Under the agreement, Fibertime will connect its next 1.5 million customers using Nokia’s Lightspan FX Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and Wi-Fi 6 enabled Optical Network Terminals (ONTs).

Fibertime says Nokia’s technologies are key to enabling the network provider's flagship product: R5 a day for uncapped, unthrottled internet.

"Currently, less than 85% of South Africans have access to high-speed broadband, leaving many reliant on costly mobile plans that are up to 70 times more expensive per gigabit than fibre," Nokia stated in its announcement.

"Through Nokia’s fibre solution, Fibertime will unlock a new wave of affordable, reliable, pay-as-you-go broadband, empowering local communities with increased access to education, employment, and business opportunities.

"The deployment will help create a semi-mobile network within underserved areas, allowing end-users to access high-speed broadband services from anywhere in the community, not just their homes or businesses."

The fibre deployment will initially cover Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch, with plans to rapidly expand into additional countries and communities.

As part of the agreement, Fibertime will deploy 500,000 Nokia Wi-Fi 6 enabled ONTs over the next 36-months, prioritising homes in underserved areas.

Fibertime will also leverage Nokia’s ONT Easystart to automate and simplify the ONT activation process, and is also working on an advanced network upgrade powered by Nokia’s Altiplano platform to further drive automation and scale.

Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, said Nokia’s fibre solution is uniquely positioned to help Fibertime reach millions of underserved customers needing high-speed broadband for essential services like online education and telehealth.

"Our scalable OLT portfolio provides flexible coverage for both densely populated and rural areas," Motley said.

"Paired with our Wi-Fi 6-enabled ONTs, we enable fast, automated onboarding.

"Together, these solutions allow Fibertime to speed up deployments and provide the capacity to bring thousands of customers online at once.”

Alan Knott-Craig, Founder of Fibertime, said with Nokia’s support, the broadband provider is confident it can reach 1.5 million homes within the next five years.

"We’re unlocking a massive, untapped market of 13 million homes in South Africa that are ready for affordable, quality internet," Knott-Craig said.

"That market will need approximately R60billion of investment over the coming decade and will generate reliable returns for investors.

"The market opportunity is akin to that presented to mobile operators when they expanded into prepaid markets.”