Fibre broadband provider Vumatel has announced plans to expand its nascent fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network to more Johannesburg suburbs.

The company said on Friday that residents of Killarney and Riviera, suburbs which include a number of high-rise and high-density residential apartment blocks, will be getting fibre in the coming months.

“This is a positive and welcome development for Killarney-Riviera,” said Wayne Ford, chair of the New Killarney-Riviera Association.

The roll-out of the fibre network is scheduled to start before the end of March, Vumatel said.

The company, which deploys fibre on an open-access basis — meaning Internet service providers can get access to it to provide services to residents and businesses — has already deployed a network in nearby Parkhurst and is now building infrastructure in Greenside and Parktown North.

It offers speeds of up to 1Gbit/s.