Network & Team

Fibre internet should be fast, reliable and come with great support. We promise to keep delivering just that!

Hello Beautiful Nerds

Atomic is a fibre-only internet service provider started by friends for friends in 2018. We provide internet services on the 4 major fibre networks in the Western Cape.

Why we started Atomic

Not so long ago, we were frustrated with our internet and fed up with slow support and BS call centres. So we thought it would be a fun challenge to build our own internet service provider. Our friends kept asking for advice about which ISP to use, so we invited them.

We built Atomic on 3 simple principles:

1) Treat people the way we would like to be treated

2) Make sure customers can trust they are getting what they are paying for

3) Make people smile

Now our friends and customers get the speeds they are paying for, solid uptime, quick responses and monthly discounts when they invite their friends to join.

What we’re not!

Atomic is not yet another big call-centre driven corporate ISP. We are not just a marketing and support company with an outsourced network. We’re not boring, we’re not lame and we’re not greedy.

How we’re different

Atomic is a founder-run business. We’re medium-size, we’re focused, we’re fibre-only, we’re Western Cape-only. Not having any legacy technology allows us to keep things simple and lean and lets us provide great service.

Always Good Ships 🚀

“We build good ships here; at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always good ships.”
– Collis Potter Huntington

Our Network

We build and manage our own network: AS328266. Atomic operates a fully dual stack IPv4 and IPv6 network with routing redundancy over 7 undersea cable systems. We average 140ms latency to London (UK), 112ms to Lisbon (EU) and 16ms to Joburg (ZA).

Content Networks

We have extensive peering with all the major content and streaming networks. Get low latency access to Youtube, Facebook, Apple and Netflix. We have dual redundant connections into each of the major local internet exchanges with many gigabits of spare capacity. Visit our PeeringDB page.

Open Networking

We built a 100% Open Source 100Gbps IP network!

Not so long ago, you could not dream of running 100Gbps routers with fully open source software. We compile our own Linux kernels for our Mellanox / NVIDIA routers. 100% Debian with 100% Open Source routing software. Atomic is a leading ISP in the Open Networking revolution!

Atomic has an Open Networking strategy that includes a strong belief in Open Source, Open Peering, Open Access and Open Standards. Our customers get ASIC speeds, a network designed to scale to billions of packets per second, consistent low latency and lots of spare capacity.

Read: Purist Open Networking at ASIC Speeds 🚀

Our Team

We are a team of nerds, full stack network engineers, designers and developers. We’ve been building IP networks for more than 20 years now. We love open source – we’re mostly Debian geeks. Calm is a superpower. We are a team of calm, technical, relentlessly resourceful, relentlessly optimistic, infinite learners.

“Work ethic, taste, integrity, curiosity – the rest you can learn.”

Matt Mullenweg

Nick Soper

Co-founder, Director

Go-to-kid at school for computers. First Router: Linksys. Past head of marketing at Yoco. Enjoys Surfing, Hiking and Super Mario Kart. Apple user since 2001. Here to help and to solve problems.

Joe Botha

Co-founder – Network & Growth Teams

Open networking nerd and serial entrepreneur: past co-founder of Octotel, Frogfoot and Teraco. INTP, podcast geek, flâneur, impatient idealist, Techstars alum.

Michael Pollock

Co-founder, Director – Ops & Finance

Reluctant bean counter, nerd, loves computers and sustainability. ~10 years in the telecoms space (Octotel and Atomic) Enjoys being in the surf, snow, outdoors and music. First PC Game: Bubble Bobble, Favourite: Liero

Giles Filmer

Co-founder – Network Team

Linux geek. Honed his sysadmin and networking skills in the early Frogfoot days, before moving to Riberry as a VoIP engineer. Came to Atomic after a brief stint in the consulting business. Enjoys beer, music, reading. Hates multicast. Occasional gamer.

Stewart Cousins

Ops Manager

Customer service extraordinaire. Started out in fitness, switched gears to engineering, and ended up in IT and Telecoms. Recently left Frogfoot management to get back to working with clients directly. Workaholic who likes helping people and learning about layer 3. 1/2 Viking, fondness for jewels and dragons.

Warwick Duncan

Co-founder – Network Team

Started working life as Network Supervisor at the Chemical Engineering department at UCT then moved to Frogfoot as a Linux sysadmin. Learned some networking along the way. Currently routing packets, drinking whisky, and complaining about systemd.

Core Values

Version 1.06

Inspired by the Zappos story (RIP Tony Hsieh) and the writings of Derek Sivers we designed our own Core Values.

When we started Atomic it was very important to us that we treat customers the way we would like to be treated. These values are a framework which guide our actions, including how we interact with our customers, team and business partners.

1. Make Customers Smile

Great service is a priority for our entire company. Delight customers with excellent service.

2. Relentless Problem Solvers

We are proactive, resourceful, infinite learners and never shy away from a challenge.

3. Attention to Detail

We value excellent design, high standards and quick, clear answers.

4. Grow via Word of Mouth

We want customers to love their service so much they tell their friends.

5. Simplicate and Add Lightness

We manage complexity while keeping things effortlessly simple for customers.

6. Purist Open Networking

We design and build our network to be stable and reliable while using open standards and open source.

7. Create Fun and a Little Weirdness

We can be a bit unconventional, sometimes nerdy and never average.

8. Fiercely Independent

Remain an independent medium size ISP with a small team of multi-skilled experts.

9. Proudly Local

We support small business and we do our part to grow the local economy.

10. Calm is a Superpower

We aim to be good listeners, humble, helpful, open and transparent.

Captain's Log

We keep this around for nostalgic purposes…

March 2025: Added a Twitch streaming relay.

January 2025: Added a network dashboard with techies and gamers in mind.

December 2024: Launched our new website on a new domain (atomic.co.za), with a new logo and arranged access to the SACS and MONET cable systems for lower latency to the Americas.

July 2024: Started an On-site support department, with a new support ticket system.

January 2024: Deployed Net 4.0 – Open Networking with NVIDIA Spectrum ASICs.

June 2023: Published our Core Values.

March 2023: We joined the Openserve network.

October 2022: We were rated the top smaller ISP by MyBroadband 4 times in a row.

April 2022: Our first major DC migration, more space to grow.

March 2022: We started peering at CINX.

May 2021: We joined the Vumatel network.

August 2020: Expanded to the Cape Winelands with an extra license.

August 2018: Launch announcement on MyBroadband and our first Frogfoot customers went live.

June 2018: We received our first IPv4 and IPv6 address space and setup peering at NAP Africa JHB and CPT.

March 2018: First Octotel customers went live.

January 2018: Received our AS Number AS328266.

December 2017: Installed our first router at Teraco CT1 (Debian 9, FRR 3).

November 2017: Listened to Derek Sivers book “Anything You Want”. Figured it would be fun to start a company using some of those ideas.

We are #1 in Google and Hellopeter ratings!

Most of our customers joined because of word of mouth and epic reviews.

Take a minute to read a few Google and Hellopeter reviews from happy customers.

4.9/5

250+ Reviews