Nokia, Fibertime to connect 1.5M homes

Nokia has announced a partnership with Fibertime to accelerate broadband expansion in underserved areas of South Africa

This initiative will connect an additional 1.5 million users through Nokia’s advanced Lightspan FX Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6-enabled Optical Network Terminals (ONTs). Fibertime’s flagship service, offering unlimited, unthrottled internet for just R5 a day, will benefit from Nokia’s fiber technology.

Currently, high-speed broadband access is limited, with less than 85% of South Africans connected. Many are dependent on expensive mobile data plans, which can cost up to 70 times more per gigabit than fiber. Nokia’s solution will help Fibertime provide affordable, pay-as-you-go fiber services, empowering communities with better access to education, job opportunities, and business growth. This deployment will also create a semi-mobile network, enabling high-speed connectivity across entire communities rather than just individual homes or offices.

The initial fiber rollout will target Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung, and Stellenbosch, with a vision for wider regional expansion. Fibertime plans to deploy 500,000 Nokia Wi-Fi 6 ONTs over the next three years, focusing on underserved households. Additionally, Nokia’s ONT Easystart will simplify the ONT activation process, aiding rapid deployment. Nokia and Fibertime are also collaborating on future network upgrades using Nokia’s Altiplano platform to drive efficiency and scalability, along with R&D projects focused on enhancing connectivity in remote African areas.

Sandy Motley, president of Fixed Networks at Nokia, remarked, “Nokia’s fiber solution is uniquely positioned to help Fibertime reach millions of underserved customers needing high-speed broadband for essential services like online education and telehealth. Our scalable OLT portfolio provides flexible coverage for both densely populated and rural areas. Paired with our Wi-Fi 6-enabled ONTs, we enable fast, automated onboarding. Together, these solutions allow Fibertime to speed up deployments and provide the capacity to bring thousands of customers online at once.”

Alan Knott-Craig, founder of Fibertime, stated, “With Nokia’s support, we’re confident in our ability to reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years. We’re unlocking a massive, untapped market of 13 million homes in South Africa that are ready for affordable, quality internet. That market will need approximately R60billion of investment over the coming decade and will generate reliable returns for investors. The market opportunity is akin to that presented to mobile operators when they expanded into prepaid markets. Together with Nokia, we can bridge the digital divide, accelerate growth, and create lasting social and economic impact across South Africa.”