With a pioneering spirit and a belief in the power of community, Herotel was founded in 2013, initiating a new age of South African connectivity. From the start, the company had a clear vision: to connect all South Africans to faster, more affordable internet.

Following the consolidation of 30 South African owner-operated businesses under the Herotel banner, the company quickly brought material change to the market. Today, Herotel is the largest fixed wireless internet service provider in South Africa, and the nation’s 3rd largest fibre network operator.

“When we started, South Africa’s connectivity infrastructure was largely inefficient copper or ADSL lines,” recalls Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha. “A functioning, modern democracy needs all citizens to have easy access to information, so it was clear to us that South Africa needed better connectivity.”

Connecting Communities

After studying the country’s connectivity crisis, Herotel started out as a wireless internet service provider (WISP), building and maintaining wireless towers and installing equipment for home and businesses. This was followed by a national fibre rollout in 2019, when fibre prices dropped and the technology became more affordable. Today Herotel operates as both an internet service provider (ISP) and fibre network operator (FNO).

“Our focus was really outside the metro areas of the country because major cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town already had a great deal of connectivity options,” Van Zyl reveals. “The rest of the country, but especially rural areas, had suffered from a lack of investment, which gave us an opportunity to start connecting people in these less-populated regions.”

What makes Herotel different is the way the networks were built. While the majority of fibre network operators trenched, Herotel looked for alternative methods to bring more affordable internet to end users. The answer was deploying aerial fibre between houses. It was the beginning of a relationship with smaller, more isolated communities that has seen Herotel become the nation’s largest fibre network outside the major metros.

“We have now extended our fibre network with wireless connectivity where there is lower housing density, such as on farms,” Van Zyl notes.

“When we bring connectivity to an area we do so with everyone in mind – not just those in the leafy suburbs.  We’re here to connect small businesses, rural communities, and families in lower-income areas too. Because everyone deserves the chance to learn, work, and thrive – no matter where they live.”

“When you connect 100% of a community like we do, it means that community can stay intact. People don’t have to move to cities, they can work remotely, and they can get access to education, entertainment, and healthcare. These are just some of the benefits of connectivity – benefits that we believe everyone should be able to enjoy.”

Secure and Competitive

Internet connectivity has become an essential service in everyday life and Herotel currently provides that service for more than 600,000 homes in more than 500 South African towns and cities. Herotel’s mission to connect South Africans doesn’t stop at homes and communities though – it extends into the country’s enterprises. Herotel Business is the division dedicated to delivering managed services that help organisations of all sizes stay connected, secure, and competitive in the digital age.

Beyond high-speed connectivity, Herotel Business provides end-to-end ICT solutions, including managed networks, cybersecurity, hosted voice, cloud services, and enterprise Wi-Fi. By offering these as managed services, businesses can focus on growth while Herotel Business ensures their digital infrastructure is resilient, efficient, and cost-effective.

Leveraging Herotel’s vertically integrated model as both a fibre network operator (FNO) and internet service provider (ISP), Herotel Business delivers a seamless experience with full accountability. From small retailers and professional firms to larger enterprises and institutions, clients benefit from enterprise-grade solutions backed by local support across South Africa.

In order to service its entire network effectively, Herotel employs around 1,500 people across 100 offices in South Africa. Rather than operating from a large, central hub, the business employs staff regionally so that network fixes can be performed quickly, directly, and in-person. It makes Herotel local, when customers have a problem or questions they can visit their closest office. This approach requires a dedicated team, determined to make a difference.

“Our work here is quite mission-driven, so we need people who want to be part of a company where they can have an impact,” Van Zyl states. “Our team is not just interested in doing a job – they want a lasting legacy.

“We hire people with the right attitude and ambition and then teach them the necessary skills at our Herotel Academy, which offers over 40 courses, from customer care to splicing fibre.”

Next Steps

As the company has grown, Herotel has attracted interest from across the country. In February 2022, South African fibre network operator Vumatel purchased a 45% non-controlling stake in the company. The investment enabled Herotel to grow its network, reaching more homes around the country. The network could be set to grow even further in 2025 following reports of Vumatel’s ambition to acquire Herotel in full.

“We are currently moving through a process with the South African Competition Commission, but it is likely that Vumatel will soon acquire 100% of Herotel,” Van Zyl affirms. “However, rural and low-income areas will remain a focus of our offering, and operationally, Herotel will remain intact.”

Just as Herotel will remain intact, so will the company’s mission to connect South Africa, providing all citizens with affordable, fast and reliable internet. Some of the next steps for the organisation are to provide its fibre services to 1 million South African homes, as well as further expanding its provision in business and industry.

Elsewhere, Herotel is embracing technologies like eSIM and Mobile Virtual Network Operation that allow for connectivity on the move. This will be accompanied by exploration of how better connectivity could benefit health and medicine within the country.

More than anything, at the very heart of Herotel’s vision for the future will be the company’s tireless efforts to bridge South Africa’s digital divide.

“If you look at South Africa, it’s almost a tale of two worlds,” Van Zyl says. “There are highly developed cities like Cape Town and there are far less developed rural areas that have never even had copper or ADSL connectivity – only expensive mobile data.

“In these less-developed areas of the country, our role is to educate people on the merits of fibre and find ways to facilitate its introduction. We have already launched prepaid cash vouchers to simplify payment for those with credit issues or monetary difficulties, and in some cases, customers have found fibre to be 100 times cheaper than their previous sim-based connection. We are not only connecting communities – we are saving them money.”

In a nation with limited government funding available for infrastructural investment, private sector businesses like Herotel are stepping up and finding innovative solutions that improve people’s quality of life. As the business continues to connect the country both digitally and physically, Herotel is leaving no South African behind.

“We recently founded a non-profit called DigitalVillage that creates Wi-Fi hotspots in communities that simply cannot afford personal connectivity,” Van Zyl comments. “These hotspots provide a limited amount of free data each day, allowing people to send a CV or simply message a loved one. Supporting those without means is one of best things we can do to bridge the digital divide.”