06 September 2022

European internet of things (IOT) wireless network operator Sigfox has officially launched in South African, a year after the previous network operator in the country was wound down.

The company is the result of the extensive restructuring of Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH)-owned IOT unit SqwidNet, which was closed after it failed to make profit for its owners – six years after it was launched in November 2016.

The South African unit is is backed by a consortium of investors comprising CIVH, Discovery Insure, Fidelity ADT, Macrocomm and Buffet Investments.

A French global network operator founded in 2010, Sigfox builds wireless networks to allow billions of devices to connect to the internet, in a straightforward way, while consuming as little energy as possible.

The wireless network operator is the initiator of the Sigfox 0G network, which interconnects low bandwidth, battery-powered devices with low bit rates over long ranges.
The Sigfox 0G network in South Africa was built over several years through the then IOT network provider SqwidNet, which was the licensed Sigfox operator in South Africa.

Addressing delegates at the launch event in Sandton, CIVH CEO Raymond Ndlovu – who is also non-executive director of Sigfox South Africa – pointed out that in mid-2021, SqwidNet’s stakeholders agreed the business required fundamental restructuring to adapt to various challenges it encountered over the previous years.

“We’ve taken past lessons to heart and understood that our customers are loyal and proactive because they appreciate the tangible value massive IOT creates for them and their customers,” Ndlovu said. “In the technology sector, you evolve with risks and remain cognisant of relevant, dynamic innovation. This is the ethos of Sigfox South Africa, and we look forward to helping IOT make even more positive impacts for everyone.”

Sigfox has operations in over 75 countries.