What CipherWave does

CipherWave Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd is a privately held South African Tier 1 Internet Service Provider founded in 2010 and headquartered in Midrand, Johannesburg. The company delivers a four-pillar integrated ICT portfolio to medium and large enterprises: CipherOnline (Layer 2/3 fibre and wireless, SD-WAN/Fusion, global connectivity from 10Mbps to 10Gbps), CipherCloud (Nutanix-powered private cloud with SaaS, IaaS, co-location, DRaaS, BaaS, and Microsoft 365 mail management), CipherVoice (hosted PBX, VoIP, TMS, Microsoft Teams Calling, SMS bundles, the Talkk AI conversational system, and the iReCall recording and transcription product), and CipherSecure (managed FortiGate firewall and Mimecast email security). The infrastructure is owned and operated: a dedicated, biometric-secured, ISO-certified Tier 3 suite within OADC Isando in Johannesburg connects via dual dark fibre links to a disaster recovery site at Teraco Isando, with additional network points of presence at Teraco Cape Town, Teraco Durban, African Datacentre Midrand and Hetzner Johannesburg, plus direct interconnects to major FNO, WNO and Tier 1 voice networks.

The company generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly subscriptions on connectivity, cloud, voice and security services, supplemented by usage-based call charges, installation fees and co-location rentals, with quote-based enterprise pricing governed by three SLA tiers (Standard, Advanced, Professional) and a 100% early-termination clause on remaining rental. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales targeting verticals such as aviation, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, retail, media and logistics, with a CipherPartners channel programme that enables resellers and managed service providers to consume CipherWave infrastructure for their own solutions. Customer logos include FlySafair, Dischem, BlueSpec (a 16-year continuous customer), NGK Spark Plug, SEW Eurodrive, Bombela Concession Company, DealerNet and Diagnostic Radiological Services, supporting a moderately concentrated but vertically diversified enterprise book. CipherWave achieved B-BBEE Level 1 contributor status, holds POPIA and RICA compliance, is an ISPA member, and in January 2020 expanded its capabilities through the acquisition of Broadlink.

Name

CipherWave

Legal name

CipherWave Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://cipherwave.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

South African Tier 1 ISP delivering integrated connectivity, cloud, voice and security services to medium and large enterprises from its owned Tier 3 OADC Isando data centre, with a 16-year operating history and B-BBEE Level 1 status.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Enterprise ICT Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Telecommunications (517), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Network Security Managed Services (Firewall/IDS/IPS/SASE) (BPAEADAG)

Keywords

• Fibre internet services
• Managed cloud services
• Enterprise connectivity
• Unified communications
• Managed security services

Headquarters

HQ city

Midrand

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Connectivity Services: Connectivity services including Layer 2 and 3 Fibre, Layer 2 and 3 Wireless, SD-WAN, and global connectivity. Sold on a rental/monthly fee model with usage-based call charges. Installation charges may apply.
2. Cloud Services (CipherCloud): SaaS (including Veeam, Virtualisation, Office 365, Microsoft Licenses), IaaS (Virtual Servers, Co-location), Business Continuity (DRAAS, BAAS), and Mail Management. Subscription-based managed services.
3. Voice Services (CipherVoice): Hosted PBX, VoIP, TMS, MS Teams Calling, Call Recording, Unified Communication, SMS Bundles, and Talkk AI. Recurring subscription charges plus usage-based call charges.
4. Security Services (CipherSecure): Managed firewall services (FortiGate), email security (Mimecast), endpoint and server protection. Provided as subscription-based managed services.
5. Co-location and Data Centre Services: Co-location services at ISO certified Tier 3 data centre at OADC Isando, including power and physical space for customer infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CipherWave is a South African Tier 1 Internet Service Provider that delivers enterprise-grade connectivity (Layer 2/3 fibre, wireless, SD-WAN, global connectivity), voice (hosted PBX, VoIP, MS Teams Calling, AI-powered assistants), cloud (SaaS, IaaS, DRaaS, BaaS, mail management), and managed security (FortiGate firewall, Mimecast email security) services. The company owns and operates its own network, voice, and cloud infrastructure, including a Tier 3 ISO-certified data centre at OADC Isando with dual dark fibre links to a Teraco disaster recovery site, serving medium-to-large South African enterprises across multiple verticals.

