STL along with Frogfoot to bring affordable broadband connectivity

STL has announced of entering a technology partnership with South Africa’s Frogfoot to provide Fibre To The Home (FTTH) infrastructure in Soweto. With this partnership, Frogfoot, an open-access fibre network provider, will use STL’s innovative connectivity solutions to enable affordable, reliable broadband connectivity to up to 20,000 homes and lower income groups in the Protea Glen East and West areas of the South African township of Soweto.

The collaboration comes on the heels of President Cyril Ramaphosa appointing a Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Affordable high-speed broadband connectivity is a key to 4IR and can play an important role in propelling the country towards a connected society.

Frogfoot will utilise STL’s Air-blown FTTH solution to bring FTTH to Johannesburg. It will see the benefits of lower costs and faster time to market, while providing affordable fibre connectivity to users. Traditional cabling solutions require up to 25% more space and cost more. STL’s solution aims at considerably reducing installation costs, thus passing on cost benefits to end users.

Abraham van der Merwe, Founder and CEO of Frogfoot, says, “Working with STL enables us to add advanced capabilities to our FTTH infrastructure rollout and strengthen our commitment to offer the most reliable broadband connectivity at affordable total cost of ownership. As we deploy, STL will continue to be an invaluable strategic partner providing innovative solutions and deep knowledge of data network solutions.”

Customised for faster and efficient FTTH deployment, STL’s innovative Air-blown solution offers a unique combination of five key benefits:

* NextGen cable design helps air-blown solution fit in smallest micro ducts, just 5 mm in diameter, making it future-ready for upcoming data demands and enabling easier right of way for operators

* Re-engineered outer coating helps achieve nearly 2 times faster cable blowing compared to traditional cables, ensuring faster time-to-market

* Best-in-class compact fibre packing and crush resistance provides utmost durability, making the solution suitable for metro FTTH premise deployment

* Available in fibre counts ranging from 4 to 24, which is ideal for different FTTH network architectures

* Compatible with existing tools and easy to handle due to lightweight cable design

Richard Eichhorn, Director Global Sales, Connectivity solutions, STL, says, “We, at STL, have always been committed to empower people through our innovative solutions. Our FTTH solution is ideal for space constrained fibre deployment and makes broadband affordable through its cutting-edge features. We are sure our joint efforts will benefit thousands of people.”

STL’s Air-blown premise cabling solutions ensure affordable fibre connectivity in lower income groups, and ensures that more people have access to education, skills development and training materials online.