Cool Ideas: Powering South Africa with the Nation's Fastest Internet

Cool Ideas, a Johannesburg-based internet service provider, has emerged as a forerunner in the quest to provide the fastest and most reliable internet service in South Africa. Boasting three consecutive years atop the charts of Ookla and Steam, they deliver an impressive average speed of 70 Mbps, which surpasses the national average speed by 20 Mbps.

Serving over 50,000 South African users monthly across various networks, Cool Ideas implements FTTH (Fibre to the Home), FTTB (Fibre to the Business), VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), and Uncapped Fixed LTE Wireless technologies to cater to the dynamic needs of their customers. The enormity of data processed is substantial, equating to about 4 million Netflix episodes monthly, with Netflix reporting them as the leader in streaming speeds.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet has transcended its previous role as a commodity to become an essential service – a transition Cool Ideas has seamlessly accommodated. Pioneered by Paul Butschi and Andre Jooste, the company has always prioritized user support and feedback in their service, enabling continuous adaptation and improvement of their network.

Innovative and tech-savvy, Cool Ideas’ network implementation includes MPLS on NLDs, significantly enhancing service continuity and speed. They’ve also augmented their international connectivity with dual pathing to the UK via WACS and Equiano cables and will soon be incorporating services from French telecom giant Orange.

The ISP has faced and surmounted numerous challenges, including DDoS attacks and diverse issue collaborations with other companies. Overcoming these has only reinforced their resilience and commitment to excellence.

Markedly, Duwane Peters, Marketing Manager at Cool Ideas, sees the company’s simplification strategy as the cornerstone of their success. While other providers may complicate matters with onerous pricing structures, data limits, and tracking systems, Cool Ideas thrives on its offering of uncapped data packages. This strategy allows the company to focus on enhancing their infrastructure to provide users with consistent high-speed internet.

This dedication extends to public service as well, with Cool Ideas providing free internet access to 309 schools through their Cool Schools programme. Such commitment has not gone unnoticed; the company has been recognized as the Best Fibre ISP for three years by MyBroadband and has scored highly in customer satisfaction and brand loyalty among South Africa’s ISPs.