MWEB 20Mbps and 40Mbps uncapped VDSL prices revealed

MWEB has launched six new connectivity products that take advantage of the introduction of VDSL (Very-High-Bit-Rate Digital Subscriber Line) technology in South Africa.

“VDSL is like ADSL on steroids – only faster. It’s up to four times faster than the fastest ADSL currently available,” said MWEB ISP CEO Derek Hershaw.

According to Hershaw, while LTE may offer higher burst speeds and Fibre may deliver greater long-term reliability, VDSL is the way to go for users that have high-traffic-high-speed requirements.

Hershaw cautioned that VDSL is currently available in only a handful of areas in Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu Natal.

Whether a potential VDSL subscriber is able to get the service will depend on how far their premises are from a Telkom street distribution cabinet (SDC), and whether that SDC has been upgraded to a multi-service access node (MSAN).

“MWEB is following the roll-out of MSANs closely. As soon as the Telkom infrastructure upgrade is complete, we will make our VDSL products available to our customers in that area,” said Hershaw.

	MWEB Uncapped VDSL pricing (VAT inclusive; excludes Telkom line rental fees)
	VDSL 20Mbps	VDSL 40Mbps
Business Uncapped	R5,799 p/m (VDSL router included)	R10,699 p/m (VDSL router included)
Business Uncapped (Lite)	R3,799 p/m (VDSL router included)	R5,799 p/m (VDSL router included)
Consumer Uncapped	R2,299 p/m	R3,999 p/m

Telkom VDSL line rental charges

Telkom Internet will launch VDSL-based broadband products on 4 March 2013, which will see customers experience speeds of up to 20Mbps and up to 40Mbps.

Telkom has also announced their VDSL line rental costs. Note this will still require rental of an analogue line as a pre-requisite for DSL line rental.

Telkom’s current line-rental charges per month are R148.37 (consumer) and R203.35 (business).

Stand Alone Re-Sell DSL Access only (VAT inclusive)	Price
DSL Up to 20Mbps (Elite)	R540 p/m
DSL Up to 40Mbps (Elite Plus)	R795 p/m

Full details of MWEB’s new VDSL offerings

All prices include VAT and exclude Telkom line rental fees:

MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL 20Mbps – R5,799 p/m (VDSL router included).
MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL 40Mbps – R10,699 p/m (VDSL router included).
- These unshaped and unthrottled services claim “unrivalled network performance and reliability”, 24 x 7 support, and static IP addresses.
- These products also come with several value added services such as a 2GB mailbox, 300MB WiFi and a 5GB Store-It account.
- A business class VDSL router is included in the price of R5,799 and R10,699 respectively per month.

MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL Lite 20Mbps – R3,799 p/m (VDSL router included).
MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL Lite 40Mbps – R5,799 p/m (VDSL router included).
- These products are “shaped for business” around typical business applications such as browsing, e-mail and VoIP/voice.
- No static IP addresses.
- Includes 24 x 7 support, a 2GB mailbox, 300MB WiFi, 5GB Store-It account.
- A business class router in the monthly charges of R3,799 and R5,799 respectively.

MWEB VDSL 20Mbps – R2,299.
MWEB VDSL 40Mbps– R3,999.
- Targeted toward consumers and Small Office-Home Office (SOHO) users who require a high speed broadband connection with no restrictions on data usage.
- Includes value added services including a 2GB mailbox, 300MB WiFi, 5GB Store-It and a fax mail account.