Reviews26.08.2013

Afrihost Mobile tested

Afrihost launched its first mobile data product on 20 August 2013, offering subscribers 5GB of mobile data for R145 per month on a month-to-month contract.

To sweeten the deal, Afrihost threw in a free MiFi device for the 8,000 existing Afrihost clients who ordered the service on Tuesday.

MyBroadband was also in the queue to receive Afrihost’s newly launched mobile data product, and the company did not disappoint.

Ordering and delivery

Ordering Afrihost’s mobile data service over the Internet was easy – especially as an existing Afrihost client. The simple online forms made the process smooth and straight forward.

MyBroadband received the Afrihost package a few days after ordering it. The package included the Afrihost branded Huawei Mobile Wi-Fi E5331 device and an MTN SIM in Afrihost branding.

The packaging and branding was professional, and although Afrihost uses an MTN SIM the strong branding made it clear that this was an Afrihost product.

Afrihost Mobile bag

Afrihost Mobile Huawei Wi-Fi device

Afrihost Mobile starter pack

RICA

One of the most unpleasant parts of purchasing a new mobile product in South Africa is the laborious RICA process.

To remove most of the frustration associated with RICA, Afrihost used the courier service which delivered the package to collect all the needed RICA forms.

When the courier service arrives to deliver the package, they verify the ID documentation in person and collect a copy of the person’s ID book and proof of residence.

This means that Afrihost clients do not have to go to a cellular shop or another outlet to RICA their SIM.

Using the service

To start to use the service was simple: put a SIM in the Huawei Mobile Wi-Fi E5331 device, put the battery in the device and switch it on.

No PIN or any other setup steps were required. It connected to the MTN network, and Wi-Fi access was immediately available using the SSID and passphrase listed on the inside of the device.

Afrihost Mobile MiFi device

Afrihost Mobile network performance

Afrihost uses MTN as its network provider, and testing Afrihost Mobile is therefore the same as testing MTN’s network.

The performance of any mobile network depends on many factors, including signal strength and the area in which the tests are performed.

It is therefore advisable that potential users first investigate MTN’s coverage in their area before ordering Afrihost’s mobile data product.

MyBroadband tested Afrihost’s mobile data service in Centurion/Midrand during business hours.

Download speeds typically ranged between 2Mbps and 4Mbps to both South African and international locations.

Upload speeds ranged between 0.8Mbps and 1.1Mbps, and again the server location did not make much of a difference.

Afrihost Mobile speed tests

Local latency ranged between 150ms and 200ms, while international latency typically ranged between 350ms and 500ms.

Afrihost mobile latency

Final thoughts

Afrihost Mobile’s first data product is exactly what people want: affordable mobile data which works exactly as expected.

Considering that it is Afrihost’s first mobile data service, they have done well to iron out all possible bugs which could cause frustration to customers.