BandwidthBar

Broadband has really taken off in South Africa in recent years. ADSL and wireless broadband connections have increased enormously as South Africans moved to embrace a faster, easier way of connecting to the Internet. Connectivity in South Africa is steadily increasing, but there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before South African can truly compete with the rest of the world in terms of broadband connectivity.

 

In Africa, at least, South Africa is one of the leaders in broadband connectivity. More than a 150 Internet service providers (ISP’s) operate in the country and it seems as if there is a new one popping up every other week. Most of the services are limited to the cities and other dense urban areas however. The farther away one gets from the cities, the harder it becomes to access an ADSL broadband connection and even wireless connections.

 

But the infrastructure is slowly growing. Copper line theft has long been one of the biggest problems South African Internet users had to deal with, but fibre lines are slowly replacing the old infrastructure. This partly thanks to the SEACOM cable that was recently completed. The deep sea, high bandwidth cable that runs along the east coast of Africa demands that South Africa upgrade its telecommunications architecture to take advantage of the cable’s capabilities. South Africans want better broadband.

 

This is quite evident in the amount of small to medium enterprises (SME’s) that have embraced broadband. The percentage of SME’s switching to broadband went from 6% to 63% in the period 2003-2008. Dial-up connections have virtually disappeared in urban areas. It is only in rural areas where ADSL broadband has yet to penetrate that dial-up connections are still used.

 

While wireless broadband could conceivably be the solution for rural connectivity, it is the price of these services that is keeping it from penetrating the market fully. Many small companies and individuals use wireless broadband to connect, but larger companies prefer ADSL broadband because it is more affordable for the amount of bandwidth required.

 

The cost of broadband still remains the largest limiting factor. South African broadband services are by far among the most expensive in relation to similar services in other countries. This is despite advances in technology, infrastructure and healthy competition in the marketplace. The cost of broadband, whether ADSL or wireless, still means that it is out of reach for the majority of South Africans. A problem that is will hopefully be remedied in the near future.

 

The South African National Broadband Forum (SANBF) is dedicated to addressing the high costs of broadband and increasing its penetration throughout the country. Working in conjunction with the Department of Communications (DoC), the SANBF have drafted a National Broadband Policy. This policy aims for some lofty, but attainable goals:

• Have a broadband access in every city, town and village;
• Have the cheapest broadband on the continent; and
• Be the leaders in broadband penetration on the continent.

The National Broadband Policy has been drafted and approved by the Minister of Communications, Siphiwe Nyanda. The hopes are that this new policy will change the face of broadband access in South Africa, bringing the power of the Internet to everyone.

 

There is a definite need for improved broadband connectivity in South Africa. The National Broadband Policy is a step in the right direction to bring broadband access to all areas of South Africa. Fast, effective access to the Internet is a necessity to help South Africa compete on a global scale and to stride forward into a brighter future.

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