Biggest broadband developments in 2014
2014 saw many significant developments in the South African broadband market, including the launch of fibre-to-the-home services and the rollout of LTE Advanced.
ADSL prices also continued to decline, with many high-usage accounts offering unshaped data at less than R2 per GB.
There were also some price moves in the mobile data market, but nothing close to what was seen in the fixed broadband market.
Here are some of the highlights in the South African broadband market from 2014.
Telkom launches 150Mbps LTE Advanced
In November 2014 Telkom launched its 150Mbps LTE Advanced service in Parkview and Parkhurst. The cost of the service is R1,399 for a 100GB monthly package.
Fibre-to-the-home launched in Parkhurst
The first homes in Parkhurst received access to a Gigabit per second (Gbps) Vumatel fibre connection in October 2014. Users are able to choose between line speeds of 4Mbps, 50Mbps, 100Mbps, and 1Gbps, and can use any ISP which supports the Vumatel network.
Telkom 100Mbps fibre-to-the-home launched
On 1 December 2014 Telkom announced the availability of its 20Mbps, 40Mbps, and 100Mbps fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services in selected areas in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.
Neotel wireless broadband price cuts
In November 2014 Neotel launched its new NeoBroadband Wireless products, offering speeds of between 1Mbps and 10Mbps. The service offers unshaped, uncapped bandwidth at speeds ranging from 1Mbps to 10Mbps at affordable rates.
ISPs launch fibre-to-the-home packages
Numerous Internet Service Providers (ISPs) started offering fibre-to-the-home packages over the last few months. These ISPs included MWEB, Web Africa, Cybersmart, and Vox Telecom.
MTN fibre-to-the-home launched
In June 2014 MTN connected its first customers to its 100Mbps fibre-to-the-home offering in Monaghan Farm in Gauteng. MTN later released its new fibre-to-the-home broadband prices, offering speeds of between 20Mbps and 100Mbps with tariffs ranging between R794 per month and R1,389 per month.
Cybersmart Lightspeed++ service
In December 2014 Cybersmart unveiled its new Lightspeed++ service aimed at the business market, offering 150Mbps uncapped fibre-to-the-business and unlimited calls for R15,999 (Ex VAT) per month.
MWEB free Wi-Fi deal
In January 2014 MWEB announced a partnership with Fon, the world’s largest Wi-Fi network, which will provide participating MWEB customers with free access to this network globally.
Telkom VDSL price cuts
In August 2014 Telkom reduced the price of its 20Mbps and 40Mbps VDSL wholesale products. What followed was the reduction of VDSL retail prices by several ISPs.
ADSL data prices plummet
Many Internet Service Providers cut the price of ADSL data in 2014, with prices falling to as low as R1.50 per GB.
Telkom ADSL IPC price cut
In January 2014 Telkom Wholesale announced an effective 15% price reduction on its IP Connect (IPC) product, which took effect from 1 February.
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