Broadband growth

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 14 February 2007

It’s clear from estimates that an increasing number of people are making use of broadband Internet services in South Africa.

The estimated total number of broadband users in South Africa is fast closing in on the 500 000 or half-a-million mark. While we don’t intend to go into all the details it’s clear that the number of broadband users are continually on the increase percentage wise.

A few of the estimates:

[Estimates obtained from a MyADSL article titled: Number of local broadband users closing in on half a million, 9th of February 2007]

• Telkom : ‘Telkom’s ADSL service remains the most popular broadband connection with around 220 000 subscribers’ (Number of local broadband users closing in on half a million, MyADSL, 9 February 2007). Estimated sign up rate: 7 800 new subscribers per month.

• Vodacom : More or less a 140 000 users is making use of Vodacom’s broadband service. Estimated sign up rate: 10 000+ new subscribers per month.

• iBurst : Over 30 000 subscribers is currently making use of iBurst’s wireless Internet service. Estimated sign up rate: 2 000+ new subscribers per month.

• MTN : ‘MTN has not released official data card user numbers recently, but it is widely accepted that this figure is sitting in the tens of thousands’ (Number of local broadband users closing in on half a million, MyADSL, 9 February 2007). Estimated sign up rate: No data available.

• Sentech : 4 000 subscribers. Estimated sign up rate: No data available.

• Smaller wireless ISPs: ‘Nobody has exact figures on the number of WiFi subscribers, but it is widely accepted to be far in excess of 10 000’ (Number of local broadband users closing in on half a million, MyADSL, 9 February 2007). Estimated sign up rate: No data available.

While many ISPs like Telkom, Vodacom, iBurst and others have shown exceptional growth in terms of an increasing number of broadband users making use of their networks, Sentech seem to be the odd one out.

Is there any hope for Sentech? 

Yes, there is hope for Sentech because of a few exciting developments in the pipeline:

• Infraco : The launch of Infraco next month will complement Sentech’s activities (Infraco to launch soon, ADSL South Africa, 14 February 2007).

• Faster Internet speeds: Sentech ‘is close to introducing faster speeds, expanding coverage and revealing new packages…’ (Number of local broadband users closing in on half a million, MyADSL, 9 February 2007). Speed is an important consideration when deciding on which broadband Internet service to use. In other words, higher speeds should lead to an increase in the number of broadband users.

• Expanding coverage: An expansion in coverage will mean that more people will be able to make use of Sentech’s broadband services.

• New packages: The launch of new packages should cater to the needs of a wider audience leading to an increase in the number of broadband users.

ADSL South Africa(Broadband South Africa) welcomes the estimated increase in the number of broadband users in South Africa. This is a clear sign that more and more people are signing up for ADSL and other broadband related services.