Fibre-optic internet is transformative. It has the potential to catapult communities into the digital age, especially in education, remote work opportunities and value-added services.

Zoom Fibre’s mission has always been to bring the power of fibre to communities and to bridge the digital divide by providing reliable, high-speed connectivity to support learning and innovation.

To this end, Zoom Fibre has invested heavily in fibre infrastructure, including an important partnership in the Baobab Smart City project alongside Saldanha Bay Municipality and Amoeba TSC.

Abiding by the municipal by-laws and a publicly issued tender, Zoom Fibre met all the requirements to deploy fibre in the municipality, covering homes and businesses, including informal settlements, ensuring universal access and forming an important part of the methodology designed and patented by Amoeba TSC to create a futureproofed digital infrastructure that underpins the fundamentals of a true smart city.

This, in addition to Zoom Fibre’s extensive investment in other regions of the country, has resulted in the company becoming one of the leading fibre network operators in South Africa.

The company’s mission is underpinned by its commitment to enable opportunities such as the use of e-learning platforms, virtual classrooms and digital libraries, which are all crucial for students in South Africa to compete on an equal footing with students in developed markets.

Core tenet

Real-time video lessons translated into students’ language of choice through AI language tools, access to cloud-based educational programmes and the ability to collaborate seamlessly requires fast internet with low latency and no buffering.

A core tenet of our mission is to enable value-added services in more homes, including tools such as smart home systems, telemedicine and cloud gaming. If we consider the Baobab Smart City project, the mission includes (but is not limited to) fibre-enabled IoT applications, the planned smart city with the inclusion of smart utilities (water and electricity), security and “digital citizen” applications.

Learn more about Zoom Fibre at zoomfibre.co.za

However, to realise these benefits fully, fibre networks must deliver speeds capable of meeting growing data demands. Whether it is 4K streaming, collaboration or AI-driven analytics, consumers require faster speeds.

To secure the long-term viability and sustainability of Zoom Fibre’s world-class and extensive network, its board recently made the decision to shift the entry-level product in its post-paid environment to 30/30Mbit/s at no additional cost to Zoom Fibre’s existing 30/30Mbit/s customers and to reduce the wholesale price for all new customers by 3.8% for the 50/50Mbit/s product.

As a business, Zoom Fibre has always remained committed to the communities and internet service providers it serves and understands that the difficult decision to do away with the 15/15Mbit/s and 20/20Mbit/s connections in the post-paid environment was going to be met with concern.

“We ensured this announcement was made timeously, and as a show of good faith to the customers have opted to maintain a 30/30Mbit/s package,” the company said. “In light of this, and driven by our commitment to bridge the digital divide, Zoom Fibre has introduced new products that offer flexible payment terms. These new products are available through all ISPs.

“As a business, we cannot overstate the importance of fast, reliable fibre internet that is delivered through a sustainable network with sustainable prices and packages. This is true for both households and businesses,” it said.

“Fast, reliable internet, which comes at an increased cost, allows entrepreneurs and businesses to adopt technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence and IoT, all of which enhance productivity and competitiveness.”

Government’s National Development Plan for 2030 singled out the potential of small and medium enterprises to drive economic growth, create jobs and reduce inequality. In South Africa, SMEs constitute 80% of businesses, and fibre allows these entrepreneur-led organisations to access a host of digital tools for online marketing, inventory management and customer engagement.

Commitment

“These innovations allow small businesses to compete in the digital economy and unlock new revenue streams. As we understand that all communities who access Zoom Fibre’s network through various ISPs include both homes and businesses, we ensure that our uptime, reliability and service levels are world class, having recently been independently rated the third-best fibre network operator in the country,” the company said.

“Zoom Fibre reaffirms its commitment to South Africa and its fibre network, as well as to the host of ISPs that sell its fibre products to households and businesses. The world may be changing, but the future of the global economy and South Africa’s prosperity lies in universal access to world-class fibre internet,” it said.

Learn more about Zoom Fibre at zoomfibre.co.za.