Nokia and Reflex Partner to Supercharge South African Broadband

Introduction

Finnish networking giant Nokia and South Africa’s Reflex Solutions have joined forces to tackle the persistent challenge of inadequate broadband access across the Rainbow Nation. In a deal announced on May 19, 2025, Reflex—a subsidiary of the Myriad Group—will deploy Nokia’s high-capacity Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) solution, based on the 7750 Service Router (SR-1) platform, to modernize and scale its wholesale network. This strategic move promises to accelerate the onboarding of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and improve energy and space efficiency—ultimately bringing faster, more reliable internet to businesses and communities nationwide (Nokia.com, ITWeb).

South Africa’s Digital Divide: Demand Outpacing Supply

At the start of 2024, South Africa boasted an internet penetration rate of 74.7 percent, with 45.34 million users online; yet nearly 25.3 percent of the population remained offline, predominantly in rural and peri-urban areas (DataReportal – Global Digital Insights, terrafirma.agency). On the continent as a whole, urban dwellers enjoy internet access rates of 57 percent, compared to just 23 percent in rural regions—the widest urban-rural gap among all International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regions (Nairametrics). Rapid digital transformation in sectors ranging from e-commerce to e-learning has driven broadband demand to new heights, straining legacy network infrastructures and leaving underserved communities disconnected.

Government Policy and Regulatory Backdrop

Recognizing connectivity as a cornerstone of economic growth, the South African government has doubled down on its SA Connect broadband policy, aiming to lift national internet penetration above 75 percent by 2025 through public-private partnerships and universal service obligations (Trade.gov). Regulatory reforms to allocate additional spectrum for fixed and mobile broadband, combined with incentives for infrastructure sharing, have sought to spur investment in rural backbones and last-mile access. Despite these initiatives, power shortages and low commercial viability continue to impede rollout in sparsely populated regions, underscoring the need for innovative, cost-effective network architectures.

The Myriad–Reflex Ecosystem

Reflex Solutions, part of the Johannesburg-based Myriad Group, delivers connectivity via a network-as-a-service (NaaS) model to over 80 ISPs, spanning fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), fixed-wireless access, and managed ICT services. As a value-added reseller of Nokia, Reflex leverages in-house engineering teams to design, deploy, and operate critical infrastructure, while Myriad’s broader portfolio—including Metrowatt Solar and Open Fibre—focuses on renewable energy integration and backhaul provisioning. This vertically integrated approach enables Reflex to control service levels, pricing, and sustainability outcomes, aligning with Myriad’s corporate responsibility mandate to bridge the digital divide and support economic inclusion (myriad.co.za, connect.myriadgroup.com).

Nokia’s 7750 SR-1 Platform: Powering the Future Network

The backbone of the partnership is Nokia’s 7750 Service Router (SR-1) platform, a compact, high-performance router capable of scaling from 1.5 Tb/s to 4 Tb/s full-duplex throughput with intelligent aggregation (Nokia.com). Designed for broadband gateway applications, the SR-1 supports a range of interfaces—QSFP56-DD, QSFP28-DD, QSFP+, SFP28, and CFP2-DCO—and offers industry-leading resilience with redundancy options, DDoS mitigation, and line-rate MACsec encryption. The platform’s modularity and energy-efficient FP4 silicon enable Reflex to optimize rack space and power consumption, critical factors in data centers and remote aggregation sites.

Carrier-Grade NAT and the BNG Solution

Integrated with Carrier-Grade Network Address Translation (CG-NAT), Nokia’s BNG solution transforms the 7750 SR-1 into a fully featured broadband gateway, handling subscriber session control, DHCP, IP subscriber management, and quality-of-service enforcement in a single node. By consolidating functions into one platform, Reflex can onboard multiple ISPs—and their subscribers—in days rather than months, reducing the number of network elements, cabling, and rack units required (ITWeb, Developing Telecoms). The result is a streamlined architecture that lowers both capital and operational expenditures, freeing ISPs to reinvest savings into coverage expansion and service innovation.

Environmental and Operational Efficiencies

Legacy BNG deployments often rely on power-hungry, space-inefficient hardware. In contrast, the 7750 SR-1 consumes up to 30 percent less energy per Gbps of throughput and occupies fewer rack units, enabling Reflex to shrink its data-center carbon footprint and defer capital outlays on cooling and floor space. These efficiencies align with global sustainability goals and South Africa’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, where the ICT sector is expected to reduce energy intensity by 45 percent by 2030.

