HSDPA versus iBurst
For this comparison we opted for Vodacom’s HSDPA service with iBurst. MTN’s HSDPA service would have served just as well, but the practicality of Vodacom’s superior HSDPA coverage made it the obvious choice.
A variety of tests were run, including local and international web based speed tests, software based performance testing, latency tests, download speeds and VoIP performance.
The tests were performed in the evening to give a good indication of the potential performance of the separate services. This however means that potential congestion during business hours was not taken into account.
The average iBurst signal strength for the testing was between 95% and 100% while Vodacom’s HSDPA signal strength sat at 3 bars (roughly 60%).
Comparative Performances
In the local speed department Vodacom was king with an impressive average download speed of 721 Kbps. iBurst’s local downlink average was 187 Kbps.
When moving internationally, Vodacom again performed better with a downlink speed of 327 Kbps and an uplink speed of 284 Kbps. iBurst in comparison had an average downlink speed of 147 Kbps and an uplink speed of 43 Kbps.
Vodacom proved far superior in the latency department with an average local latency of 139 ms and an international average of 477 ms. iBurst in comparison had a local latency of 679 ms. and an international latency of 1255 Kbps.
This lower latency of Vodacom’s service also showed in the VoIP testing with HSDPA proving to be more suitable for VoIP use than iBurst. This was confirmed in both online VoIP tests and practical use of the service.
It should be pointed out that these tests were in no way exhaustive and aspects like reliability, mobility and pricing were not considered. More in-depth testing will be conducted in future with a large user base and for a far longer period of time.
Which service?
The clear winner in the performance department was Vodacom’s HSDPA service. It reigned supreme in every category of testing, proving that HSDPA is living up to its hype.
iBurst is however more competitive when it comes to price, especially for moderate or high usage. iBurst recently launched a R 389-00 per month 1 GB service, competing favorably with Vodacom’s R 499-00 per month for a 1 GB HSDPA account. The modem inclusive price of R 579-00 for iBurst is also cheaper than Vodacom’s R 599-00.
The biggest saving on iBurst however comes with higher cap accounts. iBurst’s 3 GB account is priced at R 599-00 per month while Vodacom charges R 1497-00 for the same data allowance. Pricing favours iBurst even more for 9 GB plus accounts.
Vodacom’s HSDPA’s superior performance and excellent countrywide coverage makes it the obvious choice for users looking for a mobile or fixed wireless broadband solution with low data usage. For a higher usage – typically 3 GB or more – a fixed wireless or semi-mobile solutions like iBurst or MyWireless should definitely be considered as a viable option.
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