Dark Fibre Africa BFM 82

DARK FIBRE AFRICA

BRINGING LIGHT TO DARK FIBRE AFRICA

DARK FIBRE AFRICA

SINCE WE LAST SPOKE WITH DARK FIBRE AFRICA, THE COMPANY HAS BEEN UNDERGOING AN EXCITING EXPANSION.

BRINGING LIGHT TO DARK FIBRE AFRICA PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAMIE WAITE

“Dark Fibre Africa” is a term used in the telecoms industry for unused optical fibre in fibre optic communication. It’s a by-word for the unused potential network capacity of telecommunications infrastructure- and potential is what Dark Fibre Africa has always been about.

D

ark Fibre Africa’s mission is a simple one. Get South Africa connected. As the country’s first open-access wholesale connectivity provider, Dark Fibre Africa are not selling the fibre they lay directly to the consumer, but are instead opening their infrastructure to anyone who is licensed in the telecommunications industry.

It’s an approach that means Dark Fibre Africa can lay the groundwork for Africa’s future, today.

The company has been running for 12 years, during which it has rolled out more than 14,000 kilometres of telecommunications

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infrastructure in South Africa.

With a focus on wholesale, MNOs, operators and service providers, the company has over 200 clients.

These clients, including large, medium and small businesses, enjoy the benefits of Dark Fibre Africa’s services and the capacity they need to expand their infrastructure at a minimal cost. Dark Fibre Africa’s infrastructure has been used by conglomerates, big businesses, telecoms operators and internet service providers, and even municipalities and governments.

These customers, in turn, can pass access to that infrastructure on to the public at large.

OPENING UP ZIMBABWEAN POTENTIAL

While Dark Fibre Africa has already done a great deal of good work in South Africa, they are already looking to expand their reach. When we spoke to the company’s Chief Operations Officer, Wesley Nash, last year, he explained Dark Fibre Africa’s ambitions.

“We’ll expand into South Africa and other countries in the southern region of the continent,” he said. “We’re working in Zimbabwe currently, and that will add value to other countries too, not just South Africa.”

Indeed, Zimbabwe’s Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, POTRAZ, has just granted Dark Fibre Africa an operating license, making it the first telecommunications provider in a decade to receive such a license. Dark Fibre

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Wesley Nash, Chief Operations Officer, Dark Fibre Africa.

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DARK FIBRE AFRICA

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Africa received Internet Access Provider Class B licensing following the successful launch and proof of concept phase of Dark Fibre Africa’s Zimbabwe operations. The way is now clear for fully-fledged operations across Zimbabwe, as well as a nationwide network for the provision of licensed telecommunications services.

The Dark Fibre Africa Group’s CEO, Thinus Mulder, has been pleased with the progress of Dark Fibre Africa Zimbabwe.

“From the beginning, we have favoured a measured approach in our expansion to nations

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DARK FIBRE AFRICA

outside of South Africa,” he said.

“We believe in the potential of Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry, and therefore, we have identified it as a good place to invest in. The awarding of the licence further builds our confidence in this particular market.”

DFA Zimbabwe’s CEO, Simon Chimutsotso, has also expressed excitement for the premium open-access services DFA Zimbabwe can offer the market.

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“We look forward to partnering with our targeted customer base to enhance their efficiency and competitiveness,” Chimutsotso has said. “By fulfilling their physical fibre-networkinfrastructure requirements and taking on the maintenance responsibilities, we enable them to focus on their core business of providing excellent valueadded telecommunication services to their customers.”

He went on to say that DFA Zimbabwe had used the licensing period to deploy more resources towards understanding the market needs, building internal capabilities, and improving its business model to further enhance customers’ experience.

“We are ready to fulfil our promise to the ICT sector and help bring about new, innovative offerings to the market,” said Chimutsotso. “We would like to thank our shareholders, POTRAZ, the Ministry of ICT, the Government of Zimbabwe, and all our key stakeholders for the unwavering support as we sought to realise our vision for Zimbabwe.

It has been a long journey and we are excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead.”

RAISING COMMUNITIES

One thing that has been abundantly clear looking at Dark Fibre Africa’s work is that it isn’t for its own sake. Dark Fibre Africa deeply believes in using technology to help uplift people and communities.

This can be seen clearly in the company’s investment in skills

development. In 2017 Dark Fibre Africa decided to fund the learning of 40 students, 28 of whom were people living with disabilities, and half of whom were unemployed. Every one of these learners received a monthly stipend for the duration of their studies, and upon completion obtained an NQF 4 Project Management, opening the door to employment within the ICT industry.

Among the projects Dark Fibre Africa has invested in are Irene Middle School, where the telecommunications company has sponsored, installed, managed, and maintained fibre optic cables. Thanks to Dark Fibre Africa’s efforts, school children have access to the Internet for school projects and can participate in subjects such as Media Studies.

Dark Fibre Africa has also helped to support the Vastfonte Community Project. Working with the company’s subsidiaries, Dark Fibre Africa has installed a fibre link to a school in Hammanskraal to ensure that the school pupils from this underprivileged community also have access to the Internet.

The company is also looking to create a platform for a top-rated school in Pretoria to connect and interact with neighbouring schools in disadvantaged areas like Mamelodi and Soshanguve through Project Sisonke.

Dark Fibre Africa believes it is the responsibility of companies like theirs to collaborate with the government, other businesses and civil society to uplift and improve the quality of life for the communities they are working in. This is especially true of communities in rural areas.

Through sustainable development and transformation Dark Fibre Africa seeks to empower black youth in the telecommunications space.

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