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Vodacom tops in broadband service

By:
Date: 2006/11/28

CONSUMERS looking for the best high-speed wireless internet access should go with Vodacom, say researchers from the MyADSL website and the University of Johannesburg.

Vodacom’s high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) offers the best mobile broadband service in the country, the internet addicts and academics say.

The study compared Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, iBurst and Sentech. Their performance, cost, reliability and support were measured through a user survey, performance testing by consumers and in-depth laboratory trials.

Vodacom won by earning a score of 84% for its “great performance and excellent mobility,” though it lost some points for the high price it charges heavy users.

A close second was iBurst, also 84%, but it was knocked into second place because it does not have national coverage. iBurst provides “great performance, good support and a good comparative price for high usage,” the report says.

MTN’s HSDPA offering took third place with 81% and its third generation (3G) service scored 65%. Vodacom’s 3G service scored 64%, Sentech’s MyWireless earned 53%, and Cell C scraped together just 50% of the possible points.

Last year Sentech was voted the best wireless broadband service provider, so this year’s results show Sentech’s quality has deteriorated since its previous score of 87%. At the same time, Vodacom and MTN have improved their services by rolling out HSDPA to take over from their previous best offerings of the slower 3G networks.

Rudolph Muller, the founder of MyADSL and a lecturer in business IT at the university, said consumers would benefit from this objective measurement of the competing services. The main aim was to help prospective users choose a wireless broadband service. The results also showed the service providers where their service performed well and areas that needed improving, he said.

“Advertised performances and claims by broadband operators are seldom an accurate measure of the true performance, and this kind of research will give prospective subscribers and current broadband users a far better idea of what they can expect from a certain wireless broadband service,” Muller said.

The study involved more than 1000 users, making it one of the most comprehensive broadband studies conducted in SA. A report assessing Telkom’s fixed broadband service will be released soon.

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