The partnership comprises Nokia as the technology provider, Liquid Intelligent Technologies as Nokia’s partner, and PayGoZo as a new internet service provider in Stellenbosch. The team worked closely to use the conventional Nokia Fiber-to-the-X (FTTX) solution in a way to provide a highly scalable solution for The Kayamandi Fibre Project. Users are offered unlimited data, but on a time-based and pay-as-you-go pricing scheme, which is both more cost effective and user friendly than mobile data solutions.
Nokia is providing both fibre access nodes for the fibre exchange and fibre modems to connect a Wi-Fi network across the entire township. Integration services within the PayGoZo network will be supported by Nokia’s Access Management System. Nokia’s ISAM FX optical line terminals (fibre access nodes) were selected for their ability to deliver high bandwidth services to a large number of users and their easy upgrade capacity in line with the growing demand.
Digitalisation of business services, education, healthcare and entertainment continues to accelerate globally. However, more than three billion people still lack internet access, putting them at a massive disadvantage. The high cost of mobile data hinders equitable access to the internet for all segments of society. The Kayamandi Fibre Project aims to address this by using a unique way to offer internet at economical rates.
Deon Geyser, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, South Africa, said: “In the last two decades, Liquid has been working to ensure that every person in Africa has access to high-speed connectivity. This is one of our first projects in using innovative technology to bring access to fibre connectivity to the masses. We look forward to partnering with Nokia to replicate the success in other remote locations in South Africa and the wider continent.”
Rich Henn, CEO of PayGoZo, said: “We are committed to providing high-quality yet optimally-priced internet to connect those who are unable to afford expensive mobile network-based internet. Collaboration with Nokia and Liquid Intelligent Technologies has helped us fine tune our approach, and we look forward to rolling out the project beyond the initial pilot phase, so that more people in Kayamandi can start benefitting from low-cost internet.”
Naveed Kashif, Head of Southern Africa Market at Nokia, said: "Fibre is by far the best connectivity solution for South African townships, providing affordable and uncapped internet essential for home workers and learners. We are proud to be partnering with Liquid and PayGoZo on this important project which adopts an innovative approach to provide affordable internet without compromising on the quality."
