Over 500 broadband users voted in the poll which appeared on the front page of the MyADSL/MyBroadband website. Skype was voted the most popular application with 52% of the votes, followed by MSN Messenger with 29% and Google Talk scooping up 11%.

Yahoo messenger and other applications only tallied 8% of the votes, which gives an indication of the dominance of the top three applications in the South African market.

Skype’s popularity may be partly fuelled by its low PC-to-phone call rates to the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Many South Africans have relatives in these three countries, and with Telkom’s high international call rates Skype becomes an attractive alternative to the standard fixed line option.

Discuss this article