Johannesburg suburb Melville is jumping on to high-speed fibre broadband as infrastructure player Fibrehoods continues its expansion.
The suburb will have access to a 100Mbit/s network in February as the company deploys its aerial fibre broadband programme.
Fibrehoods has previously built fibre in other Johannesburg suburbs, including Dunkeld.
“Installation is estimated at R2 500 for a standard drop, which is a drop that takes the fibre from the nearest street pole, strings it aerially over the property, into the home’s conduits to the nearest access point up to 50m,” said Fibrehoods MD Alon Hendel.
He said the installation fee is waived for residents’ association members and clients of security firm CSS Tactical. Meanwhile, data packages start at R499 for a 100Mbit/s line and 50GB of data.
Unlike more traditional fibre deployments, Fibrehoods uses street poles instead of trenching, which the company says results in faster deployments.
The partnership with CSS Tactical means that security cameras equipped with i-Sentry software are also linked to the network.
“We have noticed that the installation of cameras significantly reduces crime by as much as 92% in residential areas” said CSS Tactical CEO Ricky Croock.
Meanwhile, the network has followed the principle of open access, which means that multiple service providers can offer Internet services.
“Fibrehoods utilises an open-access network, meaning that many Internet service providers are able to offer their data packages on our network. This means more choice for the consumer at really good prices,” said Hendel.
Residents who want to have the broadband installed have to demonstrate a 30% interest in their area by signing up on the website. The roll-out then usually begins four months after local council approval.
Fibre broadband is much faster than traditional ADSL and many firms are racing to deploy services, mainly in wealthier areas of South Africa.
According to a report by BMI-TechKnowledge, fibre subscriptions in South Africa could grow to 360 000 by 2019. — Fin24