Internet connectivity is seen as a human right by some countries, while others are struggling to get their citizens connected. South Africa has been making large strides in connecting rural areas, as well as townships in metro areas, but there is still a long way to go. To that end, three sisters have launched an internet service provider to make connectivity more accessible in South African townships, Lokshin WiFi.
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Launched by sisters Kholeka, Tobeka, and Bongeka Lwana on 12 August 2022, Lokshin WiFi is a low-cost wireless internet service provider (WISP) aimed at getting people connected in underserved areas like townships. WISPs are Internet service providers offering subscribers a point-to-point wireless connection to the internet, usually over a technology that uses unlicensed radio frequency spectrum like Wi-Fi.
“We are making technology easily accessible to this audience, where it was previously inaccessible,” Kholeka Lwana said in an interview. She added that mobile users could buy Wi-Fi access passwords for educational, skills development, and ecommerce purposes.
Lokshin WiFi uses FibrePoynt’s cloud-based platform and solar-powered network infrastructure to provide low-cost Internet connectivity to consumers and small businesses. FibrePoynt is a fixed wireless broadband provider, which also aims to increase access to the internet in townships and semirural communities in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
“This is especially helpful for students who need to study for exams or do their homework, and for entrepreneurs to keep businesses running,” Kholeka Lwana said of Lokshin WiFi. “The choice of our current location in Olievenhoutbosch [in Centurion] is based on this, and our partners, Bellaggiotech, have an established footprint in Cosmo City, and we took learnings from Cosmo City.”
Another player in this market is eKasi Fibre, which runs on a prepaid model. It launched earlier in 2022 in Umlazi in KZN, South Africa’s fourth largest township.
