Terrible article. It is just more propaganda, to get us to accept the horrid ADSL offerings in this country, all while trying to make us believe, we are getting a world standard good deal.
We are not... If this article wants to compare apples with apples, bear in mind that the UK has a 60ish million population (close to ours) and they have many people living in outlying areas, where it's hard to get copper exchanges to. Hence the roll out of fibre. But that is where the similarities end.
The political will and push in the UK, have ensured that fibre rollout has been implemented reasonably effectively. Most villages, you can get 20meg to 150 meg connections. Yeeeeeees, it's the same as here regarding contention, but it's more than offset by free landline/cell calling, entertainment packages and reasonable monthly data caps.
And finally, there is the tripe that are exchanges rates, that this article sites as valid proof. Rubbish. This comparison is utterly mauled by the fact that the average monthly family salary in the UK is 2000 to 3000 pounds per month with extra benefits...
I seriously doubt the average South African family, out of our 50ish million population, takes home 40 000 to 60 000 Rand per month, excluding extra benefits.