DFA invests $43M in infrastructure upgradesDFA invests $43M in infrastructure upgrades

Fiber infrastructure provider Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) has invested R800 million (US$43 million) to improve its network infrastructure in South Africa.

The company said the upgrades include improved fiber Internet line speeds and greater capacity on its network, which spans 15,000km throughout the country.

DFA, part of the Maziv Group, provides nationwide connectivity and backhaul services to mobile operators, data centers, Internet service providers and public sector institutions.

The company said this investment follows Maziv's R400 million ($21 million) Dry Underground Distribution Cabinet (DUDC) network enhancement project, launched in August 2023, which focused on stabilizing DFA's network infrastructure.

DFA added that the network investment had already delivered measurable results, including a 40% improvement in new circuit delivery times and a 100% improvement in mean time to repair (MTTR) where the new architecture is operational.

"We have improved the average number of new circuits delivered from 800 to 1,500 per month. In one month, we delivered nearly 2,000 new connections – a record for us," said Maziv CTO Andreas Uys.

Uys added that the company is enabling higher line speeds and increasing available capacity to meet the changing needs of its customers.

Related:SA Competition Tribunal prohibits Vodacom-Maziv deal

He said the new architecture is supported by a recently consolidated project management office (PMO) and the company is focused on reducing delivery times while driving high-quality service.

"We could potentially deliver fiber connectivity to buildings already on our network within 14 days, and to non-connected buildings within 55 days. These upgrades and changes in our PMO are critical to meeting the increasing demand for fast, stable Internet services," Uys continued.

DFA addresses customer concerns

In late 2022, DFA said it encountered customer complaints regarding network instability and slower service delivery.

Maziv COO Dewald Booysen said that the company has made improvements to enhance its customer experience.

"We've worked tirelessly to address these challenges, and our network upgrades have vastly improved resilience and diversity in the network," Booysen continued.

Maziv CTO Andreas Uys. (Source: Maziv)

Booysen noted that maintaining a national network of over 15,000km can be challenging, with unforeseeable circumstances – such as third-party construction damage, vandalism, copper theft, severe weather and other environmental factors − more than doubling in the past two years.

"We are seeing consistent and predictable improvements month on month, and we have drastically improved the time taken to repair customer faults while simultaneously delivering new circuits, conducting ongoing maintenance, and deploying new network architecture," Booysen explained.

Maziv in the news

DFA's holding company Maziv Group, which is owned by Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), has recently been in the news.

It all started in November 2021 when telecom operator Vodacom said it planned to make a strategic investment in CIVH, worth about $875 million at the time.

Vodacom planned to buy a 30% stake in CIVH's fiber assets but regulatory pitfalls have made it difficult for the companies to continue with the deal.

CIVH owns Vumatel and DFA, which merged and rebranded as MAZIV in September 2022.

On October 29, 2024, news broke that South Africa's Competition Tribunal had decided to prohibit the planned deal between Vodacom and Maziv.

That announcement led to the Minister of South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), Parks Tau, filing an appeal against the Competition Tribunal's decision to block the deal.

SA's Competition Commission had also previously recommended prohibiting the merger, citing concerns that it could substantially prevent or lessen competition in several markets.

Maziv recently appointed Phila Dube as its group chief commercial officer.