Share

Complaints over SA’s ‘poor’ broadband situation

Johannesburg - Decent broadband products are hard to find in South Africa, say a number of Fin24 readers.

On Monday, Fin24 reported about the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) raising its concerns about how the country’s expensive and slow internet is holding back economic growth prospects and even democratic freedoms, such as access to information.

The IRR’s latest South Africa Survey has revealed that the average monthly cost of broadband in SA is more than ten times that of the UK, but the UK has internet speeds that are five times faster than in SA.

The IRR said cheaper and faster internet can have a range of economic benefits for the country.

And in terms of democratic benefits, the IRR CEO Frans Cronjé had this to say: “We think a key ingredient in South Africa’s future, as a free and open society, is ensuring that its people are able to take control of the ideas that they circulate and are able to access any ideas and information as freely and as quickly and as cheaply as possible.”

Fin24 readers, meanwhile, have also pitched in with their views on this subject by answering a question on whether they agree that South Africa’s broadband is slow and expensive.

Anonymous said: “Yes I agree. For me to have internet the whole month I must buy data for more than R200 which is not possible for someone like me.”

Fin24 reader Tom Talleur said: “Thanks for your article.  You’re right.  The lack of sufficient internet access and speed is killing the economy of South Africa and the freedom that could be extended to its citizenry.”

“My wife and I are visiting SA for the first time,” added Talleur.  

“We are university professors from the USA.  We teach advanced technology and legal courses online to graduate school level students seeking master's and doctorate degrees.

“We can’t find decent DSL connectivity here unless we:

1) Check in to a high priced hotel (and even then it’s ‘iffy’);

2) Pay for a Vodacom wireless 4G router (works well, when it works, but it way too expensive — R1 000 for 20 GB).”

“This country is so beautiful.  The people are wonderful.  SA has so much to offer the world.  Improved internet service is the key to expanding commerce, educational opportunities for all, and enhancing the communications in this budding democracy. I hope we see improvements for your country over the next few years,” said Talleur.

Fin24 user Charl Jordaan has expressed his dismay at South Africa’s current broadband situation.

“Ripping off the customer seems to be the modus operandi in South Africa. In Holland you get your cable TV and total communications packet which includes uncapped 30mbps line and free international calls for around €60. This is the most expensive package. Compare this to DSTV alone being almost R700 and add uncapped 4mbps (woohoo!!!) line at another R750 including line hire and you would understand why the customer has a right to be upset. Come SA you can do way better,” said Jordaan.

Other Fin24 readers have been critical of Telkom role South African’s broadband stakes. Telkom is South Africa’s biggest supplier of ADSL lines.

“To exacerbate the problem Telkom has a ‘fair users policy’ which is tantamount to e-load shedding! So streaming Apple TV online on an uncapped line would mean that you would pay R700 for ‘15 days’,” said Deone Wardle.

Fin24 user Heinz Wyler also expressed his dismay at service levels of Telkom’s internet service.

“I am paying for an ADSL Faster line (4mbps) but for the last 4 weeks have been getting between 0.272 and 1.3mbps. I have logged 3 calls so far of which 2 were closed against my answer to their SMS. I have been told now that I am still on an old technology and that the exchange to which I am connected is hopelessly congested from 06.00 to 24.00 hrs. Despite this, the incompetent crowd at Telkom feels no shame in charging me the already exorbitant rate for something they can not provide!”

Another Fin24 reader John has expressed a greater need for competition in SA’s broadband space.

“As an IT guy and doing desktop support, I think we have the slowest connection speeds (does not matter where you are in SA). I fully agree on the pricing talks also, but will it get better though?”

“Who can knock Telkom off the chair and who can give us a faster connection speed plus cheaper internet pricing? Question is: Who and when,” John said.

Fin24 reached out to Telkom for comment on these reader’s complaints.

The telecoms provider subsequently provided Fin24 with this response: “Telkom is committed to growing the South African economy and recognises the important role we have to play in delivering digital democratisation.

“Telkom is investing to create even faster broadband speeds on both the fixed and mobile networks to regain leadership in broadband quality.The evolution of the Telkom network is ongoing, and the impact of our deployed infrastructure has done much to grow the adoption of broadband in South Africa. This is evidenced in our multi-billion Rand investment in our Next Generation High Speed Broadband Network providing new generation broadband access technologies such as VDSL, PON (Passive Optic Network) and Active Ethernet. Our deployment of Fibre to the Home, LTE and LTE-Advanced initiatives are aimed at delivering even higher speeds and quality broadband connectivity to the country.

“The customer experience of broadband offerings needs to be enhanced and Telkom is working on this as a major focus of its turnaround strategy. This must include improvements of time to install and repair as well as the quality of the product.

“We remain committed to renewing our networks, especially in high demand metro areas, with higher speeds and more flexible bandwidth and it is imperative that connectivity is increased in the outlying areas to ensure social services are delivered. To this end, a key focus for Telkom will be in the Company’s role as the lead agency for the National Broadband plan. Telkom will drive collaboration between government and industry to create a truly connected, digital nation,” said the company.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders