INDUSTRY FOCUS
INDUSTRY FOCUS
TM
Dark fibre , dirty movies and sewerage pipes
– it sounds a little seedy and sordid , but it ’ s all part of Link Africa ’ s mission to bring us closer to the limitless world of the Internet through fibre optics .
According to the World Economic Forum held in Davos , Switzerland , in January 2016 , we stand on the brink of what is termed the “ Fourth Industrial Revolution ”, essentially a technological revolution that promises to fundamentally change the way we live , work and relate to one another . In its scale , scope and complexity , the transformation is expected to be unlike anything humankind has experienced before . We have witnessed developments in genetics , artificial intelligence , robotics , nanotechnology , 3D printing and biotechnology , to mention just a few , that are all building on and magnifying each other . This is creating a foundation for a more comprehensive revolution than anything we have previously witnessed .
Smart systems , homes , factories , farms , grids and cities are expected to help address problems ranging from supply chain management to climate change . The rise of the sharing economy will allow people to monetise everything from their empty house ( Airbnb ) to their car ( Uber ). All this “ future ” is underpinned by the broadband enabling infrastructure that is optical fibre .
Optical fibre is globally recognised as the key building block of a connected world capable of handling gigabit-speed content and applications . The Internet of Things and the increasing interconnectedness of machines , appliances , devices , sensors and – ultimately – people are converging into a perfect storm .
Many of us are already experiencing the joy of fibre to the home ( FTTH ), and those of use who aren ’ t yet connected just can ’ t wait for the big cable drums to roll out in our neighbourhood . But the costly and time-consuming process of actually laying the cable is the main limiting factor . A huge part of the cost is in digging the trenches , physically laying the cables , and then restoring the environment . But Link Africa has patented a system for laying fibre cable in existing sewerage and water pipes , thus reducing costs and civil disruption .
It sounds ideal and obvious , but Link Africa has had to fight a two-year legal battle to be allowed to use the technology . The City of Tshwane took the company all the way to the Constitutional Court to keep it from gaining access to “ their ” water and sewerage systems . Link Africa ’ s persistence resulted in a win for everyone , when the Constitutional Court confirmed the original High Court ruling that the use of the water and sewerage system for fibre optic cables was to everyone ’ s benefit , including that of the City of Tshwane , noting that “ fibre-optic cables are the fastest and most effective product on the market to implement electronic communications networks , and provide a safe and secure system that has