• The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has upgraded its Broadband Infraco network through a partnership with Huawei.
  • Huawei’s technology has seen the network’s capacity jump from 100Gbps to 800Gbps.
  • The department will use the upgraded network for its SA Connect campaign, bringing free internet access to undeserved areas across the country.

A newly upgraded backbone internet network has been launched in South Africa through Broadband Infraco (BBI) and Huawei, which will lower the cost of access of high capacity broadband internet to “millions of South Africans,” the company says.

The upgraded network will serve as the supporting network for the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT)’s SA Connect initiative, which seeks to build 500 meter-wide internet hotspots in underserved areas across the country.

BBI is a part of the department, whose Minister Solly Malatsi was at the launch of event of upgraded network.

“This upgrade delivers faster speeds, greater resilience, and open-access connectivity – a foundation that will power e-learning, fintech, AI and e-government,” said the Minister in an X post about the launch event.

“With this, we empower citizens to solve local problems, give SMMEs a platform to thrive, and ensure every learner and entrepreneur can connect reliably.

BBI has used Huawei’s next-generation Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) technology to deliver 800Gbps wavelengths across its network, increasing the amount of data than can be transferred on the network in real-time by a significant amount, it says.

Previously the network’s wavelength sat at 100Gbps, so the new upgrade brings eight times more capacity.

The newly launched network is also slated to support a freshly laid BBI fibre route, connecting Johannesburg to the Kopfontein border post into Botswana, “strengthening high-speed cross-border connectivity across the SADC region.”

“The backbone spans all nine provinces and extends to the borders with Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, providing broad regional access,” it explained in a Huawei press release.

“This partnership will create a foundation for widespread public sector digital transformation,” said Will Meng, Huawei South Africa CEO.

“Huawei is honoured to support this journey, and we remain fully committed to deepening our collaboration with BBI, from
intelligent optical technology to end-to-end services, ensuring this network doesn’t just connect, but empowers,” he added, explaining that the Chinese company is hoping to continue scaling its efforts alongside the department.

[Image – Provided]

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