Best fibre prices in South Africa — Herotel’s bold claims tested

Herotel claims to offer the best fibre prices in South Africa, but several Internet service providers are cheaper, a MyBroadband analysis has found.

Laying claim to offering the best or cheapest fibre prices is a fraught exercise.

South Africa has at least 38 different fibre network operators and likely hundreds of Internet service providers.

These range in size from companies that generate billions in revenue to one-man shows with a handful of clients.

Establishing who offers the lowest prices in such a diverse market without overlooking anyone is a practical impossibility.

To see if Herotel’s claim passes muster, MyBroadband searched the websites of prominent fibre network operators and ISPs to see if there were any offering cheaper prices than Herotel.

It should be noted that Herotel is a closed-access provider, meaning it builds and manages its own fibre infrastructure and acts as Internet service provider. This simplifies the comparison substantially.

MyBroadband’s comparison found that Herotel’s 50 Mbps product offered excellent value, and it was unchallenged in 75 Mbps.

However, it was roundly beaten in all other speed categories.

Herotel had the highest entry-level price compared to similar services from Vumatel, Openserve, and Frogfoot.

However, it should be noted that these major open-access fibre network operators no longer offer 10 Mbps and 20 Mbps products as part of their “core” offering.

These entry-level services are only available in specific regions where they provide more affordable broadband products to low-income communities.

At higher speeds, Herotel competes well but falls well short of the cheapest fibre title.

The table below illustrates how Herotel’s prices compete against some of the cheaper open-access offers on the market.

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