Broadband value in SA improving, but only a little

Ookla’s Net Index shows that South Africans are not getting a particularly good deal when it comes to broadband value for money.

The Net Index ‘household value index’ uses recent surveys from Speedtest.net to compare and rank consumer broadband value around the globe.

According to the report, people in Luxembourg enjoy the best broadband value for money, followed by Iceland and Denmark.

The following list provides the top 10 countries based on the average broadband subscription cost divided by the Gross Domestic Product per Capita.

1. Luxembourg – 0.612% ( $56.05/month )
2. Iceland – 0.809% ( $35.39/month )
3. Denmark – 0.897% ( $46.43/month )
4. Austria – 0.928% ( $38.34/month )
5. United Kingdom – 0.941% ( $34.16/month )
6. Netherlands – 0.953% ( $42.06/month )
7. Sweden – 0.968% ( $41.91/month )
8. Norway – 0.979% ( $77.32/month )
9. Hong Kong – 0.997% ( $25.65/month )
10. Finland – 1.062% ( $45.44/month )

58. South Africa – 15.969% ($73.73/month)

South Africans are well behind the leaders, with a broadband subscription cost of 15.969% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product per Capita. South Africa ranks at number 58 out of the 64 listed countries.

When looking at the median cost per Megabit per second (download) divided by the Gross Domestic Product per Capita, South Africa remains in 58th place.

South Africa’s price of $39.17 per Mbps is also much higher than the global average of $9.90 per Mbps.

When looking at plain cost per Mbps (the median monthly cost in US dollars per Megabit per second), South Africa finishes second from the bottom (number 63 out of 64 countries).

According to the report, South Africans on average pay $39.05 USD per Mbps, well above the global average of $9.79 USD.

However, this price is slightly lower than the $39.17 USD per Mbps from a month ago when South Africa ranked stone last.

The countries with the cheapest broadband connection (per Mbps rates) are:

1. Bulgaria – $0.65 USD
2. Romania – $0.97 USD
3. Lithuania – $1.15 USD
4. Ukraine – $1.21 USD
5. Republic of Moldova – $1.41 USD
6. Latvia – $1.91 USD
7. Slovakia – $1.93 USD
8. Hungary – $2.04 USD
9. Hong Kong – $2.20 USD
10. Russia – $2.61 USD

63. South Africa – $39.05 USD