These days, it goes without saying, that modern South African businesses need a reliable business fibre internet connection to thrive - it’s no longer an option. A limited or slow internet connection is one of the most time consuming problems a business can struggle with, affecting everything from the communication between you and your customers to the work efficiency of your team.
A fast and reliable internet connection not only assists business functionality, but ensures you are able to meet customer expectations and deadlines.
When it comes to choosing a business fibre service provider, the market-leading Vox Fibre infrastructure is hands-down a firm South African favourite, promising high-speed bandwidth and capacity at prices that are fair.
That being said, it's sometimes confusing to business owners to understand why the estimated fibre installation lead time can vary based on the location of their building (Off-Net Building, On-Net Building or Preferred & Connected Building), as well as many other external factors which are outside the control of Vox or the Network Operators.
These factors include, but are not limited to:
- Obtaining approvals from municipalities, roads agencies, utility providers, other network operators, private landowners and landlords.
- Construction delays due to inclement weather conditions.
Lets' go through the meaning of each building category and their respective fibre installation lead times:
- Off-Net Buildings - Where fibre does not yet exist in the area.
In this instance, the FNO (Fibre Network Owner) needs to build the necessary fibre infrastructure in the area and then install a POP (point of presence) in the building. Once this has been done, the fibre cable needs to be pulled from the street into the building. Expect installations at Off-Net Buildings to take between 6-9 months.*On-Net Buildings - Where fibre already exists in the area.In this case, the Fibre Network Owner needs to pull the fibre cable from the street into the building.The installation lead time for On-Net Buildings is 4-6 months.
*Preferred & Connected Buildings - Where fibre also already exists in the building.In this example, since fibre infrastructure already exists inside the building, the installation lead time is 4-8 weeks.
Sign up online for a fibre-to-the-business internet connection here: https://www.uncappedfibre.co.za/businessfibre.
A financial feasibility study will then be conducted to ensure that Vox can efficiently deliver the fibre connection to your building. Vox will take into account the cost they'll incur to deliver a FTTB service to your premises versus the actual cost of the fibre package. If the package value cost is higher than the implementation cost, then your application should be feasible. A Vox agent will then create a project planning document, mapping out the optimal routing for the fibre optic cable and placement of the sockets within your premises.
In this step, Vox technicians will meet with you at your property to physically install the fibre connection. This is when the Customer Premise Equipment gets installed. This will be installed in a server cabinet that should already be onsite. Should there not be a server cabinet onsite, the install will be delayed until one is installed. The Vox technicians will utilize the project planning document that maps out the optimal routing for the fibre optic cable and placement of the sockets within your premises.
At this stage, Vox will conduct several technical tests to ensure that your fibre is stable and working perfectly. Testing usually lasts 2 days. Vox will also provide you with all the support details that you might require should you have any queries or questions.
