Uncapped ADSL: 77c per GB
Despite the fact that heavy downloaders on uncapped accounts can cause Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to run at a loss, Axxess showcases the usage statistics of their most demanding users on its website.
Axxess offers three types of uncapped accounts which are quite similar to those offered by other ISPs that make use of Internet Solutions (IS) as an upstream provider.
Users can choose between Uncapped Shaped, Uncapped Express and Uncapped Express+ accounts from Axxess.
Express accounts are subject to 10-day rolling thresholds as well as throttling during peak times based on which package you opt for. They are unthrottled from 20h00 at night and over weekends. Uncapped Express and Express+ differ in that Express runs on the IS satellite network, a higher latency connection than a fibre network, whereas Express+ runs on the IS fibre network which uses SEACOM for international traffic.
Uncapped Shaped, on the other hand has no rolling threshold but is subject to an Acceptable Use Policy and traffic shaping.
The tables below show the top users of each package, the effective price they paid per gigabyte, as well as their average download speed.
| Uncapped Shaped | |||
| Downloaded (GB) | Line Size (kbps) | Per GB Cost | Average download speed (kbps) |
| 643 | 4096 | R 0.77 | 2013.84 |
| 596 | 4096 | R 0.83 | 1866.64 |
| 592 | 4096 | R 0.84 | 1854.11 |
| 581 | 4096 | R 0.85 | 1819.66 |
| 573 | 4096 | R 0.87 | 1794.61 |
| 568 | 4096 | R 0.87 | 1778.95 |
| 567 | 4096 | R 0.87 | 1775.81 |
| 566 | 4096 | R 0.88 | 1772.68 |
| 551 | 4096 | R 0.90 | 1725.70 |
| 549 | 4096 | R 0.90 | 1719.44 |
| Uncapped Express+ | |||
| Downloaded (GB) | Account type (kbps) | Per GB Cost | Average download speed (kbps) |
| 839 | 384 | R 1.19 | 2627.70 |
| 814 | 384 | R 1.23 | 2549.41 |
| 810 | 384 | R 1.23 | 2536.88 |
| 807 | 384 | R 1.24 | 2527.48 |
| 807 | 384 | R 1.24 | 2527.48 |
| 806 | 384 | R 1.24 | 2524.35 |
| 796 | 384 | R 1.26 | 2493.03 |
| 769 | 384 | R 1.30 | 2408.47 |
| 752 | 384 | R 1.33 | 2355.22 |
| 751 | 384 | R 1.33 | 2352.09 |
| Uncapped Express | |||
| Downloaded (GB) | Account type (kbps) | Per GB Cost | Average download speed (kbps) |
| 633 | 384 | R 1.42 | 1982.52 |
| 615 | 384 | R 1.46 | 1926.15 |
| 605 | 384 | R 1.49 | 1894.83 |
| 577 | 384 | R 1.56 | 1807.13 |
| 573 | 384 | R 1.57 | 1794.61 |
| 557 | 384 | R 1.61 | 1744.49 |
| 543 | 384 | R 1.66 | 1700.65 |
| 523 | 384 | R 1.72 | 1638.01 |
| 495 | 384 | R 1.82 | 1550.31 |
| 466 | 384 | R 1.93 | 1459.49 |
A 4096kbps download/512 kbps upload account costs R496 per month (excluding ADSL and analogue line rental). Taking this amount and dividing it by the amount downloaded yields the price per GB for that user for the month. Average download speeds are calculated by taking the amount downloaded and dividing it by number of seconds in May (2 678 400).
Uncapped shaped users seem to be getting the best value for money with the top ten downloaders all getting their bandwidth for less than R1 per GB.
Uncapped Express+ users downloaded significantly more than Uncapped Shaped users across the board, but due to the higher price of the account (R999 for a 384kbps download/192 kbps upload account) all paid more than R1 per GB.
Despite throttling, shaping, and rolling thresholds, power downloaders seem to be making the most of their uncapped accounts.
Uncapped ADSL real per-GB pricing << comments and views
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