Vox Telecom has announced the first significant investment in its own fibre infrastructure, with the acquisition of Internet services company Frogfoot Networks.
The acquisition will see Vox Telecom fast-tracking its own fibre strategy by leveraging the existing skills, processes and installed fibre network of Frogfoot Networks.
“When we started the rollout of our own fibre network, we knew it was critical to be as aggressive as we could, to capitalise on the market opportunity, but were always aware that at some point, we would need to find a larger company to partner with,” says Abraham van der Merwe, MD of Frogfoot Networks.
“Vox Telecom was a natural choice for us, and not only shared our growth ambitions, but also customer service requirements.”
According to Jacques du Toit, CEO of Vox Telecom, customers are tired of best-effort services like ADSL and contended wireless infrastructure, this coupled with increasingly bandwidth demanding applications, and a more mature market, makes fibre the number one last mile access medium.
“This partnership puts Vox Telecom in the fibre game, in a significant way. It’s an exciting time for our business,” adds Du Toit.
Frogfoot Networks will operate as a separate entity within Vox Telecom’s carrier and connectivity division, providing services to the group’s customers, in addition to wholesale services to the market.
“By operating as a separate entity, we are creating and enabling open access play, which we believe is critical for the future of the business,” says Shane Chorley, executive head: carrier and connectivity at Vox Telecom.
“We are privileged to have the management team of Frogfoot Networks committed to the business of the future. We could not have concluded this transaction without their long term commitment,” Du Toit adds.
The acquisition is Vox Telecoms’ fifth in the last 12 months.