Nokia And Fibertime Accelerate Roll-out Of Fiber Broadband Access To Underserved Townships Across South Africa

By Oystein Bergmann, Bureau Chief, Scandinavia and Celestine Okorie, Bureau Chief, Southern Africa

Nokia solutions allow fibertime to provide affordable broadband access to millions of low-income customers, many connecting for the very first time

Nokia has announced that fibertime is expanding its fiber broadband access footprint to include an additional 400,000 homes located across South Africa’s underserved communities. The broadband roll-out is part of fibertime’s larger goal of connecting 2 million homes by 2028. Fibertime will deploy a combination of Nokia’s IP and fiber access technologies to build semi-mobile networks in underserved areas, providing end-users with unlimited high-speed internet from anywhere in their home, business or community they live in.

Under the agreement, fibertime will deploy Nokia’s Lightspan access nodes and Wi-Fi 6 enabled fiber access points, using Nokia’s ONT Easy Start to automate and simplify the fiber modem activation process and streamline deployments. Fibertime will also use Nokia’s 7750 Wireless Access Gateway, to create a single SSID on their network that allows customers to walk around the township and stay connected.

“With Nokia’s support, we’re able to significantly ramp up the roll-out of our low-cost, high-speed, fiber internet service to underserved township communities across South Africa.   We’re now connecting 1,200 households a day to flexible, high-speed access – up to 950Mbps in some cases – without the need for contracts or debit orders. Once a township is connected, customers simply buy vouchers at a local spaza, retail outlet or via their banking app, enter the voucher number in their fibertime app, and immediately have access to unlimited and unthrottled fiber-to-the-home internet at a cost of R5 per day,” said CEO, fibertime Danvig De Bruyn. 

To help further drive automation and scale across its network, fibertime will also deploy Nokia’s Altiplano and Network Services Platform solutions along with its Altiplano Fiber Health Analyzer which can detect network anomalies and identify potential issues before they escalate.

“Nokia’s automation and AI-powered tools not only help us to improve operational efficiencies but also enhance the reliability of our FTTH network. We can now detect disruptions earlier and resolve incidents more quickly to ultimately improve the subscriber experience,” said Danvig De Bruyn, CEO, fibertime.

“Reliable broadband is critical for thriving communities—powering education, healthcare, and local economies. Yet too many people remain unconnected because of the unique challenges tied to where they live. With our fiber and IP solutions, we’re changing that, bringing broadband services to thousands of customers at once, in regions once considered too difficult to serve,” said Sandy Motley, President, Fixed Networks, Nokia. 

The agreement to connect an additional 400,000 homes builds on a previous announcement between Nokia and fibertime™ to deploy FTTH networks across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mangaung and Stellenbosch. 

Arab Innovators Rise to the Challenge, Elevating Scientific Practice on QF’s Stars of Science

Season 17 contenders determined to prove that perseverance transforms inventions into global impact

Doha, Qatar, 06 October 2025 – Across the world, challenges have always been catalysts for innovation. In the Arab region, Stars of Science has quietly forged something extraordinary: a generation of innovators who turned setbacks into stepping stones. This perseverance isn’t just part of the show’s legacy, it’s the heartbeat of Season 17.

The Qatar Foundation edutainment show is raising the bar once again. This year’s contestants aren’t just building from scratch – they’re attempting something uniquely challenging: refining what already exists. That kind of progress requires more than creativity. It demands precision, patience, and above all, targeted optimization.

Among the standout projects currently in the running is Razan Salem Bahabri’s adaptive rehabilitation gaming system, and Mohamed Kahna’s AR-assisted surgical navigation tool. Both push the boundaries of existing methods, and both are driven by a clear understanding of the real-world problems they aim to solve.

“To improve what already works, you need more than invention, you need endurance,” says Bahabri, a contestant from Saudi Arabia.

Her approach is timely. Globally, there are 12.2 million new strokes each year, and rehabilitation centers now incorporate gamified therapy tools to support recovery, a field she is helping localize and adapt. Her project builds on those successes, offering a more engaging and accessible way to support neuroplasticity and user motivation in stroke rehabilitation.

“When lives are at stake, you don’t start from scratch, you make what’s working even safer,” says Kahna, her fellow Season 17 contestant.

For Kahna, the stakes are high. Each year, more than 310 million major surgeries are performed around the world. The Tunisian’s project seeks to improve outcomes by using augmented reality to support surgical decision-making, potentially helping surgeons avoid complications and act with greater clarity under pressure.

As these innovators work to realize their vision, Stars of Science continues to be backed by an ecosystem that believes in purpose-driven technology. As the region’s leading hub for deep tech and impact, Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a member of Qatar Foundation, ensure that Stars of Science innovations don’t stop at the prototype stage. Through mentorship, access to state-of-the-art labs, and investor connections, QSTP helps contestants, like Season 16 winner, Yaman Tayyar, transform their ideas into viable startups that create global impact.

Another shining example of resilience with long-haul success, when show alumnus, long-standing mentor and now co-host, Anwar Almojarkesh, joined Stars of Science in Season 5, he finished in fifth place. But his story didn’t conclude there, it just began. Driven by advanced engineering, Almojarkesh developed a smart assistive pillow for the hearing impaired that detects emergencies such as fire alarms, alerting users through vibration, light, scent, and app notifications.

After the show, he took the core of his invention and founded two companies — Innovation Factory in the UK and Sound Genetics in the US — bringing AI-powered technologies to governments, transport authorities, and healthcare providers worldwide.

“You don’t have to win the show to win in life. The real success comes with the determination to keep achieving, after the spotlight fades,” says Almojarkesh.

Among his flagship projects is the Wildlife Animal Deterrence System (WADS), preventing deer strikes and saving millions in damages on British and Irish rail systems. His companies have also developed real-time graffiti detection tools, cutting-edge voice authentication and deepfake detection technologies.

“I just kept refining my models and each product’s algorithms kept developing,” says Almojarkesh. The inventor is living proof that Stars of Science doesn’t just launch prototypes – it launches careers with global impact.

With alumni like Anwar setting the bar high, this year’s contestants have a lot to live up to. If history is any guide, with vision and perseverance this season’s innovators will be ready to make headlines of their own.

Follow the contestants’ journeys, as they strive forward in realizing their inventions, by visiting the Stars of Science website and keeping up to date with broadcasts every week until October 2025.