MWEB

MWEB
Subsidiary
Industry Telecommunications
Founded January 1997[1]
Headquarters Cape Town, South Africa
Key people
 Sean Nourse (CEO)[2]
Imraan Parker (CFO)[3]
Products ADSL, WiFi, Fibre To The Home, LTE Advanced, Web Hosting, VoIP, Gaming and email services
Parent Internet Solutions
Website mweb.co.za

MWEB was founded in 1997 and is today South Africa’s second largest Internet Service Provider (ISP).[4] MWEB offers a range of Internet access offerings, differentiated tools and services to approximately 320 000 customers. The company's main division, MWEB Connect, is focused on the residential and small business market.

MWEB is a division of Internet Solutions Digital (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Dimension Data,[5] and its headquarters are located in the MWEB Building in Parow, Cape Town.[6]

History

As one of the first Internet Service Providers in South Africa, MWEB launched dial-up internet in South Africa with the Big Black Box in 1997, which was issued with a copy of tech expert Arthur Goldstuck's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet,[7] the bestselling tech book in South Africa at the time. In 2004 it also launched Polka, a low cost ISP.[8] A year later, the South African division of Italian-owned ISP Tiscali was acquired by MWEB.[9]

In 2006 its 3G mobile data offerings were launched and the company resold products from two of SA's largest mobile networks.[10] The company was later first to launch Uncapped ADSL in South Africa, in 2010,[11] and brought the global Fon WiFi network[12][13][14] to South Africa in 2014.

Also in 2014, MWEB launched its first fiber-to-the-home packages.[15] In 2015, the company was restructured to focus mainly on the residential and small business market. In addition the company sold its MWEB Business, Optinet and core network assets divisions to Internet Solutions,[16] a division of Dimension Data.

In December 2016, Internet Solutions announced that it had entered an agreement with Naspers to acquire MWEB pending approval by the South African competition authorities.[17][18] On 9 May 2017, it was announced that the South African competition authorities approved the proposed acquisition of MWEB with 31 May 2017 being the effective date of the sale.[19][20]

In July 2017, MWEB launched a selection of LTE Advanced products in partnership with Rain, a fixed wireless broadband provider.[21][22]

Company Structure

MWEB is owned by Internet Solutions Digital (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Dimension Data. The ISP operates nationally, with its headquarters in Cape Town. MWEB has 30% Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment shareholders.[23]

Retail Stores

The company initially had five retail stores. The retail stores were closed at the end of March 2016, opting to move all of their sales online.[24]

GameZone

GameZone is MWEB's gaming website which features gaming news, reviews, videos and eSports information. Gamezone also hosts local gaming servers and events, with a dedicated support team and prioritised gaming traffic on the MWEB network.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "MWEB Who We Are". Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  2. ↑ https://www.mweb.co.za/aboutus/meet-the-team
  3. ↑ https://www.mweb.co.za/aboutus/meet-the-team
  4. ↑ "Who are we? - MWEB". www.mweb.co.za. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  5. ↑ Internet Solutions (2017-05-18). "INTERNET SOLUTIONS FINALISES ACQUISITION OF MWEB". Internet Solutions. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  6. ↑ "Find us - MWEB". www.mweb.co.za. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  7. ↑ "Brand Journeys: MWeb – not quite 'just like that'". Marklives.com. 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  8. ↑ "About us - MWEB". www.mweb.com. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  9. ↑ "About us - MWEB". www.mweb.com. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  10. ↑ "Who are we? - MWEB". www.mweb.co.za. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  11. ↑ http://www.saha.org.za/resources/docs/FreedomHouse.pdf
  12. ↑ "Fon global leader in managed WiFi, WiFi access worldwide". Fon. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  13. ↑ "Redirecting..." www.bdlive.co.za. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  14. ↑ "Fon times ahead - Mweb partners with WiFi giant". Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  15. ↑ "MWEB fibre-to-the-home prices announced". MyBroadband. 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
  16. ↑ Staff Writer (2014-12-11). "MWEB-DiData merger deal gets approval". BusinessTech. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  17. ↑ Staff Writer (2016-12-02). "Internet Solutions agrees to buy MWeb Connect". ITWeb. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  18. ↑ MyBroadband (2016-12-02). "MWEB to be sold to Internet Solutions". BusinessTech. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  19. ↑ Staff Writer (2017-05-09). "Commission approves MWeb sale to DiData". ITWeb. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  20. ↑ Staff Writer (2017-05-09). "Competition Commission approves Internet Solutions' acquisition of MWEB". MyBroadband. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  21. ↑ Staff Writer (2017-06-22). "MWEB launches Rain LTE-A products – Pricing and details". MyBroadband. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  22. ↑ Staff Writer (2017-06-06). "MRain – "The future of fixed and mobile connectivity in South Africa"". MyBroadband. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  23. ↑ "MWEB About Us". Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  24. ↑ Staff Reporter (2016-02-01). "MWEB to close its retail stores". TechCentral. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  25. ↑ "MWEB GameZone". Retrieved 2016-12-07.
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