Why ADSL is so expansive in SA when compared to overseas country? Monopoly

Hi all:

I am just providing some infomation with regard to ADSL services oversea, as you read it, you will feel exactly been robbed by telkom SA (big time).

In belgium, the ADSL service is 40 euro per month, with unlimited access.
In taiwan,

12 Mb download / 1Mb upload R 120 for the internet service, R146 for the ADSL line usage - all no quota, no limit.

8M download /640K upload, R88 for the internet and R130 for the ADSL line usage.

2M/512K, R106 for the internet and R130 for the ADSL line. ( all per month ).

Even the second slowest speed is 1M/64K, R 66 for the internet and R82 for the adsl line.

This is really shocking compared to what we paid here to telkom.

Some of their high speed package, the company even give away internal DVD writer as gift when you sign up 12 month prepaid package ( the prices are even cheaper for prepaid).

I really do not understand why telkom over change consumer like this. It is about time, some action should be taken by the govement.

It would be better if we compared ourselves to smaller countries such as,
Mauritius R400 512/128 Uncapped - Note Mauritius uses the same cable South Africa does.
Or Sri Lanka R145.51 512/128 Uncapped

Yes, it's TELKOM!

telkom sucks, bottom line

LaRoosTa said:

Or Sri Lanka R145.51 512/128 Uncapped

Click to expand...

Words are beyond me.

LaRoosTa said:

Or Sri Lanka R145.51 512/128 Uncapped

Click to expand...

And this is a tiny little country that has major issues with the Tamil Tigers et al, and their country has just been FEKKED up by the mother of all tsunamis. Yet... they still have realistic ADSL prices.

Please, for the love of all things good, will someone (a moderator or RPM), correct the spelling of this thread. Of all the words to spell incorrectly, expEnsive was not the correct one.

expAnsive, as it states in the thread is the ONE thing that ADSL in SA is NOT!

Expansive: (relevant defintions from Google)
# impressive in scale; "an expansive lifestyle"; "in the grand manner"
# marked by exaggerated feelings of euphoria and delusions of grandeur
# friendly and open and willing to talk; "wine made the guest expansive"

Now, ADSL in SA is neither "impressive in scale" (or in any other way except cost), nor does it lead to "feelings of euphoria". And its provider, Telkom, certainly does not meet the third definition.

PLEASE correct!

I was thinking the same thing..

LaRoosTa said:

It would be better if we compared ourselves to smaller countries such as,
Mauritius R400 512/128 Uncapped - Note Mauritius uses the same cable South Africa does.
Or Sri Lanka R145.51 512/128 Uncapped

Click to expand...

Wouldn't it be better to compare us to bigger countries, seeing as we are a big country ourselves? It's easier to provide infrastructure in small countries. Belgium is one of the most wired up countries in the world for example, and it's tiny.

Peru, Chad, Niger, Angola, Mali, Colombia, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Mauritania and Egypt all fall more or less into our size range. South Africa is the 33rd biggest area according to the CIA World Factbook (this includes oceans, the world as a whole and the European Union). Mauritius only ranks 188th, Belgium 148th and Sri Lanka 130th.

But hell, I always say we should just compare ourselves to Australia. They have a huge country (13th) and very little of it (pecentage wise) has infrastructure. They're surrounded by ocean and are completely cut off from the rest of the world. So howcome they can provide cheap broadband and we can't?

ironically, i read an article this week in a belgian newspaper that complained about a combined package (unlimited internet, phone line + digital TV i.e. TV on demand) in Belgium that came down to 64 Euro a month (+/-R500), whereas in Italy, one provider offers the same services for 25 euro.
We still have some way to go in this country....

But hell, I always say we should just compare ourselves to Australia. They have a huge country (13th) and very little of it (pecentage wise) has infrastructure. They're surrounded by ocean and are completely cut off from the rest of the world. So howcome they can provide cheap broadband and we can't?

Click to expand...

Agreed, even population density is low, and way lower than us.

TMoose said:

But hell, I always say we should just compare ourselves to Australia. They have a huge country (13th) and very little of it (pecentage wise) has infrastructure. They're surrounded by ocean and are completely cut off from the rest of the world. So howcome they can provide cheap broadband and we can't?

Click to expand...

I agree, They also have to have the undersea cabling, and have similar infrastructure to maintain, I would probably throw in New Zealand as a country of measure since while smaller in many ways they make for interesting comparison.

Here's something from a little research I was doing for articles earlier. Might still use it at some point:

British Telecom (UNITED KINGDOM)
Package: BT Yahoo! Broadband
Monthly Price: L27.99 (R330)
Downstream: 2M
Upstream: 256kbps
Transfer Cap: 30GB
Port shaping: no
Line charge: L11.50 (R135)
Install charge: free

Speakeasy (UNITED STATES)
Package: Home Plus
Monthly Price: $99.95 (R657)
Downstream: 6M
Upstream: 768K
Transfer Cap: Unlimited
Port shaping: no
Line charge: $6 (R39)
Install charge: $99 (R650)

New Zealand Telecom (NEW ZEALAND)
Package: Xtra Broadband Navigate
Monthly Price: $69.95 (R319)
Downstream: 2M
Upstream: 128K
Transfer Cap: 10GB
Port shaping: Yes
Line charge $10 (R46)
Install charge: $99 (R451)

Telestra (AUSTRALIA)
Package: Big Pond 20GB plan
Monthly Price: $129.95 (R656)
Downstream: 1.5M
Upstream: 256K
Transfer Cap: 20GB
Port shaping: No
Line charge: $10 (R50)
Install charge: $99 (R500)

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (JAPAN)
Package: FLET ADSL
Monthly Price: Y2646 (R159)
Downstream: 47M
Upstream: 5M
Transfer Cap: Unlimited
Port shaping: No
Line charge: Y2509 (R150)
Install charge: Y2940 (R176)

Telkom (SOUTH AFRICA)
Package: Telkom ADSL
Monthly Price: R249
Downstream: 512K
Upstream: 256K
Transfer Cap: 3GB
Port shaping: Yes
Line charge: R569
Install charge: R404

ICASA proposed (SOUTH AFRICA)
Package: DSL
Monthly Price: Unknown, probably similar
Downstream: 1.5-2M
Upstream: 512K
Transfer Cap: 30GB?
Port shaping: No
Line charge: R92
Install charge: Unknown, probably higher