71 / 172
71
Telkom Integrated Report 2017
Productive
capital
Openserve is investing
for future growth
Our investment to
modernise the network,
by covering multiple
fibre connection points
to homes, businesses,
cabinets and base stations,
continued to ensure that
we maintain and grow
our market share in the
fibre market. We made
significant inroads in our
strategy to modernise our
network, having passed
more than 2.2 million
premises with fibre. This
was underpinned by
an increase in capital
investment, improved
efficiencies in network
roll-out and more
streamlined processes.
We continue to lead in
the fibre market, providing
high-speed next-generation
broadband access with
over 149 000 kilometres
of fibre deployed.
The number of homes passed
with fibre (FTTH) increased by
169.7 percent to 219 825 homes,
as we improved our deployment
approach and focused on gated
communities and key suburbs.
Of this, 40 627 homes benefited
from our accelerated refreshing
programme. This translates to a
connectivity rate of 18 percent
(FY2016: 10 percent). Our
connectivity rate was higher this
year, at approximately
23.4 percent, reflecting our
increased efforts to commercialise
our network. This was also
supported by an extension of our
fibre resellers, which increased
to 144.
We increased the number of
fibre end-point connections to
businesses to 52 755. This allowed
us to provide multiple services
with high-speed links to major
corporates in South Africa, catering
for their major site requirements
as well as lower-speed fibre-based
metro ethernet links, for the branch
connectivity.
This sound performance was driven
by a significant demand and uptake
in fibre solutions as customers
increasingly see fibre as a cost-
effective, high-bandwidth medium
that fulfils their current and
future needs.
We increased the number of
fibre links to base stations to
5 928, which provides services to
mobile players. Our pricing and
engagement strategy continued
to make headway in reducing
self-provisioning, resulting in
an increase in orders from our
customers. The strategy stimulates
growth in our megaline circuits and
other products that service the
requirements of our clients at the
base stations.
While we drive the fibre rollout,
we continue to see a market need
for using our existing network,
enabling access to internet at the
required speeds. To this end, we
have seen an increase in fibre to
the cabinet by 37.2 percent to
approximately 2 million.
Customer experience remains a top
priority to us. With our internal big
data analytics services, we are able
to accurately predict problems and
have better access to information
that allows us to have a more
proactive approach to managing
our network. Several initiatives
underpin this drive, which include
the implementation of the digital
technician concept, improving
our dispatching methodology
and ensuring quality productivity.
The aim is to improve customer
satisfaction and improve internal
efficiencies by driving the first-
time-right principle. We will
continue to improve our fulfilling
and assurance processes.