Internet speed to go through roof and down drain
Fast internet is, well, going down the drain in Cape Town. The city council has approved the use of its stormwater drains and sewers for the roll-out of fibre optic cables.Technology company Link Africa is undertaking similar work in Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria.In a deal approved by Cape Town councillors last week the company will rent drains and sewers for 15 years.Company spokesman Craig Carthy said: "[Internet speed] will go through the roof."The first fibre would be installed in Constantia, Bergvliet and Tokai."The idea is to move closer to the CBD and also into the formerly disadvantaged areas like Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha," he said. The company's philosophy was to "put infrastructure down" that could be used by everybody."Our customers get 100 megabits per second, which is really, really fast, for R900 a month," he said.Xanthia Limberg, the city's mayoral committee member for corporate services, said using drains and sewers for cables would reduce the need for open trenching on roads and pavements."The city is working with many service providers to extend the availability of good telecommunications infrastructure," she said...
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