The holidays are all about connection, yet geography and travel costs limit opportunities. This year, the average cost of a round-trip flight between destinations like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban will be more than it was two years ago. Wonga reveals that 48% of South Africans who are not travelling this festive season, whether to visit relatives or otherwise, cite financial pressures as the primary reason. Whether your family is scattered across the country or you’re simply looking for ways to make the most of your time together, fibre internet might just be the unsung hero of the holiday season – a holiday MVP you didn’t know you needed.
When buffering ruins the vibe
Imagine you’re on a video call with your grandmother, proudly showing her your latest achievement, and then, buffering strikes. Moments like these can dampen the holiday cheer. High-speed fibre internet ensures smooth, uninterrupted holiday catch-ups so that every proud gasp and warm smile reaches the other side crystal-clear. The key to ensuring you get that chance to see gogo, no matter where she is in the country, is relying on lightning-fast and reliable fibre networks available almost anywhere in the country.
Taylor Kwong, Head of Marketing at Vuma, one of South Africa’s leading fibre network operators (FNO), says, “Whether you’re watching “The Grinch,” “Home Alone,” “Best Christmas Ever,” or challenging your cousin in your favourite online games, having access to reliable internet ensures you’re not stuck staring at a spinning wheel of doom.”
Virtual dinners that feel real
If we learnt one thing from the pandemic, it is that we can make virtual gatherings as meaningful as in-person ones. For families who can’t share the same table, fibre internet makes a shared holiday meal possible. You can all cook up the same recipes, sit down at the same time, and keep the laptop open to swap compliments (and friendly banter about whose gammon looks the driest). Shared meals, even virtual, foster a deeper sense of connection and belonging.
A digital bridge for family traditions
Access to fibre internet isn’t just about convenience and speed, it’s about preserving traditions. From hosting virtual Secret Santa gift exchanges to sharing treasured holiday photos in seconds, fibre brings families together in ways that feel, well, magical. It’s not just technology; it’s the spark that keeps relationships warm even across thousands of kilometres.
At the end of the day, holidays aren’t about how much you spend or how elaborate the celebration is, they’re about being with the people who matter most and having access to unlimited internet makes this possible for families cross the globe. And while fibre won’t pull the crackers for you, it will make sure that you’re raising a virtual toast to everyone who couldn’t make it home this year.
DID YOU KNOW?
Vuma is a leading South African fibre provider that has passed more than over 2 million homes since its operations began in 2014. Vuma connects South African communities to high-speed, fit-for-purpose internet through open-access fibre broadband. Working with more than 75 Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Vuma’s value extends beyond infrastructure and empowers ordinary individuals and communities across South Africa to do more, see more, and dream of more.
Guided by its philosophy of ‘because we can, we must’, Vuma strives to drive transformation and break communication barriers. The brand has connected more than 800 registered primary and high schools in the regions where it operates, to free 1Gbps fibre broadband internet. This supports hundreds of thousands of young people and their teachers through access to the boundless opportunities of the internet, in collaboration with its partner ISPs.
Among Vuma’s accolades are: South Africa’s Best Fibre Provider in 2019 at the MyBroadband Conference and Expo; Fastest Growing Broadband Provider in 2020 and Best Broadband Provider in 2021 by the International Business Magazine Awards; the Global Economics Award for Fastest Growing Telecommunications Company 2021; Best Fibre Provider for 2021 by MyBroadband; and Best Fibre Network Operator South Africa 2024 at the World Economic Magazine Awards.
Vuma’s CEO, Dietlof Mare, was awarded Telecom CEO of the Year 2020 South Africa as well as Telecom CEO of the Year 2021 South Africa by the International Business Magazine Awards.
To find out more about Vuma fibre deals visit www.vumatel.co.za
INFO SUPPLIED.
