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South Africa has historically been one of the most expensive countries in the world with regards to voice calls and internet solutions. Thankfully though we now have numerous internet connection options available, albeit somewhat more expensive that we would like. Below is a run-down of the good and bad aspects of ADSL, iBurst, WiMAX, 3G/HSDPA, ISDN, Dialup and Satellite. |
- Much faster than dialup
- You can make phone calls and send and receive faxes while surfing the net
- Fixed monthly cost
- An always-on connection
- No waiting for the modem to dial in, connecting takes a few seconds
- Far cheaper than a leased line
- Good for VoIP (Voice over IP) and online gaming |
- Download as well as upload counts towards cap
- Port prioritisation and bandwidth shaping
- Larger packages become incredibly expensive
- Dynamic IP address, static is very costly
- Speed limited by distance from local exchange |
- Available in all major centres
- No phone line required
- Fixed monthly cost
- An always-on connection
- No waiting to dial in, connecting takes a few seconds
- No additional ISP necessary
- Up to 1Mbps speeds under ideal conditions |
- Obstructions such as buildings and trees diminish signal quality and thus speed
- Distance from base station also diminishes speed and signal quality
- Customer support issues have irked many users
- Limited coverage outside major centres |
- Consistent speed
- No need to stay in one place
- More reliable throughput than dialup, 3G and other wireless technologies |
- Obstructions such as buildings and trees diminish signal quality and thus speed
- Distance from base station also diminishes speed and signal quality
- Limited coverage outside major centres
- Currently still very expensive |
- Available in all major centres
- No phone line required
- Fixed monthly cost
- An always-on connection
- No waiting to dial in, connecting takes a few seconds
- No additional ISP necessary
- Speeds up to a theoretical 1.8Mbps under ideal conditions, and up to a theoretical 7.2Mbps under ideal conditions at upgraded sites.
- SA has some of the lowest mobile data rates in the world. |
- Obstructions such as buildings and trees diminish signal quality and thus speed
- Distance from base station also diminishes speed and signal quality
- Data rates still too expensive for moderate usage
- Limited coverage outside major centres
- Real-world speeds won't reach advertised speeds |
- Dialing in is almost instant
- Faster and more reliable than 56k
- Consistent speed
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- Slow in comparison to most broadband options
- Phone line rental coupled with call charges and an ISP account becomes pricey
- Renders your line as engaged while online
- Extra charges to have line provisioned for ISDN access
- Your friends with broadband will probably disown you |
- Available anywhere you find a Telkom line
- No need to wait for installation
- Dialup modems are dirt cheap
- Cheap enough to check email once or twice day
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- Very slow speed
- Phone line rental coupled with call charges and an ISP account becomes pricey
- Renders your line as engaged while online
- Random disconnections means you have to keep dialing in and paying the minimum call charge each time
- Your friends with broadband will probably disown you |
- Available anywhere
- Great option where no other connectivity is available
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- Very expensive monthly rental
- Expensive setup fees
- High latency
- Slow speeds
- Signal affected by bad weather |
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