Andre Eksteen, senior product manager – FTTB at Vox.
Internet and communications firm Vox is confident its latest partner programme, launched in November 2025, will help niche ISPs in SA bypass barriers to entry – including the need for substantial capital investment – by providing access to extensive network infrastructure, peering agreements and technical expertise.
According to Vox, ISPs must source high-quality network equipment as well as business support and operations support systems at competitive prices, and build a skilled technical team to manage complex networks.
The company adds that these service providers must also deal with high interconnect costs and negotiate peering and caching agreements with technology majors, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Netflix. Some of these ecosystem partners demand minimum capacity thresholds, making it economically unviable for ISPs not serving large customer bases.
Andre Eksteen, senior product manager – FTTB at Vox, says: “These ISPs deliver reliable broadband and voice services in areas that larger providers often overlook. However, they lack the economies of scale, sizeable infrastructure investments and long-standing vendor relationships with vendors – challenges that create high barriers to entry for newcomers and mid-tier players alike.”
He adds: “These ISPs face significant hurdles in winning deals. Coverage gaps, limited network availability and restricted access to premium networks put them at a disadvantage. On top of that, customers now expect a complete solution: multiple access technologies like fibre, wireless and satellite, integrated with voice and PBX functionality, and delivered with speed. Meeting these demands is not just challenging, it’s often impossible for niche players, which is why competing, let alone thriving, in this market remains such a struggle.”
Eksteen says the new wholesale partner programme is tailored specifically for emerging and mid-sized ISPs that are ready to expand without the heavy lifting.
According to the company, the programme is open to any venture with a valid Electronic Communications Service (ECS) licence, an ISP billing and network management system, local and international internet network, the ability to install and manage their own customer premises equipment on-site, and the ability to do first-line troubleshooting for their customers.
Eksteen did not divulge specific numbers, but says Vox has internal targets for how many partners it wants to onboard, as well as how many links it wants to sell through these partners monthly.
