The first internet service provider (ISP) to go live on the City of Cape Town fibre optic network has praised the municipality and suggested its politicians might be trying to prove a point.
RSAWeb is now able to connect companies in Cape Town’s central business district (CBD) to the new fibre optic network ranging in speeds from 25Mbps to 1Gbps.
The partnership between the City of Cape Town, which is run by the Democratic Alliance, and RSAWeb is the first time the provider has teamed up with a government body rather than telecommunications company.
Rob Gilmour, RSAWeb managing director, said: “[Before working with the City] we were very sceptical.
“I guess as South Africans we possibly don’t see our government bodies as efficient machines and in a number of ways they aren’t, but in this case they are supporting digital and it is working.”
The city’s network has been four years in the making and has been heavily based on a similar fibre optic network installed in Stockholm. The same consultants that worked with the Swedish city are advising officials in Cape Town.
Gilmour added: “It also comes down to political will and it seems very strong from a provincial perspective here [in the Western Cape].
“Politically they [the DA] are the underdogs and maybe they are out to showcase this innovation.”
Only the City Bowl is currently served by the new network, but access will be expanded throughout the year towards the suburbs.
Gilmour told HumanIPO the priority was to connect businesses first before looking at the residential market.
He said: “The city is about 80 per cent business and 20 per cent residential. The problem with residential in the city is most of it is rentals. We are going after businesses first because they are the ones that consume the most data.
“Business is a logical place to start, but once we have connected close to residential areas, it would become easier and more feasible.”
