National Footprint & Global Reach
Consistent connectivity nationwide with seamless routes to key international destinations.
The challenge. The high cost of multi-carrier complexity
Enterprises with distributed operations require consistent connectivity across regions and reliable international reach for cloud, partners, and customers.
Managing multiple providers increases complexity and dilutes accountability. A single partner with national presence and global routes simplifies delivery.
Network & cloud reach: choose your option
National footprint, direct cloud peering and carrier-grade transit.
The expertise. National presence, global routes
We operate a significant network presence across South Africa and partner internationally to provide stable routes worldwide. Service delivery, support, and billing are unified for clarity and speed.
Solutions are designed for growth, adding sites, bandwidth, or new regions without disrupting operations.
- Nationwide Coverage: standardised services across South Africa.
- Global Reach: dependable routing to key regions and clouds.
- Single Contract: simplified procurement and vendor management.
- Scalable Model: expand quickly as the business evolves.
The details
How we deliverAt FirstNet, our delivery model keeps rollouts predictable and support responsive across every site.
How we deliver. Enterprise uptime
At FirstNet, our delivery model keeps rollouts predictable and support responsive across every site.
Discovery & Planning
Map sites, dependencies, and rollout order.
Provisioning
Coordinate carriers and logistics across regions.
Support
Unified helpdesk, NOC monitoring, and clear escalation.
Evolution
Add sites/services with minimal overhead.
Local traffic stays localFirstNet operates its own Autonomous System with direct peering at every major South African internet exchange.
Local traffic stays local
FirstNet operates its own Autonomous System with direct peering at every major South African internet exchange. Local traffic reaches your users without hairpinning offshore.
- Direct peering at NAPAfrica, JINX, CINX and DINX
- Business fibre is uncontended on local (on-net) traffic
- Own Autonomous System, not a reseller of someone else's routes
Global transit, diverse cablesInternational traffic should not take the slow road.
Global transit, diverse cables
International traffic should not take the slow road. We maintain multi-peer transit at major global hubs and ride multiple undersea cable systems, with automatic rerouting when one is interrupted.
Global transit hubs
Multi-peer transit including LINX London, New York, Frankfurt and Singapore.
Undersea cable diversity
Capacity across seven or more undersea cables, including WACS, EASSy, SEACOM and 2Africa.
Automatic rerouting
If a cable is cut or a region is congested, traffic is routed over alternate paths.
Contention during cable failures
On business fibre, international contention is limited to a maximum of 1:4, and only during undersea cable failures.
Every major network, one partnerOur reach spans every major fibre network operator and mobile network operator in South Africa, proven in coastal, rural and industrial environments.
Every major network, one partner
Our reach spans every major fibre network operator and mobile network operator in South Africa, proven in coastal, rural and industrial environments. Where resilience matters, we layer diverse carriers by default.
- One contract and one unified SLA across every site
- One 24/7 NOC number for every issue
- Centralised change management for system-wide rollouts
National Footprint & Global Reach questions
Straight answers from the FirstNet team.
Read every answer in the Knowledge HubWhy choose FirstNet. Hosted firewalls and SD‑WAN
Do you support multi-country deployments?
Yes. We partner globally to extend consistent services beyond South Africa.
How fast can we add sites?
Standardised processes and templates accelerate provisioning and turn‑up.
Can you integrate security at the edge?
Yes. Hosted firewalls and SD‑WAN options are available where appropriate.
Which internet exchanges does FirstNet peer at?
We peer directly at NAPAfrica, JINX, CINX and DINX in South Africa, and maintain international transit at hubs including LINX London, New York, Frankfurt and Singapore.
What happens when an undersea cable is cut?
We have capacity on seven or more undersea cable systems, including WACS, EASSy, SEACOM and 2Africa. Traffic is automatically rerouted over alternate paths when a cable is interrupted.
Can you connect sites outside South Africa?
Cross-border circuits need partner arrangements and separate licensing, so they are scoped case by case with our Product Management team before we quote.
Will we get one bill for all our sites?
Yes. We operate as one partner across the entire footprint, so you receive one bill, one SLA and one team managing every link.
Why does local internet peering matter for South African businesses?
Most South African traffic shouldn't leave the country. Because FirstNet operates its own Autonomous System with direct peering at the major local exchanges, NAPAfrica, JINX, CINX and DINX, traffic between you and local users, banks, platforms and services stays in South Africa instead of hairpinning offshore. That shortens the path, lowers latency and keeps performance more consistent for local applications, voice and payments.
Which undersea cables and international hubs does FirstNet use?
FirstNet carries international traffic across seven or more undersea cable systems, including WACS, EASSy, SEACOM and 2Africa, with automatic rerouting when one is interrupted. It maintains multi-peer transit and peering at global hubs including LINX London, New York, Frankfurt and Singapore, with further international peering points such as Amsterdam, Marseille and São Paulo, so international traffic can take an alternative path when a route degrades.
Can FirstNet deliver a large multi-site connectivity rollout?
Yes. FirstNet has more than 5,000 business sites under management and delivers over 300 new business links every month. Large rollouts are run as one programme, with one contract, one SLA and one team managing every link, rather than as separate projects with each carrier.
From the Knowledge Hub
Where connectivity fits
- Sovereign AI AI that stays home, in every layer.
- Voice Every call, clear.
- Security Threats, contained.
- Cloud Data, protected.
- Connectivity Always connected.
Enriched by Sovereign AI: reach the AI Factory over FirstNet’s own network, with a direct, low-latency path that stays on South African soil. Explore the AI Factory