"What is broadband?"
Broadband is what Telkom, as our sole DSL fixed leased-line provider in SA, compares themselves to internationally. Telkom claims that they are making use of world-class technology and that they provide-world class services, as well as world-class connectivity for both businesses and residential users.
If we compare apples to apples, then Telkom is pitting South Africa against the entire European Union, America and countries in Asia such as Japan, China and Korea.
Discounting Japan, China and Korea, given their propensity to provide up to 100mbps services as a standard product for residential use, we look at the USA and countries such as the UK specifically.
In the UK, you currently pay up to around 50 pounds for ~100gb of bandwidth with no AUP/FUP on an 8mbit downstream, 448kbps upstream connection.
That comes to a max of R570, with most services being below this upper limit.
The equivalent for only the connection in South Africa (until 8mbps/10mbps properly launches) is our 4mbps service, which comes at a minimum cost of R550 before you even have your ISP account; so if we had to combine two of these together to get 8mbps we'd pay R1,100 before ISP account.
This is also of course assuming that you are getting a special bundle from Telkom via their DoBroadband product range, which is a contract. To make matters worse, the Do Broadband site is now geared towards those with faster connections; imagine being a 3G user and burning up your data or a dialup user and waiting an eternity just to go view their products.
http://www.dslzoneuk.net/isp_details.php?isp=64
http://www.dslzoneuk.net/isp_details.php?isp=106
In the USA, you pay
http://www22.verizon.com/residential/fiosinternet/plans.html
$55/month if ordered without a phone or $50 if ordered with a phone connection for 15mbps with Verizon; uncapped, no need for a separate ISP account
This is for a FiOS connection, a technology that, based on the fact Telkom recently rolled out fiber optic networking across SA, we could technically have in our homes if they'd distribute the funds they milk from us properly. Obviously even in the US, this kind of connection is subject to availability, so let's look at Cable instead, the staple broadband connection for American Home Users.
Comcast:
https://www.comcast.com/shop/buyflo...-2AAC7939C070&lpos=Nav&lid=2ShopHSI&Inflow=1&
Their 'economy' broadband is 1.5mbps down, 384kbps up:
Economy Internet Service
Way faster than dial-up with downloads up to 1.5 Mbps and uploads up to 384 Kbps.
This is priced at $25/month, is again uncapped and requires no extra ISP account.
A bump up from that is their 15mbps down, 3mbps up service:
Performance
Downloads up to 15Mbps, uploads up to 3Mbps with PowerBoost®
This is priced at $43/month, and again, uncapped without requiring an extra ISP account.
Going one up on that they have 30mbps down, 7mbps up
Ultra
Downloads up to 30Mbps, uploads up to 7Mbps with PowerBoost®.
This is priced at $63/month, yet again, uncapped and doesn't require an extra ISP account.
To put that into perspective:
1.5mbps equivalent uncapped in USA vs SA
$25 for 1.5mbps uncapped (R183) vs R550 ($75) for an up-to 4mbps service with a 5gb cap, R550+R540 for an up-to 4mbps uncapped account (R1,090 or $148)
15mbps
$43 for 15mbps uncapped (R315) vs R2,062 for 4mbps minimum, up-to 16mbps maximum connection consisting of four lines, with a 20gb combined cap or R2,062+(4*R540) for uncapped (R4,222 or $575)
30mbps
$63 for 30mbps uncapped (R440) vs R4,125 for 8mbps minimum, up-to 32mbps maximum connection consisting of eight lines with a 40gb combined cap or R4,125+(8*540) for uncapped (R8,445 or $1,152)
Now, it's easy to say "yes but you shouldn't be comparing what they pay because of yada yada yada".
Why shouldn't you say that? Because Telkom doesn't. In fact, Telkom says exactly the opposite. Telkom tells you, not asks you to believe,
tells you as a matter of fact, that they are on the forefront of broadband technology. That they are using world-class equipment and protocols. That they provide the fastest connections (maybe in South Africa, where even that is not true, but most definitely not in the world). That they provide the most affordable connectivity (again, maybe in South Africa, but most certainly not in the world).
It's a simple fact that for some business-critical applications, it is cheaper for companies that need to transmit massive amounts of data, such as raw footage for a television show or film, that it is both cheaper AND faster for them to purchase four hard-drives, place the footage onto each of those hard-drives providing them with backups, and then to put a person on a plane to fly to the country it needs to get to to deliver it in person. That's return ticket, economy class.
So that's what 'broadband' is. What the rest of the world tells us it is. Because that's what Telkom tells us it is. Because Telkom is our major leased-line provider (if not only one worth mentioning) in South Africa, and because Telkom says that they are providing technology on par with the rest of the world at 'affordable' (read: on par with the rest of the world) rates.
which is beside the point. I just want faster Internet at cheaper prices 
