Who is Frogfoot? What do ISPs do?

Perhaps one of the most the frequent questions we get is, “…Aren’t you our Internet Service Provider?” So, what exactly does Frogfoot do, what does Open Access mean and what differentiates us from an Internet Service Provider? A lot, you’ll find. But we also all function together in an eco-system that ensures your fibre needs are always met.

The short answer is Frogfoot is a Fibre Networks Owner (FNO) and lays fibre in neighbourhoods. These lines are ‘rented’ by ISPs who choose to use our infrastructure. So, in a sense, your ISP is our customer and you are theirs.

Mind blown yet? Let’s continue.

The difference between Frogfoot (an FNO) and an ISP

A Fibre Network Owner manages and owns your fibre optic connectivity infrastructure. Our fibre optics are Froggin’ Fast and the infrastructure carries data to and from its originating point to its end-point. We provide connectivity to the Fibre to the Home (FTTH) and Fibre to the Business (FTTB) industries

FNOs are responsible for the build of the infrastructure which includes; trenching, laying down fibre lines and finally reinstatement before connecting the zone to the node. After an area goes live, you, the customer can start enjoying Froggin’ Awesome Fibre!

Customers can also pre-order while an area is in ‘WIP’ or Work in Progress. For more information on laying fibre in your neighbourhood, read this article.

Who is the ISP?

As David Lindeque of Afrihost phrased it, “As the ISP, we have to wait for the FNO to have completed their trenching and for them to have backhaul links in place to the data centre. The time between trenching and ready-for-order is dependent on the FNO, and this timeline varies per company.”

An ISP or ‘Internet Service Provider’ is responsible for the day-to-day management of your fibre line. Your ISP is responsible for ensuring your line is always active. If such a time comes that the fault is due to our infrastructure, the ISP will flag this with our technical faults, maintenance and provisioning department who will gladly assist with the issue.

Who do you call for line issues?

If you experience any issues with your line, please contact your ISP. They should always perform first line checks to ensure the issue is not related to your ONT. If there is another issue that your ISP cannot solve on their end, they will notify our Faults, Provisioning or NOC department.

“At times, the FNO may be experiencing an issue and at times it may be the ISP. When a client is experiencing an issue, it is the responsibility of the ISP to investigate thoroughly and, regardless of whether the issue is on the FNO side or ISP side, do everything they can to restore the client’s link back to optimal status,” says Lindeque.

Every fault logged is given a ticket with a reference number. This reference number is important so please ensure your ISP shares this with you. Fault tickets logged begin with ‘FF’ followed by 6 digits.

If you are querying an outage in your area, installation or billing, please contact your ISP. Please note, since we are an open access fibre company, we do not bill you for your internet package, this is done by your internet service provider.

Who do I call regarding installation?

Although Frogfoot may lay the fibre and install the fibre into your home, your first and only point of call is your Internet Service Provider. They will have all information regarding your line status, speed, connectivity and installation dates.

When you place your order with an ISP and your address is in a Frogfoot region, your ISP will place an order with us on your behalf. Your account details such as name, address, order date, etc, are loaded onto our system where we communicate back and forth with your chosen ISP.

Who do I contact to find out when my area is live?

Our coverage map is very easy to use and will give you the exact dates of your chosen area. Whether your area is still in the Planning stage, WIP (Work in Progress) or is about to go live, simply add your full address in the search bar provided for a detailed look at your forecasted live date. Click here to visit our coverage map now.

In short, we plan to provide fibre to as many areas in South Africa as we can. Our aim is to focus on secondary towns who are “data-starved” and suffer from poor internet signal and crawling speed rates.

Who do I call for reinstatements?

With the necessary trenching and laying of fibre in roads, pavements and driveways, some excavation and uprooting is needed. We always strive to ensure that we leave our builds, exactly as we found them. Should you be unsatisfied with our reinstatement, we are always happy to help in any way we can. Please contact ftth@frogfoot.com to report any issues and we will gladly assist.

Ready to take the leap and get connected with Fibre? Check for coverage here!