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Fiber Fever: Meet the ISPs Driving FTTH Deployment in South Africa

Earlier this month, South African ISP Vumatel announced that its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure now passes two million homes. One million of these homes are in traditionally underserved areas, such as townships.

This network footprint means that Vumatel now presides over a more substantial FTTH network than Telkom South Africa’s Openserve unit.

Fiber ISPs are very much on the rise in South Africa, with multiple players gaining traction with their regional rollouts.

Unusually, the majority of these operators use an open access business model, allowing dozens of smaller companies to market and resell fiber connectivity.

Today, we take a look at the main players driving fiber growth in South Africa.

Target Acquired: e& Sets Its Sights on Europe

United Arab Emirates (UAE) telco e&—formerly known as Etisalat Group—is slowly but surely building a presence in Europe.

Deal or No Deal? Meet the Regional ISPs Driving M&A in Brazil

Earlier this month, Brazilian regional ISPs Vero Internet and AmericaNet agreed to merge their respective operations.

Vero currently ranks as the seventh-largest ISP in Brazil; AmericaNet is eleventh. The enlarged entity will jump to fifth place in the fixed broadband market.

The deal seems highly likely to spark further consolidation. Regional fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) players have flourished in recent years, with a number of fast-growing ISPs snapping up operations in and around their regional strongholds.

As of May 2023 (most recent official data), 16 Brazilian ISPs served more than 250,000 subscriptions, suggesting the time is right for a sustained period of M&A activity.

Let’s take a look at the companies that have been driving M&A in Brazil in recent years.

The Hottest CommsUpdate Stories of 2023 (So Far)

CommsUpdate—our free daily summary of major telecom news around the world—has been jam-packed with red-hot headlines this year.

Now that we're more than halfway through 2023, let's look back at our most popular stories of the year. From Starlink expansion to a legal battle in South Sudan, these five stories have garnered the most attention since January.

How Telefonica Embraced Strategic Alliances To Boost Fiber Coverage in Latin America

Earlier this month, international telecom group Telefonica entered into its fourth Latin American fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) joint venture (JV).

The deal was sealed in Peru after Telefonica agreed to terms with investment firm KKR and Peruvian telco Entel.

This new fiber-based JV follows earlier agreements in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. Let’s take a closer look at Telefonica’s strategy and examine the scope of the networks in question.

Chinese Checkers: Will the EU Block Huawei and ZTE From 5G Rollouts?

In the last few years, Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese equipment suppliers have come under increasing scrutiny due to alleged links with the Beijing government, raising serious security concerns for Western powers.

Following the U.S. government's ban on Chinese 5G technology, China-based vendors now face problems elsewhere.

The European Union (EU) is considering an outright ban of Chinese equipment across Europe’s 5G networks.

5G Frequency Frenzy: A Guide to Latin America’s Upcoming Spectrum Auctions

In sharp contrast to other regions, only a handful of Latin American telecom markets have seen 5G launch activity to date, with notable examples including the likes of Brazil and Chile.

However, a number of eagerly awaited 5G spectrum auctions are expected to take place in the region in the coming months.

Today we take a closer look at the LatAm markets where we can expect to witness 5G auction activity before the end of the year. 

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Telecom History, Investing, & More

Over the past few weeks, we've been revisiting the latest episodes of TeleGeography Explains the Internet with a Season 4 recap.

To conclude the series, here are six clips from the podcast—each under three minutes—that we think will teach you something interesting. First up: how accurate is Epcot's history of communications?

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Submarine Cables & AI

Although TeleGeography Explains the Internet explores all areas of the global business of connectivity, there are some hot topics that demand extra attention.

Submarine cables and artificial intelligence are two examples. Both are heavily covered in the press and on everyone's minds right now—including our podcast guests.

Here are some highlights pulled from Season 4. Listen as experts weigh in on utilizing subsea cables as seismic monitoring networks, using AI in network monitoring, and more.

Shaw Thing: Canadian Merger Finally a Done Deal

A long-running telecom saga came to an end last month with the conclusion of the C$25 billion ($18.4 billion) merger between Canadian operators Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications.

 

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