Issue #25 Aug-Sept 2026
www.evotel.co.za
A n E v o t e l P ro d u c t i o n
EVOTEL SEES THE DIFFERENCE IN MIDDLEBURG!
UPDATE: MZANSI’S ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
RESHAPING AFRICA’S DIGITAL
FUTURE!
Editor: Mathews Mpete
Editor’s Note: YOUR INTERNET SPEED IS AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR DAILY TRANSPORT! In my view, internet speed should increasingly be regarded as economic infrastructure. South Africa cannot seriously pursue a digital economy while accepting slow or unreliable connectivity as normal. In 2026, the question is no longer whether South Africans need the internet – we clearly do. The question is whether the internet we have is fast and reliable enough to keep South Africa moving forward. We have been subjected to the normal 10/20 Mbps, 50/50 Mbps, 100/100 Mbps, etc. There are better ways, like 30/30 Mbps, 40/40 Mbps, 60/60 Mbps or even higher than that. Fast internet is about opportunity. Learners with reliable, high-speed connectivity have greater access to educational resources, while entrepreneurs can reach customers beyond their neighbourhood. A professional can compete for opportunities anywhere in the country or even internationally. Do you agree with me now that, for many South Africans, a fast internet connection is no longer a niceto-have asset, but has become part of everyday life, as important as electricity, transport and access to basic services?
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EMPLOYEE O/T MONTH: JULY AFRICA USES FIBRE INTERNET FOR EDUCATION, JOBS & MORE! EVOTEL SEES THE DIFFERENCE IN MIDDLEBURG! EMPLOYEE O/T MONTH: AUGUST MZANSI’S ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE EMPLOYEE O/T MONTH: SEPTEMBER REVIEWS
The reality is that the quality of our internet connection can directly affect how we work, study, communicate and even run a business. In an economy where more people are working remotely, attending online meetings, running small businesses from home and relying on digital services, slow internet can quickly become a serious obstacle. We often talk about the price of data and whether South Africa has affordable connectivity. But perhaps we should also be asking a different question: What are we actually getting for the connection we pay for? There is a huge difference between simply being connected and having a connection that performs when you need it. A household with several people streaming, studying, gaming, attending Zoom or Teams meetings and using cloud-based services needs sufficient speed and capacity. A small business cannot afford an internet line that constantly buffers, drops calls or takes hours to upload important files. South Africa has made significant progress in expanding fibre and improving broadband access. Now, I say, the next conversation should be about quality, reliability and speed, and not simply coverage alone.
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HEADLINE ARTICLE
AFRICA USES FIBRE INTERNET FOR EDUCATION, JOBS & MORE! Fibre internet is increasingly becoming a critical part of Africa’s digital transformation, with new research highlighting both the rapid expansion of connectivity and the significant gaps that still need to be addressed across the continent. The Broadband Commission’s State of Broadband in Africa 2025 report says African countries are experiencing strong growth in information and communication technologies, supported by investment in infrastructure, submarine cables, internet exchange points and new connectivity technologies. However, affordability, quality of service and unequal access remain major challenges. One of the most important developments is the expansion of fibre-optic networks across the continent. According to the African Finance Corporation’s State of Africa’s Infrastructure Report 2025, Africa’s backbone transmission fibre network passed the one-millionkilometre mark in 2024. The report also found that metropolitan fibre networks and fibre-to-the-home/building (FTTH/B) networks have been expanding faster than backbone transmission networks, particularly in densely populated areas. The growth is significant because fibre offers high-capacity, reliable and low-latency connectivity. These characteristics make it increasingly important for homes, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities and government services that depend on stable internet access. Research from South Africa provides further evidence of the impact of fibre beyond simply improving internet speed. A 2025 study by researchers Helanya Fourie and Debra Shepherd examined the rollout of fibre broadband in Kayamandi, a South African township. The researchers found that improved access was associated with increased use of the internet for education, job searches, social media and accessing information.
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The findings are particularly relevant to communities where the cost and availability of internet access have traditionally restricted participation in the digital economy. Affordable fibre can allow households to use online educational platforms, apply for jobs, access government services, communicate with customers and develop small businesses. Africa’s challenge, however, is that fibre expansion remains uneven. Research published by the Institute for Security Studies’ African Futures indicates that fixed broadband remains far less widespread than mobile broadband. In 2024, Africa had approximately 3.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, compared with about 80.6 mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 people. This gap illustrates why fibre investment needs to extend beyond major cities and affluent suburbs. Rural communities, townships and smaller towns also require access if Africa is to achieve meaningful digital inclusion. South Africa illustrates both the progress and the challenge. Government data indicates that fibre-to-the-home/building subscriptions increased from 1.36 million in 2022 to 1.49 million in 2023. At the same time, government programmes continue to focus on expanding broadband connectivity to households, schools and public facilities. Ultimately, the research suggests that Africa’s fibre story is about much more than faster downloads. Fibre infrastructure can support education, employment, entrepreneurship, business productivity and access to information. As Africa’s economies become increasingly digital, expanding affordable, reliable fibre connectivity could become one of the continent’s most important infrastructure priorities, helping ensure that the benefits of the digital economy reach communities far beyond the major metropolitan centres.
