DStv Internet — why MultiChoice launched a data service

MultiChoice launched DStv Internet in partnership with MTN last week to supply Internet access to areas that lack fibre infrastructure.
MyBroadband reached out to MultiChoice to find out more about their future plans for DStv Internet.
“With MTN as partner, we will be constantly working to improve our offering to meet customer needs,” MultiChoice said when asked about the possibility of adding 5G service to their offerings.
“DStv Internet currently only offers a fixed 4G/LTE service.”
According to MTN’s website, users currently achieve average speeds of 7 to 20Mbps on their LTE networks — sufficient to stream HD quality video.
MultiChoice said it doesn’t have any plans to offer satellite-based broadband to increase its coverage in South Africa.
The plug-and-play Internet service is available to those living in areas with MTN LTE coverage, offering data packages capped at 25GB, 110GB, and 220GB.
Each of these packages includes an equal allocation of any time and after-hours data, and are available on 24-month contracts bundled with a DStv package and router.
Customers that select the 25GB bundle can expect to stream 720p video for approximately 28 hours. MultiChoice’s online streaming options for DStv and Showmax offer video quality up to 720p.
Those on the 110GB package should be able to stream around 122 hours of 720p video, while the 220GB package should offer about 244 hours.
Subscribers who stream for two hours a day will reach their cap in roughly 14 days on the 25GB bundle.
We asked MultiChoice if there were plans to release an uncapped data package in the future.
“We are always considering ways in which we can improve our offering to our customers,” MultiChoice said.
“For now, our focus will be on successfully rolling out the current DStv Internet packages in South Africa.”
MultiChoice also told MyBroadband it has no plans to roll out fibre products, nor does it have plans to sell the services of other network providers.
“We are not looking at other partners at this stage. MTN is a world-class wholesale service provider, and we are happy to get into the market with them,” it said.
The prices of DStv Internet bundles combined with DStv Access, Family, Compact, Compact Plus, and Premium, are summarised in the table below.
DStv Internet bundle – 25GB | Bundle Price (24-months) |
---|---|
Premium + 25GB | R949 |
Compact Plus + 25GB | R679 |
Compact + 25GB | R549 |
Family + 25GB | R445 |
Access + 25GB | R285 |
DStv Internet bundle – 110GB | Bundle Price |
Premium + 110GB | R1,179 |
Compact Plus + 110GB | R939 |
Compact + 110GB | R819 |
Family + 110GB | R719 |
Access + 110GB | R555 |
DStv Internet bundle – 220GB | Bundle Price |
Premium + 220GB | R1,449 |
Compact Plus + 220GB | R1,199 |
Compact + 220GB | R1,059 |
Family + 220GB | R969 |
Access + 220GB | R819 |