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City's slow broadband speeds irk business [Cape Times (South Africa)]
[August 14, 2013]

City's slow broadband speeds irk business [Cape Times (South Africa)]


(Cape Times (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BROADBAND speeds in South Africa fall well below the international average - and Cape Town's are significantly worse.

An international speed index report released by the Ookla Net Index shows South Africa has an average speed of 3.99 megabits a second (mbps). This is the sixth-fastest in the Southern African Development Community, behind Namibia (5.72 mbps) and Zimbabwe (5.04 mbps) and far below the international average of 13.84 mbps.



Cape Town's speed was clocked as 3.56 mbps, below Johannesburg at 4.60 mbps and Pretoria at 3.98 mbps.

However, Broadband specialist Arthur Goldstuck cautioned that the results could be giving a skewed image, indicating higher speeds than were experienced by the public.


Cape Town Chamber of Commerce chief operating officer Bronwen Kausch said the state of broadband in the city was "dismal" and "embarrassing".

"Broadband is a key enabler, for business and our citizens. If South Africa wants to remain competitive, high-speed digital access is crucial. This is particularly so for the Western Cape, where we have a thriving digital economy." Kausch said the urgency extended to communities outside the private urban sector where a connection was vital for entrepreneurs to create sustainable businesses.

"Access to digital marketplaces is crucial. Even allowing business owners access to online courses to upskill themselves has a significant impact in creating sustainable, viable businesses." Kausch said the provincial government and City of Cape Town had recognised the importance of broadband and could see that action at a national level was long overdue.

The MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, said literature showed a direct link between connectivity and gross domestic product growth.

The provincial government had a three-year plan to connect government buildings to high-speed broadband. Excess capacity would be leased to private users.

"First on the list are Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and Saldahna Bay, which aren't getting fibre because the private sector is not connected to broadband." Saldanha Bay was a priority because it was an industrial development zone.

Winde said Cape Town businesses, specifically through the Accelerate Cape Town group, had been putting important pressure on the provincial government to upgrade broadband infrastructure.

Explaining how the results could give a skewed picture, Goldstuck said: "Numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt as they're calculated entirely on people's average speed tests. People with the best connectivity tend to use speed tests most." This was evident in Bryanston (10.19 mbps), where corporate internet provider Dimension Data had its headquarters, and in Midrand (8.55 mbps), where telecommunications provider Neotel had its head office.

"This means that the results are not necessarily reflective of the speeds reached by residents across the road," Goldstuck said.

Until two years ago, the absence of undersea cables created bottlenecks. "Right now the problem is (installing) fibre grids across the country." benjamin.katz@inl.co.za Cape Times (c) 2012 Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. All rights strictly reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

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