what do you take to be decent broadband?
The radio network fundis will have to confirm but I actually suspect that with LTE you are looking at ranges on some frequencies of up to 100Km now when you share this between lots of people the speeds are pretty bad but you can get really good rural coverage. LTE is not about speed. It is about the Long Term Evolution of GSM (and CDMA actually) into an all-IP network architecture that uses technology smartly.
At the end of the day deep in the bundu can only realistically depend on satellite based broadband access but this shouldn't be a crisis if the overall ecosystem works.
Which is why I asked for the definition (as per the DoC)....
All network operators have a single purpose and that is to generate shareholder value; they are not NPOs. It makes zero business sense to roll out state-of-the-art networks in underserviced areas where there is virtually zero returns.
The only reason they would do so is if they are regulated to do so as an incentive for additional spectrum allocation.
As per the current broadband definition, 99% of South Africa is covered for broadband. Whether it is affordable and the quality thereof is another matter!
