Link Africa secures municipal fibre patent
Link Africa, a provider of open access telecommunication infrastructure and platforms, has exclusively acquired the patents for Focus technology to deploy fibre optic networks in existing underground municipal service networks in South Africa and beyond.
According to Rikus Matthyser, Link Africa CEO, the benefits of Focus over traditional methods of laying fibre optic networks are significant.
“In built-up areas laying fibre is difficult since traditional methods of ‘excavate and lay’ entail working in heavily trafficked areas, resulting not only in inconvenience and disruption for vehicles and pedestrians alike, but also resulting in health, safety and environmental issues. The possibility of damaging previously laid infrastructure also exists,” he said.
“With the patented Focus technology we are able to install fibre optic cables in existing underground infrastructure, be it sewers or storm water pipes, four times faster, cheaper and with less disruption than the traditional method of fibre optic networks in existing roadways and sidewalks. No other fibre optic network provider in the region utilises sewer and storm water pipes as ducts,” he added.
Link Africa’s fibre optic network (FON) solution consists of a metropolitan transmission ring and last mile Fibre-To-The-Premises (FTTP), thereby servicing telecommunication operators and municipal customers alike.
Link Africa says it only sells services to licensed telecommunication operators and not to end-customers.
The group says that Focus was extensively trialled in the eThekwini Municipality amid concerns that the fibre optic cable would reduce carrying capacity of the conduit utilised, interfere with routing maintenance and cleaning, or contribute to blockages.
“The tests were a resounding success with eThekwini Municipality declaring sewer based fibre deployment as its preferred method,” the group said.
To date, Link Africa has deployed in excess of 300km of fibre in various localities in the city. The company also provided fibre services to a large mobile operator and says it is in discussions with large service providers about using the fibre infrastructure to provide FTTP services.
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