The installation of a fibre optic internet connection has ensured residents of Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate are able to enjoy all the perks of a relaxed country lifestyle without having to sacrifice connectivity.
Estate manager Matt Gibbs explained they made use of Telkom’s gated solution option.
“The installation of a fibre connection is exciting in that, while it’s available in most suburbs throughout Port Elizabeth, it wouldn’t usually be available out here.
“We’re on what they call the peri-urban edge of the metro and Telkom are unlikely to run a line through this area because of the low housing density,” he said.
“However, they’ve realised there are thousands of estates like these throughout the country so they’ve come up with a solution that is tailor-made for the circumstances.
“We now have full connectivity in an area that is essentially outside the metro, something which I think is a big achievement.”
Fibre, which is essentially hair-thin strands of plastic or glass instead of the traditional copper cabling, is the latest connectivity technology. It transmits large amounts of data using light rather than electrical impulses.
A fibre connection is not only far more reliable, it also offers much faster download speeds.
“It’s almost unlimited in its ability,” said Gibbs. “There is scope for a myriad add-ons, but we’re still focusing on getting the basics right.”
With the system now in place and running smoothly, he said there were a number of additional advantages that came with it.
The first, he said, was that the system could also be used for security purposes as the connection allowed for free house-to-house and house-to-estate management calling.
“This applies to the gatehouse too. You can call through to notify them of a guest arriving, or even if there’s a problem,” said Gibbs.
A second benefit of the gated solution was the fact that the plan allowed for a dedicated consultant in the event of queries or complaints.
“The difference between us and a more suburban area is that, because we’ve bought into this option, we will have our own manager. If there are problems, we don’t have to direct our queries to a call centre.”
Gibbs said he felt connectivity was something many younger property owners would place high on their list of priorities.
Mandi Campbell, a resident since 2015, said she and her husband, Nigel, frequented the internet to keep in touch with family and friends living overseas.
“We use WhatsApp calling quite a bit. You feel more confident using it when you know you have a good internet connection,” she said, adding that they had experienced a vast improvement in their connection speed.