Cool Ideas

Cool Ideas is a South African internet service provider that sells fixed broadband connectivity, with its business centered on fibre internet access for residential and business customers. The company was founded in 2011 by Paul Butschi and Andre Jooste. Its early activities involved providing fibre connectivity to businesses over infrastructure supplied by Dark Fibre Africa, an open-access fibre network operator. This infrastructure-led model allowed Cool Ideas to operate as a service provider without owning all of the physical access network used to connect customers. The company later expanded into the fibre-to-the-home market. A significant turning point came when Vumatel began deploying fibre in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. The availability of open-access residential fibre infrastructure encouraged Cool Ideas to move beyond business connectivity and offer broadband services directly to households. This helped establish the brand within South Africa's rapidly developing fibre market, where customers typically choose an internet service provider separately from the network operator that owns or manages the local fibre infrastructure. Cool Ideas competes primarily through the quality and performance of its broadband service, rather than through a broad consumer-electronics or mobile product portfolio. Its core offering is internet access delivered over third-party fibre networks, supported by service and account-management functions associated with a fixed ISP. The company has operated as a distinct consumer-facing brand even after becoming majority-owned by Afrihost, another South African ISP. In 2021, South Africa's Competition Commission approved a partial acquisition under which Afrihost acquired a majority stake in Cool Ideas. The arrangement preserved Cool Ideas as a separate brand and provided for the continuation of its management team and employees. The original shareholders also retained stakes in the business. The transaction therefore changed ownership while maintaining operational and brand continuity. Cool Ideas has received repeated recognition in South African broadband assessments. It won MyBroadband's ISP of the Year award in 2018 and 2020, followed by Best Fibre ISP of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022/23. In 2024, Ookla ranked it as the fastest ISP in South Africa, and the company was named Best Fixed ISP in South Africa for that year. In April 2025, Cool Ideas acquired the entire customer base of competing ISP Mind The Speed, expanding its customer relationships while remaining focused on its established fibre-service model. Cool Ideas primarily serves the South African market and remains an active ISP brand. Public reference material identifies its founders, majority ownership by Afrihost, fibre-focused positioning, awards, and customer-base acquisition, but does not provide enough reliable information to state a precise headquarters address, detailed financial results, current executive roster, or a complete product-price catalogue.

Cool Ideas began operations in South Africa in 2011, founded by Paul Butschi and Andre Jooste. The company initially served business customers using fibre infrastructure supplied by Dark Fibre Africa, an open-access network provider. This arrangement placed Cool Ideas in the service-provider layer of the broadband market: it could sell and manage internet access while relying on infrastructure operated by a separate network company. The expansion of Vumatel's fibre network into Parkhurst, Johannesburg, created an opportunity for Cool Ideas to enter the residential fibre-to-the-home segment. The founders responded by extending the business from enterprise-oriented connectivity into household broadband. South Africa's open-access fibre model enabled consumers to select an ISP independently of the local fibre network operator, giving brands such as Cool Ideas a route to national growth without requiring ownership of every access network. The company built its reputation around fixed fibre internet and later received recognition in industry and consumer broadband rankings. Cool Ideas won MyBroadband's ISP of the Year award in 2018 and again in 2020. It won Best Fibre ISP of the Year in 2021 and 2022/23. In 2024, Ookla identified it as the fastest ISP in South Africa and named it the country's Best Fixed ISP for that year. Ownership changed in 2021 when the South African Competition Commission approved a partial acquisition by Afrihost. Afrihost acquired a majority interest, but the transaction was structured to preserve Cool Ideas as a distinct operating brand. The existing management team and employees continued with the business, and the original shareholders retained their interests. The deal linked two established South African ISPs while avoiding an immediate absorption of Cool Ideas into the Afrihost brand. In April 2025, Cool Ideas acquired the entire customer base of Mind The Speed, a competing ISP. This was a customer-base expansion rather than a reported change to the company's core identity: Cool Ideas remained a South African provider focused on fibre broadband. Publicly available reference material does not establish a precise headquarters location, a detailed list of current executives, financial performance, or a complete account of network-by-network service availability. The documented history nevertheless shows a progression from business fibre services, through residential fibre expansion, to majority ownership by Afrihost and further customer growth through the Mind The Speed transaction.

