Support for Small Businesses from MTN

The small business sector in South Africa is becoming increasingly important to the South African economy. Depending on the industry sector, small-sized enterprises can employ from five to fifty workers, and it is commonly accepted that the small business will be more effective in fighting unemployment in the future, compared to massive paternal corporations. Thus it is vital that not only the government supports small business development, but service providers too.

MTN business this month announced the expansion of their Metro Ethernet footprint through the development of strategic last mile relationships. This development will further their aim of providing metropolitan areas with reliable high speed connectivity, by building its own solid fibre network infrastructure. MTN recognised that particularly for small businesses, last mile fibre access is still a barrier for small and larger businesses alike. Last mile fibre is a newer form of network architecture that uses optical fibre to replace older metal loops.  This form of configuration offers higher internet speeds, bringing a higher quality of service at cost effective rates, which is vital for small business development.

The MTN Metro Ethernet product is part of an overall business solution that MTN offers, which includes fast and efficient connectivity as well as cheaper local, national, international and mobile calls in the form of managed ip pbx, giving small businesses the assistance they need to survive in this competitive market. MTN is also planning to invest around $1 billion in a project that will increase the number of 3G base stations. This will result in faster data transmission not only in metropolitan areas, but in rural areas too. This will prove to be a massive boost to small businesses based outside the main cities. Business ISP networks from MTN are available throughout South Africa and have many options in terms of connectivity and management.