National telecommunications service provider BitCo has released revised fibre broadband rates in a bid to future-proof small business in South Africa.

It’s no secret that fast, reliable Internet connectivity is a must for businesses big and small. However, until now premium uncapped fibre Internet has been a luxury that only medium to large companies can afford.

BitCo is levelling the playing field by making corporate-grade fibre connectivity and support available to small enterprises at affordable rates, according to BitCo’s head of marketing Greg Sellars and chief sales officer Michael Colin.

BitCo has made pricing adjustments to fibre packages ranging from 10Mbps to 150Mbps. Businesses can now access premium, uncapped, uncontended (1:1) 10Mbps fibre at only R2 995 per month. This is coupled with an SLA that guarantees 99% operational uptime.

Sellars comments: “Small businesses play a vital role in our country’s economy. In 2017, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) projected that SMMEs would contribute upwards of 60% to GDP over the next 10 -15 years.

“When you think about the competitive edge that cloud computing and storage alone offer, it’s not hard to imagine how this could be possible either. The problem, however, lies in the reliability of one’s Internet connection to make the most of these technologies.”

A recent report produced by Xero in partnership with World Wide Worx supports these claims. It states that 41% of small businesses reported connectivity problems in their workplace and that “more than a quarter of respondents claim that a better service would positively impact their business”.

BitCo’s goal is to lower the barrier to entry for business fibre and aid companies that still rely heavily on contended services or copper-based technology. In addition, BitCo has standardised dark fibre technology which offers the highest quality experience for customers with a seamless upgrade path from 10Mbps to 1Gbps.

“Start-ups and small businesses can confidently adopt cloud services, process automation and implement other real-time services (such as instant messaging), which rely on a consistent, high-speed Internet connection,” says Sellars.

All of BitCo’s Corporate Fibre Packages are uncapped, uncontended, synchronous, and uphold the ISP’s signature guarantee of 99% operational uptime. Speeds start at 10Mbps and go up to an astounding 1Gbps on either a 24 or 36-month contract.

Colin adds: “Our fibre services are fully customisable and can be tailored to suit individual needs. Each package includes one public IP address. We also plan to bundle our network security solutions, Virtual PBX offerings with our business fibre to offer a holistic solution to customers.”