Herotel, which brought free Wi-FI to the city of Tshwane, is now targeting to bring affordable internet to all South Africans.
To fast track its vision of Everyone Connected, the company founded by Alan Knott-Craig Jr is consolidating its fibre assets and wireless internet service provider brands under the Herotel name, with a fresh national trademark.
Founded in 2014 with the stated goal of providing a single national fibre and wireless broadband provider that can better service South Africa’s growing internet connectivity needs, Herotel currently services around 83 000 home and business internet users.
Operating in over 400 towns, Herotel claims are at the forefront of building, selling and maintaining its own next-generation fibre and fixed-wireless networks across the country, which requires servicing areas that many other industry players have not been able to reach.
“We are very happy to let our competitors fight it out in Sandton and Sea Point while we quietly build fibre and wireless networks in the more underserviced areas,” Herotel CEO, Van Zyl Botha, says.
Herotel has conquered larger towns like Potchefstroom, Worcester, Port Elizabeth, Klerksdorp, and East London, as well as rural towns that others would never consider, like Queenstown, Cradock, Lichtenburg, and Wolmaransstad.
“Our operators all live in the towns we connect, so if your home internet is down it is also down at our staff’s homes. We are woven into the communities we connect and will continue to invest into and serve them to the best of our abilities,” explains Botha.
“We believe that our current scale will allow us to play a meaningful role in correcting the connectivity imbalances that currently exist in these areas,” he said.
“As we grow, we are open to further acquisitions that bring new geographic areas or fresh skills into the group. Ultimately, our aim is to offer unrivalled customer satisfaction to our home and business clients, who rely on us for their video, data and voice solutions and services.”
While the consolidation and rebranding phase of Herotel’s vision is now well underway, Van Zyl ensures everyone that this is just the beginning.
“We at Herotel are in this for the long run. To prove this commitment, we will continue to roll out fibre and fixed-wireless networks in very remote areas, while also heavily investing long-term capital into establishing fibre infrastructure in the denser towns across South Africa.
“Ultimately, we remain devoted to playing a significant role in providing all South Africans with excellent, affordable internet.
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Over the last five years, Herotel has been quietly acquiring over 40 owner-operated businesses, which until now remained trading under their original brands, says Botha.
“The plan has always been to unite these companies into a single national entity, which can then use its scale to bring about meaningful change to an industry that desperately needs a shake-up.”
As part of its acquisition campaign, Herotel also focused on software platforms, voice providers, and fibre networks.
“By putting all these pieces together, it brings us closer to our vision: Everyone connected. It is the next step in our journey to bring excellent, affordable internet to all.”
