South African Broadband Market Tops One-Million Subscribers

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South African Broadband Market Tops One-Million Subscribers

12:00 am on April 7, 2008 | Category: Telecom Services, Internet, Cellular

The number of high-speed internet subscribers in South Africa has topped the one-million mark, according to a recent report by MoneyWeb.

Telkom SA remains the country’s top broadband ISP with a total of 420,000 DSL internet subscribers, but leading cellular providers, Vodacom and MTN, have achieved significant growth in the mobile broadband market with 370,000 and 120,000 HSDPA subscribers, respectively.

Combined, DSL and HSDPA services currently account for around 90% of the South African broadband market. iBurst, a fixed wireless access provider, accounts for another 60,000 customers, while various other wireless ISPs serve about 45,000.

While one-million subscribers is certainly a major milestone for the South Africa, there is still plenty of room for growth in the country’s broadband market. Penetration currently stands at just 2%, compared to an average of 18.8% in OECD countries.