Mar 1, 2023

MetroFibre announces major speed upgrades

MetroFibre Networx has announced a major overhaul of its line speeds on its FTTH fibre packages as part of its drive to make quality fibre internet access and real fibre speeds as ubiquitous and accessible as possible for all South Africans. The scale and value derived on these speed upgrades by fibre consumers are unprecedented in the market, giving South Africans an unrivalled edge in connectivity, not only in terms of line speeds, but also in the rapidly growing numbers of devices that are connected to home networks at any one time.

Existing MetroFibre direct FTTH 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps customers will enjoy a massive ‘5x Up’ on their current speeds at no extra charge, in addition to significant price cuts for customers on its 500Mbps and 1Gig packages.  MetroFibre will roll out these line speeds and upgrades to existing loyal customers first, with further major announcements for new customers coming towards the end of March 2023.  On its open access network, ISP and Reseller customers will also be receiving upgrades and price reductions on a number of packages.

MetroFibre will also build out on its existing time-based, pay-as-you-go MetroConnect 20Mbps product offering for emerging markets, rolling out nationally in underserved areas where fibre has traditionally been out of reach and consumers have been reliant on costly mobile data.

MetroFibre’s line speed overhaul looks like this:

For existing MetroFibre Direct Customers

  • 20Mbps customers – no change to this affordable and effective entry level solution.
  • 50Mbps customers will be upgraded to 250 Mbps at no extra charge (effective 1 March).
  • 100Mbps customers will be upgraded to 500 Mbps at no extra charge (effective 1 March).
  • 200 Mbps customers were upgraded to 1G with a new router at no extra charge from 1 Feb 2023.
  • 500 Mbps customers were upgraded to 1G with a new router at no extra charge, and the monthly subscription fee reduced to R1240, a saving of R410 - effective from 1 Feb 2023.
  • 1G/250Mbps customers were upgraded to 1G/500Mbps with a new router at no extra charge, and the monthly subscription fee reduced to R1240, a saving of R710 per month - this was effective 1 Feb 2023.

For ISP Customers

  • All Existing 200Mbps ISP customers were upgraded to 400Mbps at the current price, effective 1 Feb 2023. The 200Mbps product has been discontinued as of 1 Feb.
  • ISPs have the option to upgrade their 50Mbps and 100 Mbps customers to 400Mbps at their current subscription price, which is valid until 31 May.
  • 1Gbps pricing will decrease dramatically, with effect 1 March.

For Reseller Customers

  • Pricing on the 1 Gbps and 500Mbps packages will be reduced, with effect 1 March.
  • 50Mbps, 100Mbps and 200Mbps customers will enjoy a 500Mbps burst package at their current subscription price for two months for them to experience real fibre speed, until 30 April 2023. From 1 May, we will have a compelling offer for these customers still to be announced.

“MetroFibre’s upgrade to faster line speeds will provide significant benefit for customers, especially those who were on the standard 50Mbps and 100Mbps speeds.  This overhaul brings real fibre speeds to customers at a cost and quality that is unrivalled in the market.  Connectivity has become as important as household utilities such as electricity and water and is fundamental to so many aspects of daily living – remote work, online meetings, security, cloud computing, transacting, education and learning, entertainment, streaming, gaming and more.  Fibre is the best value for money and quality, with uncapped solutions to meet the needs of every family member at home. It’s the ultimate solution to costly mobile data, providing speeds that are simply not achievable by LTE/5G. While mobile data has its place for connectivity needs on-the-go, it is impractical and expensive in meeting the increasingly data-intensive needs of home users with multiple devices for the whole family,” explains Jan-Jan Bezuidenhout, CEO of MetroFibre Networx.

“The reality is that our lives have changed dramatically over the last three years and having quality fibre connectivity at home that can handle our data-intensive lifestyles, at an affordable price, is crucial.  The quality and speed of the FTTH connections needed by our customers is a big driver in the review of our packages. While pricing is always important, this is about bringing real fibre speeds and value to our customers. Our FTTH users need a more robust, faster line speed at home backed by great service and support, and that can accommodate the multiple devices of entire family units that connect simultaneously,” adds Jan-Jan.

“A tech-enabled future is the only way to achieve greater economic and social inclusion for all South Africans. Real fibre speeds, quality and reliability of connectivity are fundamental to future proofing our homes and lives in a rapidly changing world of work, learning and entertainment as we embrace the 4th Industrial revolution,” concludes Jan-Jan.

Launched in 2010, MetroFibre ranks among the top three fibre network operators in South Africa in terms of number of homes passed, with its open-access network currently passing over 440,000 homes with 126 000 homes connected in five provinces across South Africa. The diversified fibre network operator aims to densify its existing networks to reach an additional 500,000 residential homes across the country by 2025. MetroFibre owns and manages its core network which is a globally compliant Carrier Ethernet 3.0 open access network.