BUSINESS CONNECTIVITY
EVOTEL SEES THE DIFFERENCE IN MIDDLEBURG! In Middelburg, Mpumalanga, reliable fibre is becoming an essential part of everyday life.
The benefits are also being seen at schools in other Evotel areas.
When Evotel recently engaged with residents, businesses and schools in the area, the feedback highlighted that fibre is about more than faster internet. It enables people to work, learn, communicate and run businesses with reliable access to the digital world.
In Rustenburg, Laerskool Protea Park has used connectivity across its classes, including for music and educational resources, while Hoerskool Bersig has highlighted the importance of stable internet for accessing past examination papers and future virtual examinations.
For local businesses using the Evotel network, the message was consistent: reliable connectivity matters. Several business owners reported positive experiences with Evotel fibre, although some preferred not to be identified or photographed.
In Vryheid, parents have also noted that school connectivity can reduce the need to purchase additional routers and data specifically for schoolwork.
For businesses increasingly dependent on cloud applications, online payments, digital marketing, WhatsApp, video conferencing and accounting systems, internet downtime can directly affect productivity. Consistency and reliability can therefore be just as important as speed. The same applies at home. Fibre supports remote work, online learning, banking, streaming, home security and communication, often with several people using the connection simultaneously. Evotel offers uncapped, unshaped fibre, with selected home packages providing symmetrical upload and download speeds. The company also states a 99.8% network uptime. Perhaps one of the clearest examples of fibre’s impact can be seen in education. Through Evotel’s Schools Programme, schools within its network coverage areas receive free fibre connectivity to help create digitally enabled learning environments. At Middelburg Primary School, educators told Evotel that connectivity has allowed them to conduct more extensive online research without the restrictions of limited data. Middelburg Hoerskool has similarly demonstrated how connectivity can extend learning beyond the classroom. Learners can access digital resources, revisit lessons and watch recorded material at home with their parents. Page 6
These experiences show why the true value of fibre is not measured only in megabits per second. It is measured by what people can do when they are reliably connected — whether they are running a business, working from home or preparing learners for an increasingly digital future.
FIBRE UPDATE
MZANSI’S ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
For many South Africans, the internet has moved far beyond being a tool for browsing websites and sending emails – It has become part of everyday life. As these demands increase, the quality of the internet connection matters more than ever. This is where fibre networks such as Evotel are playing an increasingly important role in South Africa’s digital future. Evotel provides fibre infrastructure supporting home, business and gaming connectivity, with a range of Internet Service Providers offering services over its network. SPEED IS BECOMING A NECESSITY One of the biggest trends in internet connectivity is the growing demand for speed. A modern household can have multiple devices connected at the same time. A television may be streaming a movie, a child may be attending an online class, someone else may be working from home, while another family member is gaming or downloading large files. Page 8
The internet connection therefore needs to be more than simply connect one device. Evotel’s fibre packages illustrate this shift, with options designed around different household requirements, from smaller numbers of connected devices and basic online activities to large families, 4K streaming, home offices and online gaming. The lesson for consumers is that choosing an internet package should not be based solely on the price but be based on how many people use the connection, how many devices are connected and what those users actually do online. UNCAPPED CONNECTIVITY IS CHANGING HABITS Another important trend is the demand for uncapped internet. The amount of digital content consumed by households continues to grow. Video streaming, cloud services, social media, gaming, online learning and video calls can all require substantial amounts of data.
For users with uncapped connectivity, the focus shifts from worrying about exhausting a data allowance to making full use of the connection.
This reflects a wider change in consumer expectations: people increasingly want an internet connection designed around what they actually do online.
Evotel currently describes its home fibre offering as affordable, unlimited, unshaped and uncapped, with applications ranging from education and research to entertainment, social media and online work.
THE FUTURE IS ABOUT QUALITY, NOT JUST SPEED
This can be particularly valuable in households where several people depend on the same connection throughout the day.
Consumers are no longer asking only, “Do I have internet?”
BUSINESS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD The changing internet landscape is equally significant for businesses. A small business no longer needs a large physical office to reach customers. With the right connectivity, an entrepreneur can market products online, communicate with customers, process digital transactions, use cloud-based applications and collaborate with people in different locations. For larger organisations, reliable connectivity is even more critical. Evotel’s business fibre infrastructure is designed for organisations ranging from small home offices to enterprises with hundreds of employees, with services supporting activities such as video meetings, server data synchronisation and business communications.
As fibre becomes more accessible, the conversation is changing.
They are asking whether their connection is fast enough, reliable enough and capable of supporting everything their household or business needs. Evotel highlights several elements of its network experience, including 99.8% network uptime, a stated average 72-hour resolution time for home fibre issues and human customer support. These factors demonstrate why the future of connectivity will not be determined by speed alone. A truly useful fibre connection needs to provide the capacity, consistency and support required by modern users.
In this environment, connectivity becomes part of business infrastructure rather than simply another monthly expense. GAMING RAISES THE BAR! Gaming is another area influencing the evolution of fibre. For online gamers, speed is important, but it is not the only consideration. Latency, packet loss and connection stability can have a direct impact on gaming experience. Evotel’s gaming fibre offering focuses specifically on low latency, low ping, symmetrical speeds, high bandwidth and reduced packet loss. It is also designed to support multiple devices and live streaming.
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Clients’ Reviews:
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Issue NO 25
MAGAZINE
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