Executive Summary
A major South African ISP launched operations in Cape Town in 2017 with an initial bandwidth capacity of 600 Mbps. Rapid subscriber growth exposed architectural and operational limitations that threatened their ability to scale. Aesir Systems assumed responsibility for the ISP’s core network, providing the technical leadership and operational stability required to support their national expansion strategy. Today, the ISP operates a resilient national network delivering over 92 Gbps of traffic and serving more than 20,000 daily users across South Africa.
Initial Engagement
The ISP approached Aesir Systems during its early growth phase, facing performance bottlenecks and architectural constraints that limited their ability to scale. They required a stable, scalable, and professionally managed core network to support their ambition of becoming a national operator.
Challenges Identified
- Core network instability during peak usage
- Routing architecture unable to support national expansion
- No carrier-grade NAT solution for large-scale subscriber growth
- Rising transport costs due to inefficient traffic paths
- Limited internal expertise for advanced routing and peering
- Need for technical leadership and operational oversight
Aesirs Solution
Aesir Systems took over full management of the ISP’s core network, delivering both engineering expertise and strategic operational guidance to enable long-term growth.
Key Improvements
- Implementation of BGP for national and international routing
- Deployment of OSPF for internal stability and redundancy
- Rollout of CGNAT to support large-scale subscriber growth
- Full redesign of the core network for scalability and resilience
- Establishment of presence in all major South African datacentres
- Direct peering with major global platforms:
- YouTube
- Amazon
- Microsoft
- Proactive monitoring and management of the entire core network
Strategic Input
Aesir’s involvement provided the ISP with the architectural foundation and operational maturity required to transition from a regional provider to a national network operator. By optimising routing, reducing transport costs, and implementing carrier-grade technologies, Aesir enabled predictable, sustainable growth across the ISP’s expanding footprint.
Outcomes
- 92+ Gbps national network capacity, up from 600 Mbps
- 20,000+ daily users supported with stable, high-performance connectivity
- Reduced transport costs through strategic peering and optimised routing
- National datacentre presence enabling redundancy and low-latency access
- Carrier-grade scalability through CGNAT and modern routing design
- Operational stability through continuous monitoring and proactive maintenance
- Technical leadership enabling the ISP’s national expansion
Client Feedback
Aesir Systems transformed a regional ISP with limited capacity into a national network operator delivering over 92 Gbps of traffic across South Africa. Through expert routing design, strategic peering, and proactive network operations, Aesir enabled the ISP to scale reliably, reduce costs, and deliver high-quality connectivity to more than 20,000 daily users.
