Give users 100Mbps broadband: DFA CEO

Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) is rapidly growing its 6500km fibre network, calling for “serious broadband” to be offered in South Africa

Staff Writer

September 14, 2012

Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) CEO, Gustav Smit says that South Africans simply don’t know what 20Mbps or 100Mbps to the home means, and called on ISPs to play a leading role in offering “serious broadband” to consumers.

DFA recently announced that it has already deployed over 6500 kilometres of optic fibre across South Africa, and will now be investing nearly R10-million in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.

“DFA’s optic fibre network is expanding to smaller cities and towns at a rapid pace, enabling Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer their services to new markets. It will launch the Mthatha district into the digital age,” DFA said in a press statement.

According to Smit, DFA’s network is the fastest-growing open-access optical fibre infrastructure in the country.

“We are the carrier of carriers, providing infrastructure to three of the top four cellular providers; to seven of the top eight Internet services providers; and to one of the two fixed-line operators,” said Smit.

DFA’s footprint extends nationally, and links with the SEACOM, EASSy, SAFE and the SAT3 cables at Mtunzini in KwaZulu Natal; to the WACS cable at Yzerfontein; and the SAT 3 cable at Melkbosstrand in the Western Cape.