[dropcap]I[/dropcap]nternet Solutions said on Monday that it has reached an agreement with Rain (formerly Wireless Business Solutions) to offer Internet service providers access to the latter’s 4G/LTE-Advanced wireless broadband network.

IS will act as Rain’s “open access” go-to-market partner for its fixed LTE-A product, IS said in a statement on its website.

“Targeting local ISPs whose customers will benefit from fibre-like mobile connectivity, Internet Solutions and Rain anticipate that offering competitively priced access to LTE-A will present local ISPs with new growth opportunities,” the company, which is owned by Dimension Data, said in the statement.

The move comes as Rain aggressively rolls out a national LTE-A network. LTE-A is also sometimes referred to as 4G+. The company was acquired in 2015 by Multisource, with backing from top former bankers Michael Jordaan and Paul Harris.

Rain’s LTE-A network consists of 750 active base stations, with the company targeting 2 000 deployed sites by the end of the year. It will grow this to 5 000 by 2018, ultimately growing to 10 000 sites.

Rain CEO Duncan Simpson-Craib said the company has partnered with IS to deliver its fixed-wireless broadband service, which it calls “Rain to the Home”, or RttH, as a fibre or DSL alternative.

“Internet Solutions will offer service providers access to the network in a manner that benefits South African ISPs, businesses and, ultimately, consumers. We believe that the use of our companies’ respective strengths will best benefit the market,” said Simpson-Craib.

“Rain is ready to roll out future wireless technologies like LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G when they become available in the coming years.”