Internet Solutions (IS) has come a long way since it was a startup in the basement of the Siltek building in Randburg. Now a long-time division of Dimension Data, IS is no longer an ISP but a nascent telecoms company, using its extensive data network to provide more than just internet connections.

Just how much more becomes clear after a day spent following Justin Spratt around. Spratt, an amiable Australian who’s been living here for six years, has three hats at IS: general manager of the fixed mobile business unit, of the WiFi business unit and somewhat more informally, of IS Labs, an incubator-type initiative that helps local startups to get on their feet. By the time I get to the Le Mans building on the Dimension Data campus at 09h00, he’s already had four meetings. The next is a phone call to another journalist, explaining his latest plan to take the telcos and mobile carriers on at their own game.