Neutral Host Models: Democratizing Connectivity

A key innovation in the deployment is the neutral host approach, in which multiple ISPs share common physical infrastructure while maintaining separate service and billing domains. “Working with partners like Reflex from Myriad Group, which recognizes the importance of neutral host models providing flexible and scalable networks, is crucial in addressing the connectivity challenges across South Africa,” said Toni Pellegrino, Managing Director of Nokia South Africa and Head of Network Infrastructure for Southern and Eastern Africa. This model lowers barriers to market entry, enabling smaller ISPs to leverage Tier 1 network capabilities without bearing full infrastructure costs.

Speed to Market: Onboarding ISPs in Days, Not Months

Traditional BNG rollouts can take 12–18 months from design to service launch. By contrast, Reflex’s integrated BNG solution cuts deployment time to 2–4 weeks, thanks to pre-validated hardware-software profiles and automated provisioning templates. Charles Castle, Commercial & Sales Executive at Reflex Carrier Solutions, explains: “By integrating Nokia’s 7750 SR-1 Broadband Network Gateways and carrier-grade NAT into the Reflex backbone, we are adding capacity and intelligence while reducing space, power and complexity. The result is a future-ready platform that is scalable, secure and always-on—delivering unrivalled uptime, rock-solid redundancy and the high-speed performance our partners need, to grow with confidence” (Nokia.com, Connecting Africa).

Bridging the Digital Divide: Regional and Rural Impact

With the scalable BNG in place, Reflex plans to extend broadband service to underserved provinces such as the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, where internet penetration lags the national average by 10–15 percent (DataReportal – Global Digital Insights, Nairametrics). By empowering ISPs to serve last-mile communities using fixed-wireless and hybrid fiber-wireless links, Reflex can address connectivity gaps that fiber-only models struggle to reach economically. Early field trials in rural municipalities demonstrated 20 percent higher throughput and 30 percent lower latency compared to legacy gateways, validating the solution’s performance under real-world conditions.

Competitive Landscape and Strategic Partnerships

Nokia’s BNG solution positions Reflex ahead of competitors such as Huawei and Cisco, whose legacy hardware often requires separate modules for subscriber management and NAT. Meanwhile, South African mobile operators MTN and Vodacom continue to invest in 5G rollouts, but fixed broadband remains critical for enterprise and community connectivity. Alliances with renewable-energy firms—like Myriad’s Metrowatt Solar—further differentiate Reflex by enabling off-grid and hybrid-power aggregation sites. Industry analysts predict that neutral host networks, underpinned by flexible BNG architectures, will account for 25 percent of new broadband deployments in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2027.

Looking Ahead: 5G, Edge and Beyond

While the current focus is on fiber and hybrid access, Reflex and Nokia are already exploring next-generation enhancements, including 5G Standalone (SA) integration and Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC). By deploying Nokia’s Edge Node software on the 7750 SR platform, Reflex can offer low-latency localized services—such as telemedicine hubs and smart-factory connectivity—leveraging edge compute resources at key POPs. Additionally, partnerships with cloud providers will enable Reflex to deliver “Connectivity as a Service” bundles that combine network, compute, and application layers under a unified SLA.

Conclusion

The Nokia-Reflex collaboration marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s broadband evolution. By combining Nokia’s robust 7750 SR-1 BNG solution with Reflex’s NaaS model and Myriad’s sustainability expertise, the partnership addresses affordability, performance, and deployment speed in one cohesive package. As Reflex scales this platform nationwide, the potential to bridge the digital divide—particularly in underserved and rural areas—becomes tangible. For ISPs and end-users alike, the result promises a leap forward in connection quality, economic opportunity, and social inclusion.

Related Links:

• Nokia and Reflex expand broadband reach and quality across South Africa (Nokia.com)
  
• Nokia 7750 Service Router Platform (Nokia.com)
  
• Digital 2024: South Africa (DataReportal – Global Digital Insights)
  
• Only 38% of Africa’s population used internet in 2024—ITU report (Nairametrics)
  

Photo source: Google

By: Montel Kamau

Serrari Financial Analyst

26th May, 2025