CORPORATE PROFILE Page 37 practically unlimited bandwidth ”. That from the Constitutional Court , no less .
Letting Link Africa loose in the sewers has an added benefit for municipalities , because the first step is surveying the piping with remotely operated video cameras . These produce “ dirty movies ” that soon reveal any structural defects , which can then be addressed by the municipalities before they cause a breakdown in the sewerage system .
This is also important for developers , HOAs and members of residential communities , who are understandably concerned about the impact on their environment of laying yet another set of cables . And given the economic pressure to maximise land usage density , the space in the utility servitude for services is getting increasingly overcrowded . So it seems almost silly not to use existing channels where one can .
Link Africa is not an Internet service provider ( ISP ), and is committed to open access . The cabling they lay is “ dark ”, which means it ’ s not yet connected to the Internet – it ’ s just an open channel . They don ’ t charge the municipalities ( or anyone else ) for laying the cable , but obtain their revenue from renting it out to ISPs .
The number of competing ISPs has increased dramatically , with each offering different benefits , and appealing to different users – so a careful choice of options is imperative . Some ISPs , however , enter into exclusive arrangements with a collective or corporate user , such as an office block or housing estate community , or even a suburb . Although it ’ s theoretically never too late to make a change , there will be increasing , and possibly debilitating , costs attached to making changes if flexibility isn ’ t built in at ground level – that is , at the planning stage of a development . Open access gives the customer the freedom to exercise their choice – now , and at a later stage , if and when new options become available .
However , open access isn ’ t popular with everyone in the supply chain , as it encourages open competition with less opportunity for exploitative profits . Link Africa is working with the FTTH Council to put in place standards and ethical practices that help protect the customer , and Link Africa is intensely involved in ensuring that those standards benefit the end user , who often has the weakest voice .
André Hoffmann , Link Africa ’ s head of projects , is passionate about doing all that can be done to make fibre accessible to everyone , and is committed to bridging the digital divide . “ We ’ re going to take fibre into the townships , and we ’ re going to make a difference ,” he says .
With its significant involvement in the FTTH Council Africa , underpinned by a commitment to open access , Link Africa is a dark fibre provider whose vision is to illuminate South Africa with the liberating light of fibre optics . Remember how the mobile phone started out as a toy of the wealthy , but is now a communication device for the masses ? Fibre , with its limitless capacity , will become the gateway for millions to benefit from the endless possibilities of the Internet .
Link Africa is well positioned to be the enabler of the future in your development . link africa
CONTACT : + 27 10 020 0410 info @ linkafrica . co . za www . linkafrica . co . za