What Alpha 1 does

Alpha 1 Telecoms is a privately held South African telecommunications engineering firm that delivers turnkey infrastructure services to major telecommunication equipment manufacturers and telecom operators across South Africa and Southern Africa. Founded prior to 2019 and headquartered in Midrand (Gauteng) with regional offices in Cape Town and Durban, the company positions itself as a deployment partner for network operators rather than a software or product vendor.

The company's core offering spans Radio Access Network (RAN) services — including new site builds, upgrades, antenna swaps, RRU/GPS installations, and 5G-related work — alongside microwave point-to-point and point-to-multi-point transmission, satellite services, drone and physical site surveying, 3-phase electrical power upgrades, decommissioning of legacy infrastructure, fibre network services (planning, installation, commissioning, transmission), and civil engineering (construction, concrete, roads, stormwater). Underlying delivery relies on field crews executing on-site at telecom infrastructure locations, supported by ISO 9001:2015 (January 2020) and ISO 14001 quality and environmental management certifications.

Alpha 1 generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts, primarily with major telecom equipment manufacturers and tier 2/tier 3 telecom operators, earned by delivering new site builds, RAN upgrades, microwave links, and decommissioning programs. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct engagement, with delivery executed through a national field operations team and a partner ecosystem (Matih Group for electrical, Ardor Industrial for steel fabrication, Alpha 1 Creatives for design). No publicly disclosed pricing exists; engagements are quoted per project. Cumulative disclosed project volumes include 650 decommissioned sites, 150 new sites built, and 300 microwave links completed. The company is independently owned with no institutional investment disclosed.

Name

Alpha 1

Legal name

Alpha 1 Telecoms

Website

https://alpha1.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Alpha 1 Telecoms is a South African B2B telecom infrastructure engineering firm delivering turnkey RAN, microwave, satellite, fibre, electrical, and civil works to major telecom equipment manufacturers and operators across South Africa and Southern Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Engineering Services

NAICS

Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction (237130)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Building Wireless & Neutral-Host Solutions (IBS) (HDAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Satellite Broadband Terminals & Gateways (VSAT/LEO CPE) (HDAFAIAM)

Keywords

• Telecom infrastructure services
• Radio access network engineering
• Microwave transmission services
• Telecom site surveying
• Fibre network deployment

Headquarters

HQ city

Midrand

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Telecom Infrastructure Services: B2B engineering services revenue derived from providing turnkey solutions including new site builds, RAN installation, microwave network deployment, site surveys, electrical services, and decommissioning of legacy telecom infrastructure. Revenue is project-based, likely earned through contracts with telecom equipment manufacturers and operators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Alpha 1 is a South African telecoms engineering firm providing turnkey infrastructure solutions to major telecommunications equipment manufacturers and operators. The company delivers new site builds, RAN/5G installations, microwave and transmission networks, drone and physical site surveys, decommissioning of legacy telecom infrastructure, 3-phase electrical services, fibre network deployment, and civil engineering works for telecom sites across South Africa and Southern Africa.

Product overview

Alpha 1 is a telecoms engineering firm providing turnkey solutions in Radio Access Networks (RAN), Microwave Networks, and Satellite Services across South Africa. The company operates as a unified service offering with interconnected capabilities: RAN Services handles new site builds and network upgrades; Microwave/Transmission provides point-to-point and point-to-multi-point connectivity; Site Surveys (drone and physical) support planning and installation; Decommissioning manages legacy site migrations; Electrical Services provide power infrastructure; Fibre Services cover fiber optic network deployment; and Civil Engineering delivers construction and site preparation. Additional support services include Project Management, QA assurance, and Graphic Design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RAN / RAN-5G Services Radio Access Network services including new site builds (NSB), upgrades, antenna swaps, wireless board installations, TMA/splitter/coupler/combiner/filter/RET installations, RRU and GPS installations, and antenna azimuth/tilt tests for telecom operators and equipment manufacturers.
• Microwave / Transmission Services PTMP (Point to Multi-Point) and PTP (Point to Point) microwave transmission services for telecommunications networks, including link deployment across Southern Africa.
• Site Surveys Drone and physical site surveying services for telecommunications infrastructure planning and installation, supporting network rollout and upgrade projects.
• Decommissioning Services Seamless migration from outdated telecommunications platforms to current platforms, including decommissioning of legacy sites and supporting legacy services during transition.
• Electrical Services 3-phase electrical services and power upgrades for telecommunications infrastructure sites, supporting new builds and upgrades.
• Fibre Services Full fibre network services including planning, site survey, fibre works, installation, commissioning, and transmission for telecom fibre rollouts.
• Civil Engineering Services Construction services including construction works, concrete works, roads, stormwater drainage, and ancillary works for telecommunications sites.
• Project Management Services Project management for telecom infrastructure engagements, including client meetings and reporting, quality assurance, EHS assurance, quality control, and site handover.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Matih GroupminorOthersMatih Electrical is a specialized electrical services company proudly owned and managed by black females. They appear as a strategic partner providing specialized electrical services to complement Alpha 1's telecom infrastructure services.
• Alpha 1 CreativesminorOthersCreative agency partner focusing on delivering impeccable quality. Provides graphic design and creative services including corporate identity, website development, UI/UX design, and motion graphics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Comsol: South African licensed telecom operator and infrastructure provider using wireless and fiber — adjacent to Alpha 1's customer base and overlapping on microwave/PTP infrastructure deployment expertise.
• Alaris Antennas: South African antenna and RF product manufacturer serving the same African telecom operator customers — comparable in domain (RF/wireless telecom) and geography even though Alaris is product-focused rather than services-focused.

Broad incumbents

• Helios Towers: Large-scale tower infrastructure operator across Africa — works alongside Alpha 1's operator customers and shapes the macro tower/infrastructure services market in which Alpha 1 plays.
• Cyient: Global engineering services firm with telecom infrastructure and network engineering capabilities — comparable as a turnkey telecom engineering services competitor, particularly on multi-region rollouts.
• IHS Towers: One of the largest independent tower operators globally with significant African footprint — comparable as a buyer of site-build and maintenance services and as a structural counterparty to Alpha 1's market.
• Black & Veatch: Global engineering, procurement, and construction firm with a telecom network services practice — competes with Alpha 1 for large turnkey telecom infrastructure deployment contracts.
• Ericsson South Africa: Major RAN equipment vendor with significant South African operator business — both a potential customer and competitor as Ericsson bundles services with its hardware deployments.

Direct peers

• Tellumat: South African-based communications and electronic systems group providing telecom infrastructure, microwave, and satellite solutions — overlaps with Alpha 1's microwave and satellite services lines.
• Vulatel: South African telecom infrastructure services firm offering site acquisition, civils, tower erection, and RAN installation across Southern Africa — directly competing with Alpha 1 on the same operator customer base.

Others

• CommScope: Global communications infrastructure equipment and solutions provider — adjacent as a supplier/ecosystem participant whose equipment Alpha 1 installs and whose partner ecosystem overlaps with Alpha 1's market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Alpha-1-100064212127501
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gorillatel

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Alpha 1