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ADSL on its last legs in South Africa

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  By   Daniel Puchert Partially state-owned telecommunications company Telkom announced in its financial results for the year ending 31 March 2025 that its ADSL subscribers had more than halved to under 30,000. According to the company’s operational data, ADSL lines decreased from 64,959 in March 2024 to 29,770. This 54.2% decline highlights that the legacy broadband technology is slowly approaching the end of the road. Telkom’s ADSL business peaked at the end of March 2016 with 1.01 million subscribers — two years after fibre upstart Vumatel  broke ground in Parkhurst . What followed was a sharp decline in Telkom ADSL subscribers. Customers connected to its copper networks decreased by more than 500,000 over the next four years. This was partly driven by Telkom itself, which began actively switching off its copper network in some neighbourhoods. If it did not have fibre in the area, it would offer a “fixed line lookalike” wireless service that ran over its cellular ...
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This 217-Foot Megayacht May Be the First Vessel Designed and Built Over Zoom

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Having chartered superyachts for more than 20 years, the owner used his favorite features in the design of the new 217-foot Vitruvius.

217 foot Vitruvius yacht for a new owner who had used charter yachts as a templateCourtesy Philippe Briand Studio

Vitruvius is a rare superyacht brand based on a definite look and style: A long, thin and almost rectangular profile, with copious windows and a slightly rounded stern. Both classic-looking and slightly futuristic, the design is the brainchild of French designer Philippe Briand, who has been responsible for many leading sailing yacht designs. The London-based firm is now working with Italian builder Rossinavi on a 217-foot Vitruvius scheduled to be delivered in 2023.

The owner, who chartered different yachts for 20 years, decided to finally buy his dream yacht for private use with family and friends. Briand said the yacht lover is a “thorough and knowledgeable client,” who went beyond just sunning himself on charter yachts over the years.

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Vitruvius is named after a Roman author who wrote a classic series on architecture, noting the primary characteristics that the best architecture shares.

Vitruvius superyachts share common features like a vertical bow and sleek profile

The 190-foot Najiba shares the same sleekVitruvius look as its larger sistership, currently in build at Italy’s Rossinavi shipyard. Courtesy Philippe Briand Studio

The yacht owner seems to have taken pointers from that ancient book. “By meticulously recording every detail and preference for his perfect yacht over the course of two decades’ chartering, he has created a comprehensive design reference that includes an extensive photo archive,” says Briand. “Alongside the guidance of his owner’s representative, we were provided with a very detailed feedback and preferences. Every line, every single volume of the yacht has been scrutinized.”

Many designers would find this kind of micro-managing by an owner stifling, but Briand said the owner’s input led to a “superior yacht” and “thoroughly enjoyable project.”

The beauty of the Vitruvius brand is that the yachts are rare, but very distinctive. The 240-foot Nautilus, part of its megayacht series, has the same long, lean hull as the new build at Rossinavi, but with a taller superstructure. The smaller 190-foot Najiba is more slender than its larger sistership, but again, shares the long profile.

The Vitruvius series is Philippe Briand's superyacht sisterhood

The 240-foot Nautilus has a more classic megayacht look than its sisterships, but shares the vertical bow and low-slung decks. Courtesy Philippe Briand

Briand noted that the new 217-footer “must be the first yacht to be built on Zoom, because we have been working together with the owner for over a year without having physically met.” Despite that, Briand says that the collaboration process has been enjoyable. “The benefits will no doubt be seen in the final outcome of this special yacht,” he says.

 

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