A Leap Towards Uninterrupted Connectivity in South Africa
Financial institutions across South Africa face several connectivity challenges, including unstable power grids, dependency on vulnerable terrestrial infrastructures, and increased risks from natural disasters. These challenges threaten the continuity of services, security of sensitive data, and the overall resilience of the financial sector. The fibre network infrastructure, which underpins most financial transactions, buckles during power disruptions. Repeaters in the network shut down, hindering vital financial processes and severing the link between institutions.
The South African Reserve Bank instructed banks on May 31st, 2023, to prepare contingency plans for scenario of total electricity grid collapse. Banks are required to have dedicated links between their operations housed at a Data Centre between the 3 major centres with the key link breaking out from Johannesburg to Europe and bypassing the entire telco network in South Africa.