Vumatel launches prepaid fibre-to-the-home
Vumatel has launched a new prepaid platform for fibre-to-the-home services as part of its Mitchells Plain fibre rollout.
Vumatel first started to trial the platform in Mitchells Plain in July 2019, and to date, more than 1,000 homes have activated their fibre connections using the company’s prepaid platform.
This is only the start, and Vumatel expects a further 40,000 households to start using the prepaid platform in the next four months.
Vumatel CEO Dietlof Mare told MyBroadband that they built the platform after interacting with the community and understanding their buying behaviour.
“Traditional fibre price points and contracts would not have been feasible in Mitchells Plain,” said Mare.
Vumatel, which currently has a footprint of 600,000 homes passed, anticipates that there are at least a further 700,000 homes in emerging markets that it can reach.
The company believes its new prepaid fibre-to-the-home platform is a key enabler to make this rollout a success.
How Vumatel’s prepaid fibre works
Residents with Vumatel fibre to their home can purchase a token through a portal which will give them uncapped, unlimited Internet access for 28 days.
Users have a range of ISPs to choose from and have the option to automatically top up their subscription when it expires or purchase additional access on demand.
The Vumatel prepaid platform was built in partnership with participating ISPs and is aimed at giving customers “more control over their budgets and Internet access”.
Mare said the willingness to look beyond a postpaid model for fibre-to-the-home was a critical consideration in shaping its emerging market strategy.
“This platform is a game-changer for opening accessibility to emerging market communities,” said Mare.
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