WiFi: IS to restructure AlwaysOn Hotspot offerings

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 20 December 2010

Internet Solutions (IS) has recently announced in the media that they’re going to restructure their AlwaysOn Hotspot offerings to make it the most cost-effective WiFi offerings in the South African market. It will cost from 8c per MB or 35c on average per MB to surf the net via AlwaysOn Hotspot offerings after the restructuring.

A step in the right direction…

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) is of the opinion that this is a step in the right direction, although we don’t necessarily agree with all of the claims made by Internet Solutions (IS).

AlwaysOn Hotspot subscribers/users should welcome the news that they’re going to pay less for the same amount of data/bandwidth. They can expect to pay 18c per MB for a 1GB package and 8c per MB for 3GB or higher! This is definitely going to result in a cost saving in the consumer’s pocket. ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) however tends to disagree with the WiFi Product Manager of Internet Solutions (IS), Craig Stewart. Stewart is of the opinion that they’re “…already at a point where we can provide customers with speed and quality of connection that is superior to 3G and now it will be a lot more affordable as well” (Wi-Fi from 8c/MB, MyBroadband, 6 December 2010). Stewart’s remark can give the Average Joes the impression that the WiFi connectivity offered by Internet Solutions (IS) is superior to 3G connectivity in terms of speed and quality. This is however simply not true. Yes, Internet Solutions (IS) might in more than one instance provide Internet connectivity which offer superior speeds and quality than the 3G connectivity offered by the 3G providers (MTN, Vodacom, Cell C, etc.) in South Africa, but that doesn’t mean that WiFi is superior to 3G. All it means is that there are more people surfing the net from home and work, congesting the networks of the 3G providers, than people surfing the net at ACSA airports and selected hotels, restaurants and coffee shops in South Africa.

In other words, the planned restructuring will surely result in cost savings for AlwaysOn Hotspot subscribers/users, and while Internet Solutions (IS) might in more than one instance provide Internet connectivity of greater speed and quality than the 3G connectivity offered by the 3G providers in South Africa, it’s limited to ACSA airports and selected hotels, restaurants and coffee shops.

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