Good news for people using expensive 4Mbps fibre from major property developer

Balwin Properties’ fibre network operator (FNO) is upgrading its entry-level 4Mbps package, one of the worst-value home fibre products under R500 in South Africa.

Balwin Fibre told MyBroadband the change was based on market concerns regarding pricing and a review of its packages to ensure they remained competitive and market-related.

“As part of this revision, we will be upgrading our 4Mbps line speeds to better align with customer expectations,” the FNO said. “A formal announcement on these changes will follow shortly.”

The feedback comes after MyBroadband analysed Balwin’s prices on its 4Mbps, 40Mbps, and 75Mbps packages in February 2025 and found their value proportion was poor compared to similarly-priced products from major FNOs.

When measuring the effective price per megabit of download speed, the 4Mbps package was exceptionally bad because most FNOs had similarly priced products with speeds starting from 20Mbps.

In its response to our analyses, the company maintained it was not fair to compare its prices with FNOs like Vumatel, Openserve, Frogfoot, and MetroFibre.

Instead, it argued that a fairer and more accurate comparison would be to assess Balwin Fibre’s pricing alongside other FNOs operating exclusively within estates or specific nodes.

“While we prefer not to disclose specific estate names or FNO providers, our analysis indicates that pricing for a 50Mbps line ranges between R997 and R1,317,” Balwin said.

“In contrast, Balwin Fibre offers a 75Mbps line at R877, demonstrating competitive value within this market segment.”

It is important to note that MyBroadband’s first analysis for sub-R500 packages included 15 FNOs — both big and small.

In addition, many lifestyle estates use large FNOs selling better-value products than Balwin.

Balwin denied that the upgrading of its 4Mbps line was due to MyBroadband’s analyses highlighting the issue.

“All packages and pricing were under review before you reached out to us,” Balwin said. “The adjustments were part of our ongoing evaluation process, independent of external analyses.”

Higher prices for higher quality

Balwin also argued its pricing structure reflected the quality, reliability and long-term sustainability of its offering, tailored specifically for its residential estates.

“While our pricing may appear higher than some mass-market competitors, it is important to highlight the key factors that define the value we provide,” the company said.

The FNO said it offered “unmatched” network reliability due to premium-grade fibre infrastructure, designed to minimise downtime and ensure consistent, high-speed connectivity,

“Unlike some providers, we do not compromise on materials, workmanship, or service to reduce costs,” Balwin said.

“We also implement network redundancy to prevent disruptions, offering residents uninterrupted access to digital services,” it stated.

It also said its infrastructure was future-proofed for scalability.

“Our fibre solutions are built for the long-term, allowing for seamless expansion to meet future bandwidth demands and technological advancements without requiring costly overhauls,” Balwin said.

Other standout features that Balwin argued justified its pricing included dedicated support and a tailored network implementation.

“We offer on-site technical assistance, rapid response times, and a proactive support team to ensure any service issues are resolved efficiently and professionally,” Balwin said.

“Every estate is unique. Our approach involves custom-designed solutions that maximise coverage, speed, and overall performance while aligning with estate-specific needs.”

It should be noted that many other FNOs claim to have features similar to those Balwin used to justify its pricing.

The first-hand experience of the Internet service providers (ISPs) selling Balwin’s packages paints a completely different picture of Balwin’s performance.

In the Internet Service Providers’ Association’s (Ispa’s) latest FNO perception survey, Balwin Fibre got the third lowest rating out of 38 FNOs — 3.6 out of 10.

That was also the worst score of any open-access FNO selling its packages through more than one ISP.

The FNO received no more than 4 out of 10 in the 11 analysed categories, which included value, reliability, support, technical, communications, business processes, and friendliness of staff.

Its worst rating was 1.8 out of 10 for adherence to open-access principles, which includes consideration of ethics, fairness, and avoidance of conflicts of interest.

The table below summarises the results of Ispa’s FNO perception survey for August 2024.