Every fibre network in South Africa publishes a coverage map, and if you’ve checked a few you’ve probably seen them contradict each other on the very same street. The maps are useful, but treat them as a starting point, not a verdict.
How fibre coverage maps actually work
Each network operator draws its own map of where it has built, or plans to build. Vumatel, Openserve, Frogfoot, Octotel and MetroFibre all run separate maps, and each one only shows its own footprint. None of them shows you "is there any fibre here", only "is our fibre here". That single fact explains most of the confusion. If you want the lay of the land, our networks page covers who operates where.
The maps are drawn as coloured zones, and the colour is the important bit: it tells you whether an area is already live, still being built, or just planned. More on those statuses below.
Why two maps disagree about your street
Three things conspire here. Rollouts happen house by house, so one side of a road can be connected while the other waits. Maps also lag the trenching by weeks, so a freshly-lit street may still show as "coming soon". And because each map is single-network, the honest answer for your home is whatever you get when you check all the networks at once, at your exact address.
The catch: a network’s map can say "not available" while a different network is already live on your street. Checking one map and giving up is how people miss the fibre they could already order.
What the statuses (colours) mean
- Live / Ready: the network is in the ground and you can order now.
- Pre-order: built or nearly built; register and you’re near the front of the queue.
- Work in progress: actively being trenched, usually weeks away from live.
- Planned: on the roadmap, but no firm date. Worth watching, not waiting on.
A "work in progress" or "pre-order" status near you is good news, not a dead end. Those areas tend to flip to live quickly, and getting in early often means a faster install once it does.
The shortcut: check every network in one go
Instead of opening each operator’s map and squinting at colours, run your address once and let us check every network behind the scenes. You’ll see which are live, which are coming, and the packages you can actually order, all in one place. Start on the coverage page or just check your address from the home page.
Browse fibre by area
If you’d rather explore first, we keep a page for thousands of suburbs and towns showing which network is live (or building) there, plus the deals on it. Browse by province on the fibre-by-area hub, or jump to a metro like Gauteng or the Western Cape and drill into your suburb. It’s the quickest way to see what’s moving in your area before you commit to an address check.
Skip the map-hopping: enter your address and FibreScout shows every network live at your home, then compares every ISP on it by real monthly price.