Nokia and fibertime accelerate roll-out of fiber broadband access to underserved townships across South Africa

Nokia has announced a collaboration with fibertime to expand high-speed broadband access to an additional 400,000 homes across underserved townships in South Africa, supporting fibertime’s goal of connecting 2 million homes by 2028. Using Nokia’s IP and fiber access solutions, the initiative will provide affordable, reliable, and uncapped internet to millions of low-income users, many gaining online access for the first time.

Fibertime will deploy Nokia’s Lightspan access nodes, Wi-Fi 6-enabled fiber access points, and ONT Easy Start to simplify installations and activation. Nokia’s 7750 Wireless Access Gateway will allow seamless township-wide connectivity under a single SSID. The network will offer up to 950 Mbps speeds at just R5 per day, with users able to activate service via vouchers purchased locally or online.

To enhance scalability and reliability, fibertime will also implement Nokia’s Altiplano platform, Network Services Platform, and Fiber Health Analyzer to automate operations and detect issues proactively.

According to Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, this partnership exemplifies how advanced broadband technology can empower communities by driving access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity — bridging South Africa’s digital divide with scalable, sustainable connectivity.