R1.2 billion Johannesburg fibre project gains ground
The physical duct installation of the R1.2billion fibre network in Johannesburg will be completed by December 2012, with a full project completion scheduled for June 2013. This is according to BWired CEO, Musa Nkosi.
BWired, a company which was set up to build the fibre network and drive down the cost of broadband in Johannesburg, has already completed most of the project.
“We have completed most of the project and should be completed with the physical duct installation by no later than December this 2012. Thereafter we will be testing the full redundancy of the network, ensuring that the last mile connectivity is deployed and tested,” said Nkosi.
“We are on track with the project roll-out and we are confident that we will have the project completed early 2013.”
The total project investment which has been published is R1.2 billion. “This cost includes all project components as designed and they are based on the build, operate and transfer model which governs the project. Three year build phase, 12 year operation, and we then transfer the project to be a city asset,” said the BWired CEO.
Network
This fibre network will consist of a 900km fibre ring broken into 5 regions – South West, South East, Central, North West, North East.
“The network will be capable of transferring capacity of up to 1.2 terabits per second. We have 9 core POP’s (point of presence) and 8 priority metro sites, with 2 primary international transit nodes,” said Nkosi.
Nkosi added that the planned completion date for the network is June 2013, after which they will be launching the eighteen services that the city of Johannesburg will be using on the network.
Connecting businesses and consumers
Nkosi explained that the BWired network covers most of the greater of the city of Johannesburg with fibre, which allows it to be within reach of most businesses and citizen requiring a fibre service.
“We are building the foundations of a smart city which has been an interesting yet exciting challenge, but once implemented it will allow for fast expansion at lower costs,” said Nkosi.
“Local ISPs will be able to buy bandwidth from BWired at reduced rates where they can package it and sell to the consumers. There will be hotspots created where citizens can get connected. Over time we believe FTTH (fibre to the home) will become a reality.”
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