Cape Town-based township Internet service provider TooMuchWifi has expanded its operations in the Western Cape province to bring affordable and reliable Internet connectivity to three communities.

The company’s services will now cover growing demand in Mbekweni, a settlement between the towns of Wellington and Paarl, as well as the communities of Atlantis on the West Coast and Delft near Blue Downs, where it already has a footprint.

“This move marks a significant milestone in the company's growth, in line with its mission to bridge the digital divide that prohibits so many communities from entering the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said TooMuchWifi CEO Tauriq Brown.

TooMuchWifi, which specifically services low-income individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises in underserved communities, operates across the Western Cape, servicing 40 low-income areas, with a customer base of 400 000.

“Technology can resolve some of the challenges faced by township residents and those living in low-income settlements, including transforming them into more inclusive microeconomies,” said Brown.

The company believes it is its duty to help those that need it most, like people living in Mbekweni, who are excluded from opportunities to contribute more meaningfully to the economy and cannot improve their circumstances.

“This settlement is home to seasonal workers who labour the fruit farms surrounding the Berg river, and who are currently trapped in a web of semi- or unemployment and inaccessibility to resources that can improve their lives and livelihoods.

TooMuchWifi is also expanding its operational reach within Atlantis where it already operates, to encompass the suburb of Saxonsea, and in Delft to include Delft South, which it said is one of the fastest-growing communities in Cape Town.

“This initiative is part of the company's ongoing commitment to enhancing services for its valued clients, and it is the support of this community that has enabled the team to expand their reach,” Brown commented.

Over the past seven years, TooMuchWifi has been deploying affordable uncapped and hotspot WiFi access for several communities.

Its expansion plans have been supported by investment from social impact investors the Mineworkers Investment Company and Bamboo Capital.

“The business has grown exponentially at 300% year-on-year since 2016 and my highly skilled team and I are planning to roll out expansion across the country, to reach exponentially more people. The idea is that this will encourage more job creation and give more opportunities to many more people,” Brown continued.

There is a need to “move quickly” to close the digital divide across South Africa.

The lack of access to technology and digital literacy skills has created a major gap between those who are connected and those who are not, and Brown said that there is a major concern that this digital divide is increasing education inequality, which ultimately impacts employability.

“The benefits of bridging the technological divide are immense. It can help to empower communities by giving them the tools they need to participate fully in the digital economy. Yet still, millions of people from low-income communities across the country do not have access to affordable and reliable internet access,” he concluded.