Fibre-based service provider Otel is busy laying out its own infrastructure, but it also sells data packages on other open-access fibre networks. There are quite a few of these networks though, so the service provider has created a network-agnostic coverage map for end-users.
The map, available at fibre2thehome.co.za, allows you to simply browse a map or search for your area to quickly find out whether your area has fibre coverage in general. There doesn’t appear to be any differentiation between fibre networks though.
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Otel told Memeburn that this was an intentional approach as other coverage maps “confuse clients by giving 12 different providers”, with the client then having to sift through each provider. The ISP said that the intention was to simplify matters and show where the fibre was actually up, “irrespective of the provider we may use to offer the client fibre”.
Otel has delivered a coverage map that shows almost all the major fibre networks in South Africa
The service provider confirmed that the coverage map would be constantly updated, with other ISPs sending coverage data to them.
“We get it (coverage data) from the files they send us and update it. Some of them are publicly accessible. We constantly update the coverage maps and estate pages. To give you an idea, we now have 40 estates loaded on the estates page and have added 12 additional areas to the live coverage map this week.”
The network confirmed that it also planned to incorporate wireless connectivity on the coverage map, such as LTE.
It’s not the only web-based service that attempts to make sense of SA’s fibre landscape.
Earlier this year, we covered FibreTiger, being a platform to compare the various fibre-based data packages in the country. The service, which lets users adjust everything from cap and price to speed and networks, updates on a weekly basis.
