MTN gets into suburb-wide fibre

MTN is working with the Lonehill Residents Association to deploy fibre to the home to over 3 000 homes in northern Johannesburg, offering the Internet speeds of up to 100Mbps.

Following a series of meetings with Lonehill residents and businesses regarding their connectivity requirements, the Lonehill Residents Association (LRA) is proud to announce that more than 3000 homes in the northern Johannesburg suburb will be connected to a fibre broadband network in a phased approach.

The LRA is working in collaboration with MTN to deploy fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the business (FTTB) in the area. The LRA will work very closely with MTN to ensure that the deployment is successful and done in a way that has minimal impact on residents.

This high speed network which is capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps, will provide residents of Lonehill with multiple benefits including the ability to stream high-definition videos and music videos, play online games, stream movies using a superfast network.

John Siddall, Chairman of the LRA, says the high speed will have immense benefits for the residents and businesses in Lonehill.

Fibre to the home will transform how we work and play. This fibre network will ensure that businesses can improve their efficiency and optimally use technologies such as video conferencing. Residents will also be able to do a number of activities that require a high bandwidth. The deployment of this technology will ensure that we connect close circuit television which will add another layer of security which will go a long way towards making Lonehill a safer place for its residents. This fibre rollout will elevate our neighbourhood a notch higher and improve its appeal to existing residents and prospective buyers,” says Siddall.

Siddall says phase one of this planned rollout will commence on 19 March 2015 with MTN connecting 133 homes and businesses in Lonehill to its fibre network. The total distance of the roll-out during this phase will be 7.5 kilometres. MTN will provide the infrastructure at its own cost and will maintain it during the lifespan of the technology. It has also set up a dedicated 24-hour FTTH centre to provide support services to its customers.

The first phase is expected to be completed within two months and it will be showcased to prospective customers in the area through open days and other events.

MTN has taken the strategic approach of being more available to its customers. In the new digital world, our customers want access to streaming high definition video and music, online gaming at zero lag, and other data intensive applications from the comfort of their living room. We are excited to work with the residents of Lonehill and we are confident that together we can take Lonehill forward,” says Larry Annetts, Chief Marketing Officer at MTN South Africa.

To minimise disruptions on the daily lives, Siddall assures residents that they will be updated timeously through the LRA’s communication channels and the MTN website and on the areas that will be affected by scheduled infrastructures upgrades.

Pricing for MTN Supersonic starts at R794 per month which includes installation and devices as well as 20GB of data at 20Mbps. It will also provide a 50Mbps offering with 50GB of data at R1 014 per month, and a top-of-the-range 100Mbps and 100GB of data solution at R1 389 per month. These packages are based on a 24-month contract.

Customers who do not want to enter into a long term contract can opt for a monthly solution which includes a R3 000 once-off installation fee and choose solutions that start from R669 per month for the 20Mbps.

Customers who have opted for this option have 30 days to cancel the package.

As an operator who has invested significantly in the continuous enhancement and upgrading of its network, MTN is excited by this next phase of connectivity. MTN owns fibre in all major metros in South Africa and has extensive capacity in the undersea cables on both the east and west coasts of Africa. As such, we can provide our customers with a truly high value fibre network that meets their connectivity requirements for the digital world,” adds Eben Albertyn, Chief Technology Officer at MTN South Africa.

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