Product overview

CipherWave is a South African Tier 1 ISP offering a four-pillar product portfolio: CipherOnline (connectivity: Fibre, Wireless, SD-WAN/Fusion, Global Connectivity), CipherVoice (unified communications: Hosted PBX, VoIP, TMS, MS Teams Calling, Talkk AI, iReCall, SMS Bundles), CipherCloud (cloud services: SaaS including Veeam/Office 365/Microsoft Licenses, IaaS including Virtual Servers/Co-location, Business Continuity including DRaaS/BaaS, Mail Management including MimeCast), and CipherSecure (managed security: FortiGate Firewall, MimeCast). The CipherWave Portal serves as the customer-facing platform for service management. Products are delivered as managed services over CipherWave's owned and operated network, cloud, and voice infrastructure, with 99.9% uptime supported by SLA plans (Standard, Advanced, Professional).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CipherOnline A comprehensive suite of enterprise connectivity solutions including Layer 2 and 3 Fibre for national connectivity, Layer 2 and 3 Wireless for rapid deployment, SD-WAN (Fusion) for multi-branch orchestration, and global connectivity services. Targeted at medium-to-large South African enterprises requiring reliable, scalable, managed connectivity from a Tier 1 ISP.
• CipherCloud Managed cloud services suite offering SaaS (Veeam, Virtualisation, Office 365, Microsoft Licenses), IaaS (Virtual Servers, Co-location), Business Continuity (DRaaS, BaaS), and Mail Management. Built on CipherWave's own Tier 3 ISO-certified data centre with dual dark fibre links to Teraco Isando for disaster recovery. For medium-to-large enterprises seeking local, sovereign cloud alternatives to public hyperscalers.
• CipherVoice All-in-one voice and unified communications services featuring Hosted PBX, VoIP, Telephone Management System (TMS), Microsoft Teams Calling, Call Recording (iReCall), Unified Communication, SMS Bundles, and the Talkk AI conversational system for 24/7 automated support. For enterprises replacing legacy PBX systems and consolidating voice into a managed, intelligent platform.
• CipherSecure Managed security services including fully managed FortiGate firewall (URL filtering, intrusion detection/prevention, application control, cyber threat monitoring) and Mimecast email security for spam and virus filtering, targeted threat protection, and secure email gateway. Delivered as an end-to-end subscription with pre-implementation consultancy, design, deployment, management, and 24/7 monitoring. For enterprises without the scale or desire to run security operations in-house.

