The fixed mobile broadband service Wireless Business Solutions, which operated a 4G network under the iBurst brand, has been rebranded Rain, in anticipation of a massive expansion.
“We are determined to provide competition in the market to provide consumers with increased connectivity at affordable prices,” said chairman and shareholder, Paul Harris, formerly CEO and co-founder of FirstRand. “The industry is under-supplied and we want to step into the breach.
“We welcome the clarity on the future broadband strategy that Minister Cwele has provided in recent announcements; it provides us with confidence that our decision to make such a large investment in South Africa at this time, is a good one.”
Michael Jordaan, director and shareholder of Rain, says ira key objective is to establish a cutting-edge LTE-Advanced fixed and mobile network, designed to meet growing consumer demand.
“Driven by innovative thinking and the very latest technology, Rain will provide simple, easy and transparent access to data, connecting the people of South Africa to the limitless possibilities of the digital world,” he said. “The aim is to eventually create an environment where open access to the Internet becomes a reality in this country, with the best possible quality and speeds we can deliver, at affordable rates for all.”
Rain CEO Duncan Simpson-Craib says the company has so far rolled out about 750 Sites and is on track to meet a target of 2 000 by the end of the year.
“Our coverage is increasing daily,” he said. “Very shortly we will be announcing details of a fixed wireless broadband service, ‘Rain to the Home’ (RttH) as a Fibre or DSL alternative. It will be delivered on what we call ‘fibre to the sky’ using our state of the art LTE-A network. In future we will be launching a full mobile data service.”
Rain also offers mobile operators and other service providers access to its network.
