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- Vuma and Huawei recently partnered to launch the first 50-gigabit passive optical network technology in South Africa.
- The technology promises considerably higher upload and download fibre broadband speeds.
- It will also provide significantly higher connectivity capabilities than the existing 2.5Gbps currently in use.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
Fibre-to-home provider Vuma and Chinese multinational technology corporation Huawei have teamed up to launch the first 50-gigabit passive optical network (50G PON) technology in South Africa.
This is the first joint initiative of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
The 50G PON provides higher connectivity capabilities, significantly higher than the existing 2.5Gbps currently in use.
According to Huawei, the development of this first-to-market technology promised considerably higher upload and download fibre broadband speeds, which would be accessible to Vuma customers across the provider's FTTH network.
This aligns with both companies' plans to meet customer demand for faster, higher capacity, and more stable internet connectivity.
"Vuma's investment in the testing and rollout of the new Huawei PON technology is future-proofing our network, which will allow us to enable much more capacity over the last mile fibre and increase speeds as our customers require - approximately 20 times faster than the current capabilities deployed," said Vuma's chief technology officer, Francois Swart.
Huawei Optical Business Product Line president Richard Jin shared Huawei's vision to make high-speed connectivity more accessible to people across the region at the Huawei Eco-Connect sub-Saharan Africa 2023 launch event.
"Fibre broadband will significantly promote innovation and employment for the country.
"However, the penetration rate of FBB in most African countries is much lower than the global average. This is both a challenge and an opportunity," Jin said.
According to Huawei Optical Business Product Line vice president Kim Jin, Huawei aimed to empower Africa with the best connectivity technology, making it easy for South Africans to access digital services of high quality.
"We've launched the best technology currently available in the African market with our top customer, Vuma, which speaks volumes to the values of innovation and empowerment through connectivity that Huawei and Vuma share.
"Through this partnership, our goal, much like Vuma's, is to support increased connectivity access to all South Africans, and to bridge the gap in access to high-quality digital services."
