ADSL prices: South Africa vs developed nations
Over the last few years South Africa’s fixed broadband environment changed for the better with higher speeds and affordable uncapped accounts. However, this was not enough to make SA compare favourably with developed nations.
The total cost of an uncapped 1Mbps ADSL service from Telkom is R477.37 per month. This is in line with international rates, but those users typically enjoy much higher speeds.
A good measure for the true value of a fixed broadband service is cost per Mbps. This metric is used by organisations such as the OECD to accurately compare global broadband prices.
The following table provides an overview of how South Africa compares with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand based on the price per Mbps of advertised speed.
It should be noted that Australia’s Telstra does not offer uncapped services, and the highest usage option (500GB per month) was therefore selected.
| Company | Country | Speed (Mbps) | Total monthly price (ZAR) | Price per Mbps (ZAR) |
| United States | 5 | Free | Free | |
| United States | 1000 | R698.77 | R0.70 | |
| BT | UK | 76 | R624.88 | R8.22 |
| Comcast | United States | 105 | R898.32 | R8.56 |
| Comcast | United States | 50 | R598.84 | R11.98 |
| Telstra (500GB) | Australia | 100 | R1356.83 | R13.57 |
| BT | UK | 38 | R579.65 | R15.25 |
| Comcast | United States | 20 | R398.80 | R19.94 |
| BT | UK | 16 | R474.12 | R29.63 |
| NZ Telecom | New Zealand | 30 | R1003.60 | R33.45 |
| Telstra (500GB) | Australia | 20 | R1138.83 | R56.94 |
| Comcast | United States | 6 | R498.62 | R83.10 |
| Telkom | South Africa | 40 | R3647.37 | R91.18 |
| Telstra (500GB) | Australia | 12 | R1175.92 | R97.99 |
| Telkom | South Africa | 20 | R2047.37 | R102.37 |
| Telkom | South Africa | 10 | R1147.37 | R114.74 |
| Comcast | United States | 3 | R398.80 | R132.93 |
| Telkom | South Africa | 4 | R847.37 | R211.84 |
| Telkom | South Africa | 2 | R607.37 | R303.69 |
| Telkom | South Africa | 1 | R477.37 | R477.37 |
| Conversion rates | 1 GBP = 15.08 ZAR | 1 AUD = 9.05 ZAR | 1 USD = 9.98 ZAR | 1 NZD = 7.78 ZAR |
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