Link Africa

What Link Africa does

Link Africa (Pty) Ltd, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Durban, is South Africa's largest independent fibre network operator. The company builds and operates fibre optic telecommunications infrastructure on an open-access wholesale basis, with 8,500 km of network, over 400 points of presence, and coverage spanning all nine South African provinces. Its core customer base comprises licensed Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and Telcos, who lease bandwidth and fibre capacity to serve their own residential and business end-customers. The company maintains wholly-owned subsidiaries BitCo Telecoms (ISP, voice, and cloud services) and Cloud Dynamics (cloud and IT services) under the Link Africa Holdings umbrella.

Link Africa's product portfolio centres on four core wholesale services: Link Metro (distance-based point-to-point metropolitan fibre backhaul), Link Connect (short inter-facility connections up to 3.5 km), Link Core (passive dark fibre with a bandwidth participation model), and Link Colo (carrier-class colocation). The company holds exclusive South African rights to FOCUS™, a patented fibre optic cable technology for deployment through water and sewer systems using robotic drilling, enabling non-disruptive installation in areas inaccessible to conventional trenching. Core switching infrastructure is being upgraded to 100 Gbps capacity.

The business model is wholesale subscription-based, generating recurring revenue from bandwidth leases, IRU agreements (12 or 24 month terms), and colocation services. Link Africa monetises primarily through B2B contracts with telecom carriers rather than direct consumer relationships, supplemented by enterprise and SME fibre-to-the-business packages in connected malls and business parks. The company has divested its residential FTTH assets to MetroFibre (April 2021) and Vumatel (2021) to concentrate on higher-value FTTT (fibre-to-the-tower) and FTTB (fibre-to-the-business) verticals. Distribution is exclusively indirect through wholesale channel partners.

Name

Link Africa

Legal name

Link Africa (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://linkafrica.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Link Africa is South Africa's largest independent fibre network operator, providing wholesale open-access fibre infrastructure (8,500 km, 400+ PoPs) to ISPs, MNOs, and Telcos across all nine provinces, with exclusive local rights to FOCUS™ patented sewer-deployment technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Fibre Network Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Backbone & Core IP Transport (Long-Haul/Metro IP) (HDAIAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale Wavelength, Spectrum & Dark Fiber Providers (IRU/Leases) (HDAIALAI), Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI), Subsea & Terrestrial Backhaul to Data Centers and Cloud On-Ramps (IX/DC Interconnect) (HDAIALAJ)

Keywords

• Wholesale fibre infrastructure
• Open-access fibre networks
• Dark fibre services
• Fibre network operator
• Telecommunications infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Bandwidth Services: Link Africa provides dark fibre infrastructure and bandwidth services to licensed service providers on an open-access wholesale basis. Service providers lease fibre capacity to serve their end customers (businesses and homes). Revenue is generated through recurring bandwidth/lease fees.
2. Fibre-to-the-Tower (FTTT): Fibre backhaul services connecting mobile network operators' towers to their core networks.
3. Fibre-to-the-Business (FTTB): High-speed fibre connectivity services to commercial and retail businesses through ISP partnerships.
4. Colocation Services (Link Colo): Managed rack space and collocation hosting facilities for telecommunication equipment in secure environments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Link Africa builds and operates South Africa's largest independent open-access fibre optic network, providing wholesale bandwidth, dark fibre, and collocation services to licensed Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and Telcos. Its portfolio includes Link Metro (metropolitan point-to-point fibre links), Link Connect (inter-facility connections), Link Core (passive dark fibre), and Link Colo (managed collocation facilities), supported by the proprietary FOCUS™ deployment technology.

Product overview

Link Africa offers an integrated portfolio of fibre optic network services as South Africa's largest independent Fibre Network Operator. The core product suite includes: Link Metro (distance-based Point-to-Point metropolitan fibre links for backhaul), Link Connect (flat-rated inter-facility connections up to 3.5km), Link Core (passive Dark Fibre with Bandwidth Participation model), and Link Colo (carrier-class collocation hosting services). The company also leverages the proprietary FOCUS™ patented technology for sewer and water system fibre deployment. All services operate on an open-access model, allowing customers to choose their preferred ISP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Link Metro

