to high-speed, fit-forpurpose internet through open-access fibre broadband. Working with more than 60 ISPs, Vuma’s value extends beyond infrastructure and empowers ordinary individuals and communities across South Africa to do more, see more, and dream of more.

Guided by its philosophy of ‘because we can, we must’, Vuma strives to drive transformation and break communication barriers. Through the hundreds of schools it has connected to high-speed internet, it supports hundreds of thousands of young people and their teachers with access to the boundless opportunities of the internet, in collaboration with its partner ISPs.