Short answer
Yes. FirstNet is carrier-agnostic, so it can pair links from different carriers and different media, such as fibre with licensed microwave or LTE/5G, so that a single network outage does not become your outage.
In detail
FirstNet's reach spans every major fibre network operator and mobile network operator in South Africa, so the backup does not have to ride the same network as the primary. Common resilience patterns are:
- Primary plus diverse backup: FirstNet's default for revenue-impacting sites, pairing fibre with microwave, fixed wireless or LTE for fast failover.
- Dual fibre, different carriers: a secondary fibre on a different carrier network, ideally on diverse physical routes, for high bandwidth and carrier redundancy.
- SD-WAN underlay: two diverse FirstNet links per site, typically one fibre and one wireless, with an SD-WAN overlay on top.
- Temporary wireless first: LTE deployed in days so a site opens on time while the fibre primary is built.
Media diversity matters as much as carrier diversity. Licensed microwave gives air-versus-trench diversity, and LTE/5G is not affected by fibre cuts or cable theft, although it can be affected by tower power outages. FirstNet sets the design by asking what happens if your internet is down for two hours, or a full day.
Source: FirstNet Connectivity service page →
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