Quantifiable outcome

• Fibre network extended to 8,500 km, making Link Africa one of SA's largest fibre providers alongside Openserve, Dark Fibre Africa, and Liquid Telecoms.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Microsoft (BitCo Telecoms & Cloud Dynamics)coreTechnology or Integration · 17 March 2025BitCo Telecoms & Cloud Dynamics under Link Africa Holdings umbrella became a Microsoft Reseller, offering Microsoft 365 suite, Azure cloud services, and enterprise security solutions to South African businesses.
• MetroFibrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2021MetroFibre acquired Link Africa's FTTH network and infrastructure in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in April 2021 as part of Link Africa's strategy to focus on growing FTTT and FTTB verticals.
• SupersoniccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2020Supersonic joined Link Africa's network as a major national ISP partner, servicing areas in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, and Western Cape. Partnership aimed at delivering high-speed fibre within 5 working days.
• Internet SolutionscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Link Africa acquired Internet Solutions' fibre optic network, with over 400 points of presence across South Africa. Extended Link Africa's fibre network reach from 5,500 km to 8,500 km, making it one of SA's biggest fibre network providers.
• Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVarious MNOs use Link Africa's FTTT infrastructure to connect their towers, enabling doubled bandwidth to existing and new customers. Link Africa is also working with MNOs in support of their 5G strategies.
• Large Landlords and Property OwnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLink Africa has cemented contracts with large landlords to extend fibre reach into commercial and retail properties, reducing the cost of communications in their portfolios.
• IoT Service ProvidersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with organisations specialising in IoT data storage, analytics, and application development. Link Africa's fibre backhaul supports real-time data transmission for IoT deployments.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Openserve: Telkom SA's wholesale and infrastructure division, the legacy incumbent fibre network operator in South Africa. Provides wholesale fibre, backhaul and open-access ducts to ISPs and MNOs across the same geographies Link Africa targets, competing directly on Link Metro and Link Core deals.
• Dark Fibre Africa (DFA): South Africa's largest dedicated open-access fibre infrastructure operator, owned by Vodacom. Sells dark fibre and managed bandwidth to ISPs and MNOs on a wholesale model functionally identical to Link Africa's Link Core/Link Metro/Link Connect stack, making it the closest head-to-head peer.
• Frogfoot Networks: Independent South African fibre infrastructure provider offering FTTH and open-access wholesale fibre to ISPs. Comparable in operating model and customer base (last-mile ISPs) to the FTTB/FTTH portion of Link Africa's portfolio.
• Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid South Africa): Africa-focused wholesale fibre operator (formerly Liquid Telecoms) operating backbone networks across the continent with significant South African presence. Competes with Link Africa on enterprise fibre, cross-border connectivity and wholesale bandwidth to ISPs/MNOs.
• MetroFibre Networx: Open-access fibre operator that acquired Link Africa's FTTH assets in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Operates a near-identical FTTH/FTTB wholesale stack and now competes with the residual Link Africa footprint in those provinces.
• Vumatel: Major South African FTTH/FNO operator that acquired part of Link Africa's FTTH estate. Operates overlapping open-access fibre networks in the same metros where Link Africa retains FTTB and FTTT infrastructure, competing for the same ISP and property partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Telkom SA SOC Ltd: South Africa's largest integrated telecom incumbent and parent of Openserve. Competes through its wholesale fibre arm and broader fixed/mobile offerings, providing an incumbent benchmark against which Link Africa positions its independent open-access model.
• MTN South Africa: Major MNO using Link Africa's fibre for tower backhaul; competes broadly in connectivity but relies on independent FNOs for open-access fibre, mirroring Link Africa's role as a critical infrastructure supplier to MNOs.
• Vodacom Group: South Africa's largest mobile operator and parent of Dark Fibre Africa. Both a Link Africa MNO customer (FTTT backhaul) and the owner of its most direct wholesale peer, making it a dual customer/competitor relationship analogue.

Regional players

• Seacom: African subsea cable and wholesale connectivity provider with terrestrial fibre assets in South Africa. Comparable on the wholesale bandwidth side, particularly for cross-border and enterprise capacity that intersects with Link Africa's ISP partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LinkAfricaFibre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-tH5qkf2RX0ZmhJUOo1Wog
• Facebookfacebook.com/linkafricafibre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/70268
• Instagraminstagram.com/linkafricafibre

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Link Africa