The launch of LTE-A by Internet Solutions has been a resounding success.<\/p>\n
This is according to Greg Montjoie, head of LTE-A and Mobility at Internet Solutions.<\/p>\n
Montjoie, who is behind the launch of Rain\u2019s fixed LTE-A products, told MyBroadband the service and experience around the service have been great.<\/p>\n
Consumers have enjoyed the shift in approach to broadband services, and it has helped satisfy\u00a0pent up demand for fibre services<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the launch of our LTE-A offering, users have access to an alternative option which is fast and accessible,\u201d said Montjoie.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fast and more accessible than waiting for fibre-to-the-home.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Rain\u2019s LTE-A network has disrupted a traditional stronghold in the South African market, loosening the grip that established telcos have had with fixed-mobile broadband.<\/p>\n
Montjoie said the continued rollout and penetration of fibre services, and the hype and excitement about FTTH, was one of the biggest developments in the local broadband market this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also starting to see enterprises and corporates leveraging broadband mediums to augment their existing network services,\u201d said Montjoie.<\/p>\n
Another big development was Internet Solutions\u2019 launch of CloudWAN, a Software Defined Wide Area Network service.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompanies are now able to access the best of both worlds \u2013 a traditional WAN service network, but with the improved user experience that comes with high-speed broadband Internet access,\u201d said Montjoie.<\/p>\n
Montjoie said South Africa is finally reaching a point where broadband costs are approaching parity with costs abroad.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, a 25MB connection in New York costs $40. We\u2019re not far off that level of affordability now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Africa has made massive headway in the last few years, with price points dropping significantly, although we obviously look forward to them dropping even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montjoie predicts that we will also continue to see the growth of video streaming.<\/p>\n
This will be fueled by offerings like Cell C Black entering the market, along with zero-rated video offerings from MTN and Telkom.<\/p>\n
2018 will also be the year we start to see the value the Internet of Things can offer South Africans, with higher accessibility and lower price points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe anticipate the local market to follow North America\u2019s lead \u2013 with services like Amazon Echo,\u201d said Montjoie.<\/p>\n