Many consumers feel that Neotel has failed to bring true competition to Telkom, especially when it comes to fixed line broadband access.<\/p>\n
Consumers pinned their hopes on Neotel to start rolling out Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) and provide affordable high speed broadband access.<\/p>\n
While Neotel is rolling out Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTx) to businesses, and is offering them NeoBroadband Fibre services, the residential market has missed out so far.<\/p>\n
Bad news for consumers is that Neotel does not have immediate plans to offer FTTH services. Neotel CTO Angus Hay<\/a> said that they have no short term plans to roll out a fibre access network to residential customers as the business case simply does not make sense.<\/p>\n Hay highlighted that a better model to fund FTTH infrastructure build – and make such a service offering more sustainable – is needed as the current business model (where an operator rolls out a fibre access network on their own) is not viable at the price which consumers would expect to pay for a residential broadband offering.<\/p>\n Hay did however indicate that the fact that they will not invest in a residential fibre access network does not discount other FTTH business models which make more financial sense.<\/p>\n Hay said that they are looking at creative ways which may make FTTH a reality, like partnering with gated villages which may have their own fibre infrastructure over which Neotel can offer broadband services.<\/p>\n