Huawei and Broadband Infraco Are Powering South Africa’s New Digital Highway

Across South Africa, millions still struggle to get online, limiting access to education, jobs, healthcare, and opportunity. As the government accelerates its SA Connect broadband strategy, Huawei and state-owned Broadband Infraco (BBI) are playing a pivotal role in extending high-speed connectivity to underserved communities—bringing the digital future closer for young people like Godfrey from Diepsloot, Gauteng.

Godfrey, the main breadwinner in his household, dreams of becoming a barista. But without stable home broadband and with mobile data costs too high, simple online tasks become major hurdles. Most days, he drafts job applications offline and walks over a kilometer to find free mall Wi-Fi. His struggle reflects the reality of many South Africans left behind by the digital divide.

To address this challenge, SA Connect aims to deliver affordable, reliable, high-capacity broadband to every citizen by 2030. Supporting this mission, Broadband Infraco—with Huawei as a strategic technology partner—is deploying an intelligent all-optical backbone network using next-generation Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) technology. This enables 800G ultra-high-capacity wavelengths capable of transporting massive data volumes between cities, unlocking transformative applications in healthcare, education, e-commerce, and e-government.

Through BBI’s backbone and partnerships with local ISPs, more than 13,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots and over 2 million homes in rural and underserved regions have already been connected. Local ISP leader Nomso Kana notes that stable broadband is boosting employment, enabling remote work, and helping small businesses access new markets.

By 2030, SA Connect’s all-optical infrastructure will span all nine provinces and reach the borders of six neighboring countries, strengthening regional digital integration across the SADC region.

As BBI CEO Gift Zowa emphasizes, this initiative is building one of South Africa’s most advanced national broadband networks—ensuring every citizen can participate equally in the digital economy and the opportunities of a connected future.