South Africa’s low-income communities have been left behind in the race to enter the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
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In this New World of digital and AI evolution where having no reliable internet is a significant impediment to making a living, getting an education, registering a business or accessing the knowledge that exists on the web, these underserved communities are at a disadvantage.
Access to the internet is not a Sustainable Development Goal for nothing, it is a human right that can greatly improve lives. From the small Spaza shop owner to the 16-old studying for exams, having access to WiFi is vital to make a living or a life as we enter the era of 4IR and AI evolution.
Being internet-enabled and literate is an essential life skill if people are to move forward and improve their circumstances and incomes. Yet still, millions of people from low-income communities across the country do not have access to affordable and reliable internet access.
Anshu, a Spaza shop owner in the sprawling township of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, is one of thousands of township entrepreneurs and business owners who are feeling the impact of South Africa’s digital divide, which is regarded as one of the worst in the world.
He sells produce such as eggs, bananas, bread, flour, canned goods and popular items like crisps and chocolates from his Africa Family Shop, a spaza shop much like many others that keep the township economy rolling over. Staying open for long hours to make sure people can stop by his shop before heading home from work, is par for the course.
“Having an internet connection helps me stay connected to the rest of the world. I’m able to stay up to date with the latest news and trends and talk to family and friends. I am also able to manage my business more effectively,” he says. And he should know, being one of the many township business owners who sell data vouchers for Internet Service Providers with a presence in the townships.
In 2021, he signed up with township ISP TooMuchWifi as a reseller. He believes their Hotspot vouchers offer his customers good value and a viable option to stay connected.
“My customers range from students and housewives to factory workers and small business owners, with gig-economy workers making up a significant proportion of my clients,” he explains.
He worries about the vulnerability of a large percentage of these workers losing jobs due to advanced technologies, with technicians in manufacturing industries and semi- and unskilled workers being most at risk of being replaced by AI.
“Without an affordable internet connection, they will have no way of seeking alternative employment, let alone being able to upskill themselves to apply for jobs in other industries,” he says.
An ISP actively combating this economic and human crisis is TooMuchWifi. Today, the 7-year-old company announced it has slashed its already low data prices so significantly that customers can now get 24 hours of unlimited internet access for just R5 – using a daily hotspot voucher.
It has also introduced an unlimited monthly hotspot voucher for R120, a price drop of up to 70%, while prices of weekly vouchers have been reduced from as much as R100 to just R30, another price reduction of 70%.
The company has been able to do this through investment from the MIC (Mineworkers Investment Company) and Bamboo Capital, both of which are social impact investors who share the company’s vision and commitment to making internet access available to all.
Newly appointed TooMuchWifi CEO Tauriq Brown says, “We believe that lowering our prices will allow more people in the communities to connect to the internet and do so more often. Most hotspot users can’t afford monthly plans due to limited income and instead rely on weekly or daily vouchers. Through this latest effort, we want to make it easier for all South Africans to connect, no matter their income.”
TooMuchWifi currently operates in the Western Cape with a customer base of 400 000, servicing 40 low-income communities across the province. However, Brown’s strategic and personal quest is to expand geographically across the country, and in time, internationally.
“We believe it’s our duty to help those that need it most, and this is a sentiment we share with our investors. Being able to access the internet for 24 hours for the price of a R5 voucher can change lives for many individuals or business owners, affording them access to opportunities that exist online,” he concludes.
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