THE BENEFITS OF BROADBAND

High speed Internet access enables much faster downloading and means web pages and emails appear almost instantly. Music and video can also be downloaded and enjoyed in real time. A permanent, fast, always-on connection makes using the Internet convenient, easy and enjoyable. The biggest advantage lies in the fixed monthly costs versus the pay per minute / second of traditional dial up.

WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF BROADBAND?

This will depend on the product a customer chooses, from which network carrier, and through which service/solutions provider.

As an indication,

Monthly costs:

•           Sentech's My Wireless product will cost between R199.00 & R2,099.00 per month.

•           WBS's iBurst product will cost between R45.00 & R893.54 per month.

•           VSTAR will cost from R5,000.00 up to R55,000.00 per month depending on the upload/download requirements and contention (sharing) ratio selected.

•           3G and HSDPA costs depend on usage starting at less than R20.00 per month.

•           ADSL costs between R66.00 & R14,500.00 per month.

•           The advantage of the VSTAR is in its satellite technology, which is not reliant on terrestrial network coverage.

•           The monthly cost will differ within these ranges depending on whether you purchase the hardware upfront or pay a little extra every month to cover that cost over the contract period.

•           Hardware costs if paid upfront and once off:

•           The My Wireless unit (PCMCIA or USB) will cost approximately + R2,800.00 once off.

•           iBurst PCMCIA cards cost + R1,820.00 and the USB (desktop modem) costs+ R2,180.00.