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The average user of broadband in South Africa is happy that they have a connection that is faster than a dial-up and that is an always-on Internet connection. For those users with a little knowledge, however, the truth of the matter is that South Africa, while at least having broadband connections to the World Wide Web, is lagging behind even some of the developing countries in the world.

 

It is no secret that high end broadband services in South Africa are considerably more expensive than a similar level of service in most developed countries. Experts suggest that part of the problem lies in the lack of competition in the telecommunications market in South Africa. Broadband is only offered by a select few companies in South Africa and without healthy competition they are able to control the market. Even though smaller companies are starting to make headway into the market, prices still remain high.

 

Broadband downloads in many parts of the world average on speeds of about 10 mbps (megabytes per second). South Africa ranks only 98 th in the world, however, with an average download speed of about 1 mbps. While not the slowest on the African continent when it comes to broadband downloads, broadband South Africa lags behind with upload speeds.

 

South Africa may be lagging on downloads, but it seems to be barely keeping up with broadband uploads. Ranked 109 th in the world, South Africa is amongst the slowest countries on the African continent for upload speeds. At 0.4 mbps, South Africa falls behind so-called developing countries like Uganda (1.07 mbps), Kenya (0.56 mbps) and Gambia (0.55 mbps). While upload speeds may not be important to the average broadband user, it is a serious handicap for South Africa’s burgeoning IT industry.

 

The average broadband user is also often easily misled by the advertisement for broadband services that are available. Contrary to what most people believe, broadband advertisements do not give away the full story. The speeds advertised are the technological maximum, but the reality is usually about half or even less that number. This means that a broadband connection that boasts speeds of 1 mbps actually only produce speeds of about 0.5 mbps. In crunch times, at around 3pm, this speed can drop even more.

 

While the new SEACOM cable promised faster broadband connections and uncapped services, it is still going to be a while before the average user can take advantage of these developments. It will take at least another year or two before the necessary infrastructure has been created for South Africans to take full advantage of the SEACOM cable’s increased bandwidth. Even with the infrastructure in place, the service providers will also have to play along and offer customers the service that they deserve.

 

Broadband in South Africa has come a long way, but there is still a long road to go before it catches up with the rest of the world. As a growing economy and macro power on the African continent, South Africa needs reliable, fast broadband to compete with the rest of the world.

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