Fibre companies must work together – DFA CEO

Thinus Mulder, the CEO of Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) has implored fibre players and telecoms companies to work together on infrastructure.

Speaking at the 2018 MyBroadband Conference, Mulder said the sustainability of the fibre industry will depend on how it evolves.

The need to work together – which includes sharing infrastructure – has come around due to a number of factors.

These include rising labour and electricity costs, and up to 1,500% increases in wayleave costs in certain metros.

An overlap of infrastructure is another pressing issue, with fibre companies not collaborating and cooperating sufficiently.

This lack of collaboration comes at a time when fibre infrastructure players are going through mergers and acquisitions, too.

This has resulted in value erosion for these telecoms companies, which puts future investment in the industry in doubt.

Forward looking

To accomplish a positive forward outlook, Mulder said there needs to be a shift in the mindset of telecoms companies.

This requires product changes, and companies engaging customers and suppliers more. Open-access infrastructure and the sharing of infrastructure is also important.

Companies will need to accept the sharing of infrastructure as a requirement, and enhance their position in the industry by competing on services.

Mulder also punted a move to self regulation in the industry, rather than policies dictated by the government.

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