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High Speed Internet Communication and Poll

By November 1, 2016October 23rd, 2017NRPA Notification

Broadband Fibre Communication and Poll

[yop_poll id=”1″]

There has been much talk in recent months about fast internet becoming available in Noordhoek.  During our Vision 2030 engagement, high speed internet access emerged as one of the fundamental enablers of opportunity for our community and digital convenience in the home, including alternative entertainment options.  To this end the NRPA has, with the assistance a few of our residents, investigated some of the options.  Herewith a summary of our findings:

While fibre is not the only option that will provide a high speed internet service to the home, it appears to be the preferred choice for home and business connections in urban areas.

Wireless solutions are available but have their own set of considerations to overcome such as the need for high sites, no obstacles between receivers and transmitters and / or towers, depending on the technology.

Wireless internet over microwave frequency is already available in Noordhoek.  Some residents subscribe to it and our neighbourhood watch camera system makes use of this technology and service.

3G or LTE is the cellular-based service which requires the necessary tower infrastructure.

A Fibre “backbone” infrastructure (known as a ring) has been laid along the main routes of Noordhoek by two infrastructure providers as far as we know.  Indications are that they will come into mainstream service during the course of 2017.

The people who make home connections with fibre a reality are the various re-sellers who rent capacity on the ring and lay the fibre from the ring to each subscribing home.  Internet service providers then offer broadband packages to us, the end consumer, using this infrastructure.

As fibre to the home is proliferated, the current wireless provider(s) are likely to switch at least some of their customers over to fibre, especially in the areas where line of sight access to the wireless transmitters is difficult.

The service providers will be motivated to “light up” an area where there is a good business case to do so (i.e. sufficient demand) .  Therefore the NRPA has decided to poll the level of interest for high speed internet in Noordhoek and use this information to lobby the known providers to prioritise connectinons in our area.  We remain agnostic as to who the provider(s) will be, but hope to facilitate the provision of a choice of packages for Noordhoek based on speed to market, service offer and value.

The cost of packages range from around R700 per month for a 10MB line upwards, depending on speed and capping.  4MB options are also available from around R400-R500 per month.  Fibre to the home will involve trenching and, potentially, changes to your line conduit to accommodate the fibre.  The wireless options will require a special antenna or mini dish to be installed on a high point of your property with cabling to the router in your house.

To register your interest (with absolutely no obligation), please complete the simple poll at the top of this article or send an email to treasurer@nrpa.org.za.

With thanks

NRPA Exco and Support

Join the discussion 5 Comments

  • Peter Cole says:

    306 Melkhout Crescent, de Goedehoop Estate, Noordhoek

  • Rob Glenister says:

    The sooner the better.

  • Zoe says:

    Very keen on improving our upload speeds, we currently are using a 12MG capped line to try and improve our speeds but they really aren’t great, and being in Sleepy Hollow we don’t get 3G or LTE just Edge, so using our mobiles as hot spots when everything is slow isn’t an option unless we move up to the Farm Stall area where we are able to get good speeds again on our mobile service providers.

  • Hendrik says:

    Hallo,

    Any news/progression on the fibre issue?

    Noordhoek is now really lagging behind other similar areas in terms of IT infrastructure.

  • Stephen Cruickshank says:

    We are engaging with the providers, including contacts in Telkom, but there is a dependency on getting the base infrastructure established and connected in the area. We have expressed our interest and take-up potential and will continue to follow up. In the meantime, try the microwave wireless internet providers such as Wibernet http://www.wibersolutions.co.za who offer good coverage in the area.