MWEB is a South Africa's second largest Internet Service Provider

Internet service provider

An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...

 (ISP) founded in 1997. As of March 2011 it has approximately 350 000 subscribers. The company comprises two main divisions: MWEB Connect, which is focused on the residential and small business market, and MWEB Business, which offers products and services for medium and large businesses.

History

As one of the first Internet Service Providers in South Africa, MWEB grew quickly from its founding in 1997. In 2004 it also launched Polka, a low cost ISP. A year later, the South African division of Italian owned ISP Tiscali

Tiscali

Tiscali may refer to:*Tiscali, an archaeological village of Nuragici people, in Sardinia, Italy, notable because it was completely inside a huge cavern*Tiscali SpA, a telecom company based in Italy*Tiscali TV , multiple uses...

 was acquired by MWEB.

In June 2008 Naspers

Naspers

Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media and print media Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media (including pay-television, internet and instant-messaging subscriber...

, owner of MWEB, announced that the ISP would be auctioned off. The reason given was the MWEB would be concentrating on developing its wireless

Wireless

Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...

 broadband

Broadband

The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...

 network while Naspers's core business was as a content provider. In November 2008, the company announced that the auction had been cancelled due to the global contraction in credit markets.

During 2009 MWEB changed its focus to mobile internet and started development and design on its mobile site MWEB.mobi.

Company Structure

MWEB is owned by Multichoice

MultiChoice

MultiChoice is a South African company which operates the DStv satellite television service, the main satellite TV service in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of the M-Net terrestrial pay TV company, and broadcasts the full range of M-Net channels on the...

 South Africa, a subsidiary of media conglomerate Naspers

Naspers

Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media and print media Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media (including pay-television, internet and instant-messaging subscriber...

. The ISP operates nationally, with its headquarters in Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

 and offices in the cities of Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

 and Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

. The company has three retail stores in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, namely in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria.