Will they make use of their own network?

Yes.

ATC is not planning to make use of existing first tier ISP (Internet Service Provider) networks. They are building a tier one network of their own. All this means, without going into much of the details, is that ATC will be in the position to offer affordable ADSL Broadband and other telecoms services, not only to us Average Joes, but to reseller ISPs (Internet Service Providers). Reseller ISPs basically buy bandwidth from first tier ISPs and resell it at a mark-up to consumers. It’s no secret after all that Altech went to Court in 2008 to force the review of ICASA’s licensing process and won. This cleared the way for many Value Added Service Providers (VANs) such as Altech to build networks of their own.

In other words, ATC is building a tier one network of their own. This means they will not be dependent on the likes of Telkom, Internet Solutions (IS) and MTN once their network is up and running.

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) welcomes ATC’s plans, not only to enter the SME and consumer markets, but to build a first tier network of their own. This should help a great deal to level the telecoms playing field in South Africa, especially in terms of affordable high quality telecoms services.