The Huawei digital highway initiative is accelerating South Africa’s broadband transformation, bringing reliable connectivity to communities long excluded from the digital economy. As SA Connect advances, new infrastructure is helping close the gap for millions seeking opportunity.
Huawei digital highway initiative expands broadband access to underserved South African communities
The development of a Huawei digital highway across South Africa is reshaping the nation’s connectivity landscape, offering hope to millions who have lived on the wrong side of the digital divide. Despite having one of the highest Internet penetration rates in Africa, South Africa still faces widespread disparities, particularly in underserved communities where households remain disconnected and opportunities remain out of reach. This reality has been especially challenging for young people like Godfrey, a resident of Diepsloot in Gauteng, who has experienced firsthand the personal and economic barriers created by limited access to the online world.
Godfrey’s story reflects the wider struggles faced by unconnected communities. Although passionate about becoming a barista, he cannot access the online training hours he needs because mobile data remains prohibitively expensive and home broadband is unavailable. To conserve data, he drafts job applications offline, then walks more than a kilometer to a mall offering one hour of free Wi-Fi. It is there that he sends out applications, only to miss short-notice video interviews once he returns home. His experience demonstrates how a lack of connectivity can limit progress, even for those motivated to build a better future.
Recognizing these inequalities, the South African government launched SA Connect, an ambitious national broadband strategy designed to provide high-capacity, affordable Internet access to every citizen by 2030. To achieve this vision, state-owned Broadband Infraco has partnered with Huawei to build an intelligent all-optical backbone network that will expand high-speed connectivity into rural and previously underserved areas. This “digital highway,” now taking shape, is poised to become one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in the country’s recent history.
According to Broadband Infraco CEO Gift Zowa, the organisation is addressing a core objective of SA Connect: ensuring inclusive access to stable, scalable broadband for communities and government facilities nationwide. Huawei’s next-generation Optical Cross-Connect technology makes it possible to deliver 800G wavelengths across the backbone network, a level of performance that represents a major leap forward for South Africa’s digital infrastructure. This capacity allows massive volumes of data to move seamlessly between cities and data centers, supporting the rapid growth of applications in education, healthcare, e-commerce, and government services.
The rollout of the all-optical backbone has already yielded meaningful results. Through infrastructure upgrades and partnerships with regional service providers, Broadband Infraco has enabled more than 13,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots and connected over 2 million homes across underserved and rural regions. These connections are opening new opportunities for remote work, online education, digital entrepreneurship, and participation in emerging sectors of the digital economy. Local ISP leader Nomso Kana noted that improved network coverage is enabling small businesses to expand into new markets, while also boosting employment and skills development in areas that previously lacked reliable access.
For individuals like Godfrey, the momentum behind SA Connect brings long-awaited optimism. His community has been included in upcoming fiber and Wi-Fi deployment plans, with completion expected by the end of 2026. More affordable connectivity packages aimed at disadvantaged households are also being introduced, ensuring that Internet access becomes a tool of empowerment rather than an inaccessible luxury. The digital highway initiative is thus bringing a future of inclusion closer to reality.
As the network continues to expand, its relevance is set to grow significantly. By 2030, demand for capacity will surge as South Africa embraces smart cities, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, advanced e-government services, and new industry models that depend on fast, reliable broadband. The intelligent optical backbone lays the foundation for these innovations, reducing the cost of connectivity and strengthening national competitiveness in the digital era.
Broadband Infraco has already completed 100G, 400G, and 800G backbone segments across Gauteng and northern regions, with plans for full coverage across all nine provinces. The infrastructure will extend to the borders of six neighboring countries, reinforcing South Africa’s position as a regional digital hub within the SADC community. Zowa emphasized that the long-term objective is to build one of the country’s most advanced national broadband systems—one that ensures equal participation for all South Africans in an increasingly connected world.
With each new connection, the digital highway is unlocking opportunities that can reshape communities, strengthen economic resilience, and support the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. As SA Connect progresses and Huawei’s technology continues to support nationwide expansion, South Africa is moving steadily toward a future where every individual can access the digital tools necessary to grow, learn, and thrive.