How SA’s broadband prices compare globally

South Africa ranks 113 out of 219 countries on the global comparison of broadband package pricing.

This is according to UK-based firm Cable, which analysed 3 703 fixed-line broadband deals in 219 countries between 2 January and 1 March 2023. The research findings were published today.

Cable.co.uk notes it measured 41 fixed-line broadband packages in SA and found the average cost per month in the country is R875 ($48.10).

The firm adds the cheapest monthly deal in SA is R209 ($11.49), while the most expensive is R1 795 ($98.68). The average cost per megabyte in the country is R10.99 ($0.60).

South Africans have over the years called for cheaper data prices. It was anticipated the price of data would drop significantly after the auctioning of the high-demand spectrum last year.

However, the cost of broadband in South Africa is still higher than in most countries analysed by Cable.

The African nation of Sudan offers the world’s cheapest broadband, with an average cost of $2.30 per month.

Burundi is at the other end of the table ($383.79, 219th, the most expensive country in the world), followed by Zimbabwe ($210, 217th) and Democratic Republic of Congo ($193.46, 215th).

Cable notes 44 countries were measured in Sub-Saharan Africa, most of which sit in the bottom half of the league table.

It says the average cost per month in the region is $75.50. Going against the trend were Sudan ($2.30, 1st place, cheapest in the world), the Republic of Congo ($16.82, 28th) and Eswatini ($19.50, 40th).

On the other hand, the six countries in Northern Africa all feature in the cheapest half of the table, with three countries in the top 40.

The average price in the region is $22.57, says Cable. It points out the cheapest was Egypt ($9.67, 9th), followed by Tunisia ($14.53, 21st) and Libya ($18.68, 36th).

The most expensive was Senegal ($39.56, 91st), followed by Morocco ($32.47, 71st) and Algeria ($20.51, 42nd).

Broadband pricing was recorded in four countries in Northern America, and all of them sit in the bottom half of the table.

The region as a whole has an average price of $104.33, making it the most expensive in the world. Canada was cheapest ($58.14, 136th), followed by the US ($59.99, 146th) and Greenland (114.19, 199th). Bermuda was the most expensive in the region ($185, 214th).

The 29 countries measured in Western Europe span the middle to the lower end of the table, with none in the top 50 and two in the bottom 50, says Cable, adding the regional average price of $50.87 makes it the seventh cheapest of the 13 global regions overall.

The cheapest country in the region was Malta ($27.41, 59th), followed by Italy ($28.69, 64th) and Portugal ($31.67, 69th). The most expensive was Norway ($87.36, 185th), followed by the Faroe Islands ($83.59, 179th) and Iceland ($78.04, 170th).

Dan Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable.co.uk, says: “It is not altogether too surprising that the most advanced, developed nations tend to have some of the most expensive broadband.

“After all, earnings are higher, and investment and rollout of new technologies tends to be ahead of the curve. Or so one would think.

“It is interesting, however, that the cheapest broadband in the world tends to be in Eastern Europe and CIS [Commonwealth Independent States] nations. These countries tend to have some of the most advanced infrastructure (high % full fibre FTTP coverage), and are somehow able to offer it to users at very low prices.

“In a way, it obliterates the notion that regions such as Western Europe and North America pay more because of the cost of rolling out new technologies, and actually points more readily to the idea that people in these countries are made to pay more simply because they can be.”

Of the 12 CIS nations on the table, with the exception of Turkmenistan, all can be found in the top 50 cheapest in the table, making it the cheapest region in the world for broadband, Cable says.

It adds the region had an average monthly price of $14.99, and the cheapest nations were Kazakhstan ($5.11, 2nd), Moldova ($7.03, 3rd) and Belarus ($7.34, 4th).

In comparison, the most expensive countries in the region were Turkmenistan ($45.80, 109th), Tajikistan ($23.85, 49th) and Armenia ($16.84, 29th).

The 11 countries measured in South America span from the upper to the lower end of the table, with a regional average price of $60.24.

The cheapest broadband in South America can be found in Colombia ($14.38, 20th), Argentina ($16.84, 30th) and Paraguay ($19.48, 39th).

According to Cable, the most expensive packages on average are in Suriname ($269.44, 218th), the Falkland Islands ($134.38, 206th) and French Guiana ($59.06, 142nd).