Quantifiable outcome

• CipherWave achieved 100% uptime and availability for its private cloud over a 9-year period prior to the Nutanix infrastructure upgrade.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX)coreTechnology or Integration · 12 July 2022Nutanix assisted CipherWave with upgrading its private cloud infrastructure. CipherWave selected Nutanix for its product roadmap, view of the future of cloud computing, ease of extensibility to public cloud, and fully managed service offering to support CipherWave's technical team. CipherWave runs its cloud on Nutanix infrastructure with a Platinum Support agreement, achieving 100% migration of customers to the new environment without disruption.
• VeeamcoreTechnology or IntegrationVeeam powers CipherWave's cloud backup and data protection services. CipherWave is a Veeam Gold Partner and uses Veeam Cloud Connect for its Backup as a Service (BAAS) offering, enabling customers to get backups offsite to a hosted backup repository using secure SSL connections. Veeam protects over 13 million VMs globally.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft is a key technology partner providing Office 365, Microsoft Licenses, and Teams Calling integration within CipherWave's cloud and voice services. CipherWave resells and implements Microsoft 365 solutions including Teams Calling, SharePoint, and OneDrive as part of its unified communications and SaaS offerings.
• VMwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationVMware is a foundational technology powering CipherWave's cloud environment alongside Veeam and Microsoft, enabling customers to leverage existing VMware technologies and licensing when migrating to CipherWave's local cloud.
• Fortinet (FortiGate)coreTechnology or IntegrationFortinet (FortiGate) is CipherWave's preferred firewall technology, providing the company's managed firewall service with strong firewalling, URL filtering, intrusion detection and prevention. CipherWave offers a fully managed FortiGate firewall service as an end-to-end subscription including pre-implementation consultancy, design, deployment, management, and 24/7 monitoring and support.
• MimecastcoreTechnology or IntegrationMimecast provides email security solutions integrated into CipherWave's CipherSecure and CipherCloud mail management offerings. CipherWave utilises Mimecast for spam and virus filtering and targeted threat protection services as part of its comprehensive security stack.
• OADC (Open Access Data Centre)coreTechnology or IntegrationCipherWave relocated its primary data centre to OADC Isando as an anchor tenant. The partnership gives CipherWave its own secured, branded 'data centre within a data centre' with biometric security and dedicated floor space. The OADC partnership supports CipherWave's expansion plans including potential footprint growth beyond South Africa through the WIOCC partnership.
• TeracocoreTechnology or IntegrationTeraco is a critical data centre partner with CipherWave's network POPs located at Teraco Isando (disaster recovery site), Teraco Cape Town, and Teraco Durban data centres. CipherWave maintains dual dark fibre links connecting its primary data centre to Teraco Isando for disaster recovery.
• ISPA (Internet Service Providers' Association of South Africa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCipherWave is a member of ISPA and has adopted and implemented the association's official Code of Conduct. ISPA serves as CipherWave's designated agent for notice and take-down procedures for illegal content and copyright infringement under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.
• Home-ConnectminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHome-Connect is CipherWave's sister company specialising in Fibre to the Home (FTTH) services. The companies co-exhibit at industry events such as the MyBroadband Conference, with Home-Connect handling residential fibre while CipherWave focuses on business customers.
• Link AfricaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLink Africa is a Fibre Network Operator (FNO) with a growing national fibre footprint covering both residential and business fibre space. CipherWave connects to all fibre providers including Link Africa to service customers regardless of their chosen fibre provider.
• FrogfootminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrogfoot is a Fibre Network Operator (FNO) with a national fibre footprint. CipherWave is connected to Frogfoot and other fibre providers, enabling it to service customers regardless of which provider delivers fibre to their business.
• SecuricomminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecuricom is a local security partner of CipherWave specialising in FortiGate firewalls, email security, and managed security services. Securicom co-exhibits with CipherWave at the MyBroadband Conference as part of CipherWave's partner ecosystem.
• Iron MountainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIron Mountain is a global leader in storage and information management services. CipherWave and Iron Mountain co-sponsored the 2019 MyBroadband Cloud Conference, with Iron Mountain offering cloud and data management services alongside CipherWave's connectivity solutions.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• MWEB: Established South African ISP providing fibre, wireless, and business connectivity services. Comparable product layer in the same geography, though more consumer-led than CipherWave.
• Afrihost: Large South African consumer and SME ISP with growing fibre and hosted-services offering. Comparable connectivity layer in the same geography, though more SMB-leaning than CipherWave's enterprise focus.

Direct peers

• Liquid Intelligent Technologies: Pan-African fibre and cloud operator providing wholesale connectivity, managed services, and enterprise ICT across the continent. Directly comparable on owned-network fibre, cloud, and security stack; relevant for CipherWave's OADC/WIOCC African expansion.
• BCX (BT Group subsidiary): Large South African enterprise IT services and connectivity provider; a former employer of CipherWave's incoming CEO Shamith Maharaj. Directly comparable enterprise voice/data/cloud portfolio at larger scale.
• CMC Networks: African-focused managed network services and connectivity provider with enterprise-grade SD-WAN, cloud, and security offerings. Highly comparable service mix and target enterprise customer base; Shamith Maharaj spent 15 years at CMC before joining CipherWave.
• Vox Telecom: South African integrated connectivity, voice, cloud and security provider with similar Tier-1 ISP characteristics and managed-services model. Closest like-for-like tier-one SME/enterprise competitor in CipherWave's home market.
• Internet Solutions (NTT Data): Major South African enterprise ISP and managed-services provider offering connectivity, cloud, and security to corporates. Direct competitor in CipherWave's enterprise segment with a broader parent-backed balance sheet.

Broad incumbents

• RingCentral: Global cloud UCaaS/CCaaS incumbent offering hosted PBX, Teams calling, and AI-enabled voice. Directly comparable to CipherVoice's hosted PBX, TMS, Teams Calling, Talkk AI, and iReCall capabilities, though at massively greater scale.
• Vodacom Business: Enterprise and SME division of South Africa's largest mobile operator, offering managed connectivity, IoT, cloud, and security. Comparable offering breadth with materially larger scale, balance sheet, and brand; sets the competitive ceiling for CipherWave.

Others

• Hetzner South Africa: Local data centre and cloud-hosting provider hosting one of CipherWave's network POPs. Adjacent (colocation/hosting) rather than directly competitive with CipherWave's managed services bundle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CipherWave
• Facebookfacebook.com/CipherWave

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CipherWave