Herotel hits 250,000 fixed broadband connections

Article was originally published on MyBroadband by Jan Vermeulen

Herotel has announced that it reached a significant milestone, connecting over 250,000 homes and businesses across South Africa with fixed broadband.

A substantial proportion of these customers are connected to Herotel’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network.

The company said it is now firmly established as one of South Africa’s top broadband providers, ranking as the third-largest fibre network operator with over 585,000 homes and businesses passed.

It is also the sixth-largest FTTH Internet service provider with over 190,000 customers and the largest unlicensed spectrum fixed-wireless network with over 2,500 masts and towers and over 60,000 customers.

“The majority of our growth has come from previously underserved areas and townships, where we have rapidly expanded our footprint,” Herotel said.

“In these ‘Kasi’ areas, we have built fibre to over 340,000 stands in the last 18 months and achieved a 21% take-up rate.”

Herotel said that it has connected some of the most remote and underserved communities in South Africa.

In traditional towns and cities, Herotel said it has built fibre to over 245,000 stands and achieved a take-up rate of over 50% — which it noted is well above the national market average.

“Our impact is not just about numbers; it is about empowering over a million South Africans to access the opportunities the Internet provides,” said Herotel.

“We are proud to be playing such a significant role in bridging the digital divide, and particularly in underserved areas and townships across the country.”

Herotel said that one of the key drivers behind this success was its prepaid fibre offering.

This offers customers fibre broadband from R99 for one week of uncapped 20Mbps access.

Prepaid subscribers can manage their accounts without being tied to long-term contracts.

“Some of our users in Kasi areas are consuming over 1,000 GB of data per month, at an incredibly low cost of just 50 cents per GB,” Herotel said.

“Compared to the R50 per GB typically charged on some mobile networks, that is 100 times cheaper. This shows how all South Africans need uncapped connectivity.”

Herotel said it was onboarding approximately 10,000 new customers each month across all markets, reflecting the strong demand for affordable, high-quality, uncapped Internet.

“This rapid growth is backed by our robust infrastructure and the dedicated expertise of the Herotel team,” the company said.

“We have drawn together operational talent from over thirty smaller ISPs, bringing together local expertise and industry veterans who understand the nuances of running high-performance networks.”

Herotel said it has offices in more than 80 towns across South Africa and is truly rooted in the communities it serves.

“Beyond our commercial offerings, we are also committed to giving back,” it said.

“Through our Digital Village initiative, a non-profit organisation, we have connected many hotspots along the South Coast, and we’re in the process of expanding to other regions.”

Herotel said it had provided free or heavily subsidised Internet access to over 3,900 unique users over the last three months.

Additionally, it provides free Internet to 230 NGOs, clinics, and other community hubs, with 130 of these sites specifically helping schools.