Telkom vs MWEB – Uncapped fibre prices compared
MWEB recently launched a set of uncapped fibre products priced to compete with Telkom’s HOMEunlimited packages.
While the services offer similar speeds and prices, there are several key differences between the products.
Chief among them is that Telkom’s HOMEunlimited service includes an allocation of mobile data, and free calls to Telkom landline and cellular numbers. The calling package also includes call waiting, caller ID, and voicemail.
MWEB’s packages include a phone number for its VoIP service, MWEB Talk.
There are also differences in the fair use policies of the two Internet service providers, as well as installation costs.
Installation
Telkom’s terms and conditions state that customers are responsible for providing network access to their premises via point-of-entry sleeves and ducts at their own cost.
Installation will be free for the first 8 metres of trenching from the nearest fibre point. If more than 8 metres of trenching is required, Openserve charges R182.40 per extra metre.
MWEB is currently offering a special, charging R1,780 for installation.
Fair use policies
Telkom’s fair use policy has the following monthly thresholds:
- 4Mbps – 360GB
- 10Mbps – 900GB
- 20Mbps – 1,800GB
- 40Mbps – 3,600GB
- 100Mbps – 6,000GB
The quotas are enforced as follows:
- FUP Level 1 (50% of quota value) – The customer will be throttled to approximately 50% of their product speed for the 2 hours of highest demand daily until rollover.
- FUP Level 2 (75% of quota value) – The customer will be throttled to approximately 25% of their product speed for the 4 hours of highest demand daily until rollover.
- FUP Level 3 (100% of quota value) – The customer will be throttled to an 8th of their product speed or 384kbps (whichever is higher) until the following rollover date, except during NightSurfer.
Usage between midnight and 07:00 every day does not count toward the Telkom quotas.
MWEB compares subscriber usage against a 30-day rolling threshold. These thresholds vary depending on the product and can change.
“Given how the thresholds vary and change, we prefer to not publish them, but rather discuss it with the customer at time of purchase,” said MWEB.
Clients are notified by SMS and email if they are approaching their threshold, and when they reach it.
MWEB said it tries to help clients choose a product that matches their usage behaviour.
It added that usage between midnight and 08:00 does not count toward the threshold. “Throttling does not apply during the first 14 days after signup and daily between midnight and 08:00,” said MWEB.
Price comparison
The table below summarises the monthly prices of MWEB and Telkom’s uncapped fibre services on Openserve.
| Speed | Telkom | MWEB |
|---|---|---|
| 4Mbps | R599 | R499 |
| 10Mbps | R799 | R649 |
| 20Mbps | R999 | R899 |
| 40Mbps | R1,299 | R999 |
| 100Mbps | R1,699 | R1,299 |
Now read: Telkom’s killer uncapped ADSL prices
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