1. 2025Mind The Speed customer-base acquisition

   In April 2025, Cool Ideas acquires the entire customer base of competing ISP Mind The Speed.

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2. 2024Ranked South Africa's fastest ISP

   Ookla ranks Cool Ideas as the fastest ISP in South Africa, and the company is named Best Fixed ISP in South Africa for 2024.

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3. 2022Best Fibre ISP recognition for 2022/23

   Cool Ideas receives MyBroadband's Best Fibre ISP of the Year award for 2022/23.

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4. 2021Afrihost becomes majority shareholder

   The Competition Commission approves Afrihost's partial acquisition of Cool Ideas, resulting in Afrihost holding a majority stake while the brand remains operationally distinct.

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5. 2021Best Fibre ISP recognition

   Cool Ideas wins MyBroadband's Best Fibre ISP of the Year award.

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6. 2020Second MyBroadband ISP of the Year award

   Cool Ideas again receives MyBroadband's ISP of the Year award.

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7. 2018MyBroadband ISP of the Year

   Cool Ideas wins MyBroadband's ISP of the Year award.

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8. 2011Cool Ideas is founded

   Paul Butschi and Andre Jooste establish Cool Ideas as a South African internet service provider.

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9. 2011Initial business fibre offering

   The company initially provides fibre connectivity to business customers over Dark Fibre Africa's open-access infrastructure.

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10. Expansion into fibre-to-the-home

    After Vumatel launches fibre in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, Cool Ideas begins offering residential fibre-to-the-home services.

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A fibre-focused South African ISP positioned around high-performing fixed broadband connectivity and service quality across open-access fibre networks.

• Fibre internetFixed broadband

  Cool Ideas' principal product is fixed internet access delivered over fibre networks. The service is offered through South Africa's open-access fibre ecosystem, in which the network operator and internet service provider can be separate companies. The offering serves residential customers through fibre-to-the-home access and also supports business connectivity. Specific package speeds, prices, installation terms, and network availability vary by infrastructure provider and are not specified in the supplied reference material.

• 2025Acquisition of Mind The Speed customer baseM&A

  Cool Ideas expanded through a transaction involving the customers of competing ISP Mind The Speed.

  What changed. In April 2025, Cool Ideas acquired the entirety of Mind The Speed's customer base.

  Aftermath. The transaction increased Cool Ideas' customer footprint while leaving its documented core positioning as a South African fibre ISP unchanged.

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• 2021Afrihost majority acquisitionM&A

  Afrihost, another South African ISP, sought a partial acquisition of Cool Ideas. The transaction was reviewed by South Africa's Competition Commission.

  What changed. The Commission approved the transaction, allowing Afrihost to acquire a majority stake. Cool Ideas continued under its own brand with the same management team and employees, while original shareholders retained stakes.

  Aftermath. The deal made Afrihost the majority owner but preserved Cool Ideas as a distinct operating brand.

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• 2025Cool Ideas acquires Mind The Speed customer base

  In April 2025, Cool Ideas acquired the entire customer base of competing South African ISP Mind The Speed.

  M&A
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• 2024Cool Ideas receives repeated South African ISP awards

  Cool Ideas was recognized as the fastest ISP in South Africa by Ookla for 2024 and was named Best Fixed ISP in South Africa for the year. The recognition followed earlier MyBroadband awards in the ISP and fibre ISP categories.

  Other
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• 2021Afrihost receives approval to acquire a majority stake in Cool Ideas

  South Africa's Competition Commission approved a partial acquisition that gave Afrihost a majority stake in Cool Ideas. The companies indicated that Cool Ideas would continue as a separate brand with its existing management and employees, while original shareholders retained stakes.

  M&ARegulation
  Source

1. Cool Ideas (South Africa)
2. Cool Ideas official website