How Fiberitime is enabling connectivity in townships Fibertime CEO, Alan Knott-Craig
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Take a walk through the townships of Cape Town, and you’ll notice splashes of yellow and blue on walls, poles and buildings. While the colour scheme might evoke thoughts of Ukraine’s flag, here it signifies something different: a quiet but powerful technology revolution that’s transforming underserved communities—one household at a time.
The fibre provider of this digital development in township is Fibertime, an entity that is led by South African tech entrepreneur Alan Knott-Craig. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Knott-Craig has been at the forefront of digital connectivity efforts in South Africa for years.
His first bold move was as CEO of Mxit, once South Africa’s favourite mobile social network. Back then, he partnered with the late Conrad Sidego (mayor of Stellenbosch at the time) and Stellenbosch University to turn the town into the country’s first connected municipality. That effort fell short—but it planted a seed.
Next came Project Isizwe, a non-profit that brought free Wi-Fi to parts of Tshwane. Residents may remember TshWi-Fi, another Knott-Craig initiative designed to expand digital access in public spaces. That effort, too, had its limitations—but Knott-Craig’s philosophy has remained steady: if something doesn’t work, learn, adapt and try again.
That persistence led to Fibertime.
Today, the company provides high-speed internet to more than 158,000 homes across 30 townships in six cities and five provinces. And unlike many of South Africa’s connectivity providers, Fibertime is unapologetically focused on townships.
Innovation by Design
The company is one of the rare tech players betting big on townships—a demographic often overlooked by the innovation economy. Knott-Craig draws inspiration from Capitec founder Michiel le Roux, who built a bank around the needs of township residents. Similarly, Fibertime aims to become the “Capitec or Pep of tech”—affordable, accessible and designed for everyday people.
The company’s business model is as radical as it is simple: unlimited, unthrottled fibre-to-the-home at R5 a day. In many cases, customers experience speeds of up to 950Mbps. With a single service set identifier (SSID) across neighbourhoods, users remain connected while walking through their township—offering a mobile-like experience, but faster and cheaper.
This isn’t just a connectivity play—it’s a vision born of a deeply personal moment. Knott-Craig recalls watching his two-year-old daughter play on a tablet at their home in Stellenbosch back in 2010.
“She was surrounded by books, playing and learning at the same time,” he says. “Then I thought of Kayamandi, just down the road—where kids had none of this digital access. It didn’t sit right with me.”
That moment sparked a mission. Today, Kayamandi stands as a living case study for Fibertime’s impact. Access to digital tools has to an extent helped close the education gap and introduced residents to the digital economy. Local forums light up when the service goes down—a sign of both demand and dependence.
Community-Powered Connectivity
Of course, working in township environments comes with real challenges—from infrastructure gaps to social complexity. Fibertime has tackled these by partnering closely with communities themselves. Residents are involved in maintenance, sales and customer service—creating both jobs and trust.
While not immune to technical issues, the company has built enough goodwill to maintain its momentum. And the model is proving scalable. Knott-Craig had just returned from Brazil when we spoke—exploring international markets with similar dynamics.
“The conditions are familiar,” he says. “We see potential in Botswana, Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Mexico. But first, we finish connecting South Africa.”
Fibertime may not be a household name—yet—but in township streets painted yellow and blue, a revolution is unfolding. And it’s just getting started.