The South African government has launched an 800G intelligent network designed to deliver faster, more affordable broadband internet nationwide.
The project is a collaboration between state-owned Broadband Infraco (BBI) and Huawei, as part of the government’s SA Connect initiative to expand digital access and strengthen high-speed connectivity across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
BBI is implementing the upgrade as part of its Backbone Network Expansion Strategy. The investment aims to extend electronic communications infrastructure nationwide and make connectivity more affordable, closing gaps between urban and rural areas as well as between SA and industrialised nations.
BBI CEO Gift Zowa. Photo supplied.
“We are bridging the digital divide on two fronts, closing the digital inequality gap at home and narrowing the gap between SA and the world’s most industrialised nations”, says BBI CEO Gift Zowa.
“We are addressing one of SA Connect’s primary goals, the DCDT’s flagship broadband connectivity project, to make connectivity inclusive and bring stable, high-capacity broadband to all SA communities and government facilities by 2030.”
Through the execution of BBI’s national connectivity projects, the company has connected over 3,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots and more than 50,000 homes in underserved and rural areas nationwide.
“Every South African can benefit from a digital future. BBI is collaborating with Huawei to build one of SA’s best national broadband infrastructure, building a connected and prosperous society everywhere, where everyone can participate equally in the digital era.”
BBI’s macroeconomic impact study provides insight into broadband’s effects on economic growth. BBI Chairperson Zandile Kabini says every one percent increase in broadband penetration added nearly R5-billion rand to SA’s GDP.
BBI board chairperson Zandile Kabini. Photo supplied.
She says: “The numbers may be from yesterday, but their truth belongs to tomorrow: when you extend access, you extend growth. And when you bridge the digital divide, you build an inclusive society. When our country’s intelligent backbone does its quiet work – unseen, unsung – it carries more than data. It carries hope. It carries opportunity. It carries people’s most intimate needs: to learn, to work, to trade, to care, to connect.”
BBI has used Huawei’s Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) technology to deliver 800G wavelengths across its network, which enables massive volumes of data to be transferred between cities or data centres in real-time. It is the first 800G intelligent optical backbone network deployed by the government sector.
The network will support SA’s new BBI fibre route, which connects Johannesburg to the Kopfontein border, 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.
Huawei SA CEO Will Meng. Photo supplied.
Will Meng, Huawei SA CEO, says: “This partnership will create a foundation for widespread public sector digital transformation. 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. Looking ahead, Huawei will scale these efforts to build an inclusive, resilient digital ecosystem for the Southern African region.”
Minister of communications and digital technologies, Solly Malatsi. Photo supplied.
Solly Malatsi, minister of communications and digital technologies, says digital inclusion is about providing connectivity that is permanent and sustainable. This meaningful digital inclusion, he says, means high-quality connectivity should be available not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.
He says: “That would be the true measure of meaningful digital inclusion. And for that, it means that we must hold each other accountable. The SA Connect project is a very noble effort to close the digital divide. We dare not fail that mission.”
Enhanced connectivity can support traffic management systems, public safety networks, healthcare infrastructure and environmental monitoring. Another critical metric it can impact is job creation. The nationwide rollout aims to extend ICT skills development to even the most remote communities.
Zowa says: “Through public-private partnerships and alignment with national digital transformation agendas such as SA Connect, Broadband Infraco is reinforcing SA’s digital infrastructure, ensuring that no community, especially those in rural and underserved areas, is left behind.”