Connectivity. Redefined

An SLA (Service Level Agreement) is the service commitment (for example uptime, response time, and resolution targets). MTTR (Mean Time to Repair/Restore) is the average time it takes to restore service after a fault.

SLA sets expectations and accountability, while MTTR reflects how quickly operations recover from outages. Together they indicate downtime exposure and help quantify business impact on productivity, customer experience, and revenue risk.

We check fibre first. Where fibre is not feasible, we assess licensed microwave, then fixed wireless (FWA / Fixed 5G), then LTE/5G, with LEO satellite as the last resort. For temporary or mobile sites we lead with LTE/5G because it deploys fastest.

Yes. Because we are carrier-agnostic, we can pair links from different carriers and different media, such as fibre with microwave or LTE, so a single network outage does not become your outage.

Log a ticket with our support centre at support@firstnet.co.za or via the support portal. Our NOC liaises with the underlying carrier on your behalf, and escalations run through your Service Manager.

Yes. We hand off Ethernet from our managed router, and your firewall or SD-WAN device connects behind it. We confirm VLAN tagging and IP scheme requirements during design.

Carrier-neutral means your connectivity is not tied to one network operator or one technology. FirstNet's reach spans every major fibre network operator and mobile network operator in South Africa, and each site is engineered with the best available combination of fibre, microwave, LTE/5G, fixed wireless and LEO satellite, chosen on coverage, performance, resilience and commercials. Where resilience matters, links from diverse carriers are layered so that a single network outage does not become your outage.

Yes. FirstNet is licensed by ICASA as an Electronic Communications Service (ECS) and Electronic Communications Network Service (ECNS) provider, authorised to deploy, manage and resell network services nationally. Last-mile access is procured only from ICASA-licensed operators: licensed fibre network operators, licensed mobile network operators, and licensed wireless operators using approved spectrum. FirstNet is also ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified and a BBBEE Level 1 contributor, and all installed routers and antennas must be ICASA type-approved.

Yes. FirstNet handles customer data in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and its ISO 27001-certified information security management system, which covers security governance, risk management, change control, monitoring and incident response under audit. If your organisation needs specific regulatory or POPIA wording in a contract, it is reviewed by FirstNet's product and legal teams rather than agreed on the spot, so the commitment matches what the service actually delivers.

A managed provider gives you one point of accountability instead of several vendors to coordinate. With FirstNet, one contract covers every site and link under a unified service level, and a 24/7 Network Operations Centre is one phone number for every issue. Real-time monitoring and automated failover often restore service before users notice, and changes such as security upgrades, routing optimisation or new site cut-ins are coordinated centrally, avoiding the delays and finger-pointing of managing four or five providers in parallel.

Connectivity is best judged by business outcomes rather than circuits or carriers. FirstNet designs against four: uptime, through engineered resilience and multi-carrier design rather than best effort; latency consistency, through direct peering and uncongested paths so cloud and voice workloads feel close to a local network; risk reduction, through true diversity so one outage rarely becomes one business incident; and operational simplicity, with one vendor and one accountable team so IT spends less time orchestrating providers.

Compare like for like rather than on monthly cost alone. Check whether each quote includes a written uptime SLA with service credits, whether a backup link can be installed on a different network, whether the router is managed and monitored, and whether there is 24x7 monitoring and a defined support and escalation path. Lower-cost offers often leave out exactly the things you only notice when something breaks, so ask each provider to set out its inclusions side by side.