Mobile broadband pricing comparison
Vodacom recently launched its Broadband Advanced service, offering clients equal in-bundle and out-of-bundle rates and maximum download speeds of 7.2Mbps. This service however comes at a higher price than the company’s Broadband Standard product, begging the question whether it provides a better value proposition.
The new Broadband Advanced service is aimed at contract subscribers who do not want to actively monitor their monthly usage and avoid high bills for out-of-bundle usage. It however does not provide a compelling value proposition to all mobile broadband users apart from the higher download speeds.
Coverage
One of the biggest value propositions of the Vodacom broadband offering is its country-wide coverage. Vodacom currently has the most extensive broadband access network in the country, with 2 700 active 7.2Mbps 3G/HSDPA towers.
In comparison MTN has 1 700 3G/HSDPA towers of which 400 are 3.6Mbps-enabled and just over 100 are 7.2Mbps-enabled. Telkom currently has a total of 103 live 3G/HSDPA towers with another 130 in various stages of completion.
Vodacom’s superior coverage provides frequent travelers to places other than the major metropoles with near-ubiquitous broadband coverage, but it comes at a price. Vodacom is currently more expensive than Telkom and MTN when it comes to basic mobile broadband pricing.
Pricing comparison
The following table provides a basic pricing comparison between the three HSDPA providers in South Africa. The pricing is given for 24-month contracts which include the necessary hardware to connect to the service.
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Mobile Broadband Pricing
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1 GB Contract
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| Bundle Price | Out-of-bundfle per MB | Bandwidth life span | Maximum Speed | |
| Vodacom Advanced | 389.00 | 0.38 | 60 days | 7.2 Mbps |
| Vodacom Standard | 349.00 | 1.20 | 60 days | 3.6 Mbps |
| MTN | 349.00 | 1.20 | 60 days | 1.8 – 7.2 Mbps |
| Telkom | 312.83 | 0.30 | 30 days | 7.2 Mbps |
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2 GB Contract
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| Vodacom Advanced | 599.00 | 0.29 | 60 days | 7.2 Mbps |
| Vodacom Standard | 449.00 | 1.20 | 60 days | 3.6 Mbps |
| MTN | 449.00 | 1.20 | 60 days | 1.8 – 7.2 Mbps |
| Telkom | 442.83 | 0.30 | 30 days | 7.2 Mbps |
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3 GB Contract
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| Vodacom Advanced | 799.00 | 0.26 | 60 days | 7.2 Mbps |
| Vodacom Standard | 649.00 | 1.00 | 60 days | 3.6 Mbps |
| MTN | 649.00 | 1.20 | 60 days | 1.8 – 7.2 Mbps |
| Telkom | 582.83 | 0.30 | 30 days | 7.2 Mbps |
Mobile broadband pricing comparison discussion
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