Low-cost internet provider TooMuchWifi raises funding for expansion

TooMuchWifi CEO Tauriq Brown

TooMuchWifi, a telecommunications company and internet service provider focused on providing internet access in poorer communities, has announced a significant funding round.

The investors are British International Investment (BII), Infra Impact Investment Managers and IDF Capital. The “sizeable” capital raised – the quantum has not been disclosed – will be used to accelerate TooMuchWifi’s low-cost internet services into South Africa’s “aspirational communities”, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

TooMuchWifi, launched nine years ago, has served more than a million users and is operational in 75 communities. In 2023, the company cut its data prices, offering 24 hours of unlimited internet access for just R5 using a daily hotspot voucher.

The unfortunate reality is that emerging markets like South Africa experience a widening digital divide

“As the world becomes even more digitally connected, the unfortunate reality is that emerging markets like South Africa experience a widening digital divide where low-income citizens are essentially locked out of the internet due to extremely high data costs,” said TooMuchWifi CEO Tauriq Brown in the statement.

“Our effort of radically lowering and democratising the internet addresses this major issue… Given so much is done online today, including things like digital payments, online learning and real-time communication, it is unjust that our people are denied access to what should be a human right,” he said.

“With unemployment now at 32.9% – among the highest in the world – internet access is a lifeline for more than a third of the population right now.”

‘Air Fibre’

Brown said that TooMuchWifi will use the latest capital injection to expand its footprint and its team.

“We dedicate 30% of our revenue to tackling the most pressing challenges our people face – from Khayelitsha to Delft and Langa to Dunoon. Our support goes far beyond internet access; it extends into critical areas like technology, education, employment, nutrition and community safety,” he said.