SA Internet speeds rank low

South Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of its Internet download speeds, according to a report that ranks the nation at 105 out of 174 countries.

The Net Index Household Download Index, based on millions of test results from Speedtest.net and compiled by broadband testing and Web-based network diagnostics company Ookla, compares consumer download speeds from around the globe. The company put together its latest ranking from tests conducted this year between 18 February and 18 March.

According to the index, SA has an average download speed of 2.97Mbps, a figure that is dwarfed by Lithuania and South Korea, which respectively top the list at 31.77Mbps and 27.94Mbps.

Meanwhile, the index further indicates that SA ranks sixth in Africa, behind Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Angola and Zimbabwe, in terms of download speeds. The Net Index report also says Ghana has the fastest Internet download speeds on the continent, at 5.64Mbps.

Alan Levin, chairman of Internet Society SA, says Telkom's monopoly on the country's fixed-line telecoms sector, which was only broken in 2008, and the government's inability to make internationally competitive broadband infrastructure a priority are reasons for the country's poor ranking.

However, Levin also says the Net Index list needs to be viewed in context, as SA's reportedly slow Internet speeds could be due to more South Africans having access to the Web, as compared to a nation such as Ghana.

According to the Net Index report, Ghana's 68th placed global ranking was obtained as a result of 220 490 total tests done from 36 082 unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in the country, of which 13 005 have been used for the current index. On the other hand, SA's 105th placed global ranking was obtained as a result of 4 610 724 total tests, from 1 307 962 unique IPs, of which 285 216 have been used for the current Index.

The Net Index list, though, does show SA has more Internet service providers and accessibility to the Web from more places compared to Ghana. SA's fastest Internet download speed, for example, has been recorded at the Cape Technikon at 34.41Mbps, while the country has had its speed-tests reported in 42 cities and towns. Ghana only has three Internet service providers, according to Net Index, and that country's speed-test results were only recorded in one city, Accra.

Levin says SA might rank low in terms of download speed, but accessing the Internet in even remote rural areas in SA is possible, thanks to the country's wide telecommunications network.

“Those speed tests are performed on every type of connection available; so you might have a very slow GPRS connection, you might have dial-up connections,” Levin said. “In SA the speeds are much lower because there are much more people in different places doing speed tests.”

Operators 'surprised' at compliance notice

Two of SA's largest cellular providers have voiced their surprise at having received compliance notices from the National Consumer Commission (NCC) to amend their terms and conditions.Vodacom is already amending its terms and conditions, says chief corporate affairs officer Portia Maurice.

According to reports, the NCC yesterday issued cellular operators with notices to change their terms and conditions to comply with the new National Consumer Protection Act (CPA).

However, Vodacom says it is already in the process of changing its terms and conditions, and had already agreed to change its contracts by the end of October, while Cell C says it will oppose the notice.

Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala was not immediately available to comment on the operators' statements.

Graham Mackinnon, Cell C's group general counsel, says: “We don't believe there is any merit in the compliance notice and will oppose it. Cell C's subscriber agreement is compliant with the Consumer Protection Act.”

Cell C previously said it had agreed to make a few minor changes to its already CPA-complaint subscriber agreement. The amended subscriber agreement will be available in its stores from early next month.

Vodacom's chief corporate affairs officer, Portia Maurice, says: “We were surprised to receive a compliance notice from the National Consumer Commission as we already had an amendment process under way, and had agreed with them an implementation date of 31 October.”

The operator, SA's largest, says it has been co-operating fully with the NCC around updating its contracts to comply with regulations, which were published at the same time the new Act came into effect.

“The regulations published in April varied considerably from the draft regulations previously discussed, which necessitated dialogue with the NCC,” says Vodacom.

Maurice adds: “Given that discussions are already under way and that an implementation date has been publicly acknowledged, Vodacom regards the compliance notice as completely unwarranted. The matter will be addressed directly with the NCC.”

It is understood that MTN was also issued with a compliance notice, but the company did not issue a statement on the matter.