While high-speed fibre internet unleashes unimaginable possibilities and drives digital transformation, an interesting irony is that an almost-unlimited potential in cloud computing, Internet of Things and automation, are powered by cables that are worthless if broken or handled incorrectly.
What makes the irony even more stark is that if one considers old technology, such as copper cables, it is the other way around. While the cables may be worth something, the internet they enable is not worth much in 2022.
“Copper as a commodity has intrinsic value,” says Tanya Lourens, Regional Executive for Zoom Fibre in Saldanha Bay municipal area. “While the cable itself is worth something, its limitations as a means of transmitting connectivity mean that it simply cannot stand in a modern world where speed, cloud computing and all sorts of technologies depend on near-instant transmission of information. It’s as if the value in the old paradigm was in the ground, whereas today, no doubt the value of fibre is in the cloud because the actual cables are worthless outside of their primary use – that is, transmitting connectivity in a carefully designed network.
“When the internet started, copper was the only technology available. It worked by sending electrical signals along the copper cables from one location to another. It then stands to reason why there was such limited bandwidth and slow connection speeds. It was a physical electrical impulse travelling hundreds or thousands of kilometres.
“Fibre on the other hand works very differently. Pulses of infrared light are beamed through optical fibre. Optical fibres are transparent fibres made from a type of glass or plastic that are only slightly wider than a human hair. These fibres are used to transmit light between two ends or locations. The bandwidth of many of these fibres enables hyperfast, long distance transmission of data, such as voice, video and much more, with very little latency.”
Lourens adds that this is why fibre has been the foundation of the Saldanha Bay Municipality’s (SBM) Baobab Smart City project, which also includes Amoeba TSC and Zoom Fibre.
Lourens adds that in the old days linking up or joining copper cables was a far easier job than doing the same with fibre, which requires highly specialised skills to cleave the fibres and precisely line up the fibre cores as well as the coupling of these cores.
“This means that if you walked up to me in the street and gave me fibre, it would be totally worthless, and I’d throw it away,” she says.
“Yet, as part of a smart city fibre network it is invaluable in the connectivity and digital inclusion it brings to communities. Even wireless or mobile internet all have fibre connections in their backhaul.”
Zoom Fibre has built a head office in Vredenburg to ensure that the laying and maintenance of the fibre network that underpins the Smart City – the first of its kind in South Africa – is optimised and runs efficiently and effectively.
“Of course there are teething issues,” Lourens says, “but as time goes on communities will discover quite literally that the sky’s the limit with what is possible!”
Speaking of skies, Zoom Fibre is powering the Saldanha Bay Airshow, its main sponsor, which Lourens says was an easy decision to make.
“We are invested in this area, and while it is our mission to bring fast, reliable internet, we also think it is important to enable events that bring the community together to have fun and socialise, and be treated to entertainment. I might add that the internet on our fibre is faster than any of the jets on display.”
Lourens wishes the community a wonderful time out with their families.
