Cheapest ways to use the Internet in SA – ADSL vs Mobile vs Fibre
Telkom recently launched new wholesale ADSL lines, one of which is a 1Mbps option which it sells for under R50 per month.
Axxess was one of the first ISPs to offer the new 1Mbps line to clients, which retails for R55 per month.
The launch of the “cheap” ADSL service is an attractive offer for low-usage users who do not require high download speeds, or use bandwidth-intensive applications.
This then raises the question: Which option – DSL, mobile, or FTTH – is the cheapest for home users, based on their monthly data needs?
The tables below answer that question – based on light, medium, and heavy usage profiles.
It should be noted that a speed increase was factored in as data allocations increased.
Light Usage – Up to 10GB
| Service | Download speed | Data allocation | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afrihost 1Mbps ADSL | 1Mbps | 8GB | R264 |
| Axxess 1Mbps ADSL | 1Mbps | 10GB | R288 |
| Telkom SmartBroadband Wireless | 14Mbps | 10GB (+10GB Night Surfer) | R299 |
| RSAWEB (MTN) Mobile | 23Mbps | 10GB | R399 |
Medium Usage – Up to 100GB
| Service | Download speed | Data allocation | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afrihost 4Mbps ADSL | 4Mbps | 100GB | R647 |
| Telkom FTTH | 10Mbps | 100GB (+Night Surfer) | R699 |
| Telkom SmartBroadband Wireless | 14Mbps | 100GB (+100GB Night Surfer) | R999 |
Heavy Usage – Over 100GB
| Service | Download speed | Data allocation | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afrihost 8Mbps ADSL | 8Mbps | 200GB | R917 |
| Telkom FTTH | 40Mbps | 100GB SoftCap | R1,099 |
| Telkom FTTH | 100Mbps | 200GB SoftCap | R1,599 |
| Telkom SmartBroadband Wireless | 14Mbps | 200GB (+200GB Night Surfer) | R1,599 |
Note: hardware and installation costs were not taken into account in the price comparison above.
ADSL prices include Telkom’s analogue line rental fee of R189 pm. Mobile speeds based on MyBroadband speed test server results.
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