Ask Afrihost CEO Gian Visser anything

[Afrihost-Gian]

Will you ever amalgamate Afrihost and axxess ?

Our plan with Axxess is to continue running them completely separately from Afrihost. We have an absolutely superb team running Axxess, and I believe the innovations that come out of them would never exist if we combine our companies into one brand. The fact that they won ISP of the Year last year shows what a great team they are. Don't want to tamper with a winning formula!

 

[Nikkel]

Can I trade 20gb off my capped account for 2gb mobile data please?

 

[Johnatan56]

Hi Gian, what are your plans on the FTTH space?
Are you going to partner with Frogfoot and offer data over their lines, are you going to be open to giving access on other fiber providers as well?

 

[cfilorux]

Can I have a pony?

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

What is the first thing the Afrihost directors did after you signed the contract with MTN?

Wow, seems so long ago! We signed on a Friday morning and the actual signing process took quite a while! We then all went out and celebrated with our wives at the Grillhouse. A great time was had by all ;-)

 

[dillydog]

Hello,

Vodacom and Telkom both currently offer a Broadband LTE service, MTN does not, Does Afrihost have any plans on rolling something like that as an ADSL replacement? It would be a fast way of getting high speeds to the masses?

 

[dillydog]

Hello,

Are you planning, Mobile Roll over and a more long term ADSL capped roll over, similar to Vox?

Thank you

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

What was the first thing you bought after you received the cash from the MTN acquisition in your bank account?

First thing I spent money on was an island holiday with my family. I like investing in experiences - I believe they give you most joy long term. Having said that I do also buy things from time to time ;-)

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

Do you have the same network as Axxess, or do you and Axxess manage your networks separately?

Great question! We use the same backbone as Axxess, but we manage our business rules separately. We want both Afrihost and Axxess clients to have a unique experience, which they do. Our teams worked together closely making sure that the core network is robust and scalable so that there is potential for growth for both companies in that respect.

 

[acharyaanil]

What would you like to be?? A small fish in a big ocean or a big fish in a small river/pond... Why??

 

[theovs]

Full price for half service

Why do you feel that your customers should pay 100% of the monthly subscription if they only get 50% of what they pay for? (it like paying full price for a beer but I only give you half)

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

Will you remain on the MTN network/backbone, or do you have plans to migrate away to another backbone?

Our ADSL clients are now on our new network that we built last year - So they are no longer on the MTN backbone. However, our Mobile data and Voice products are all on the MTN network and will remain so.

 

[dillydog]

Hello,

What is your favorite food?

 

[dillydog]

Hello,

Do you have any plans on moving into the Voice over IP market?

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

Do you see a future in South Africa with all the current unrest and problems at Universities?

I absolutely see a future in South Africa. We are all going through a tough time but South Africans are resilient and resourceful and I sincerely believe our country has as much potential as any other in the world. We just all need to unlock it. On a personal note I try not to spend too much of my time focusing on things that are not in my power.

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

When will you be offering your own FTTH product without the Telkom bundled bit added to it?

The Telkom offer was not really a launch, we just wanted to make sure that clients who were in that situation knew that sticking with their Afrihost data was a viable option. We’re working with the top fibre providers to offer some great deals in the near future. We're planning to launch these over the next few months. Short answer – watch this space!

 

[dillydog]

How much bandwidth do you have at the Afrihost office?

 

[UserZ]

What is Afrihost's official position on urban tolling (e-tolls) in Gauteng?

 

[dillydog]

How much bandwidth do you have at your house?

 

[Afrihost-Gian]

Do you consider the current broadband policies [or lack thereof] as well as execution [or lack thereof] of policies at various levels of government in SA [national; provincial; municipal|local], to be an enabler or a hindrance for network operators and ISPs in general [both fixed and mobile services]?

If you had an opportunity to try explaining to president Zuma how his government's broadband policy stuff-ups have severely affected businesses and consequently retarded economic growth, what "K.I.S.S." examples would you use?

What key steps should SA's national government be taking to accelerate broadband rollout and uptake nationally?

Tough question! My personal feeling is that any government in the world should just try and enable entrepreneurs and stay out of their way. I really believe that driven entrepreneurs will solve many more problems than government can with or without their policies.

I will try and come back to this question later, if I have time, as all the other questions I have to answer is weighing heavily on me at the moment (In other words the answer to this question is too tough to answer right now!)