Low cost internet - a GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA vs. Dialup comparison

Most people seem to think that dialup is the cheapest way to connect to the internet in South Africa. Although this is true for some users, it is not the only cheap option. GPRS provides data transfer to mobile phones. You can connect your phone to your PC and get access to the internet. There are also data cards (modems) available for the PC/laptop.

If you don't transfer that much data or only occasionally check your email or webmail, dialup might be more expensive than other options. You can transfer at least 100MB on GPRS per month for cheaper than the monthly dialup costs. You don't need a fixed phone line or a monthly contract. GPRS is a little bit slower than dialup but it should not be noticeable to the normal user. It is especially suitable for chat applications such as IRC or IM.

In some areas, GPRS might even be faster than a dial up modem. It will depend on where you live and what the line quality to the nearest tower/exchange is. If you need faster speeds, there are other technologies like EDGE, 3G and HSDPA. EDGE and 3G are usually billed at the same rate as GPRS by most providers and the setup is the same. HSDPA is new and may be more expensive, but the setup is also still the same. You just need a phone/modem that supports the newer technology.

If you're using windows, you can monitor how much bandwidth you are using with NetMeter which is freeware. There are also DU Meter and BWMeter, but they are not freeware.

Go to Prices for MTN, Cell C, Vodacom, Virgin Mobile and Dialup costs.
If you need a lot of bandwidth, go to the ADSL page for more info.

Note: (07 Aug 2006)

This page is a bit outdated. Vodacom lowered their GPRS/EDGE/3G data rates and Virgin Mobile now offers the lowest data rates for GPRS/EDGE if you use less than 1GB a month. Go here for an updated comparison of all the packages from all the operators.

Mobile Wireless

MTN GPRS Data bundles
Bundle	Bundle cost	Price per MB in bundle	Price per MB out of bundle	10 MB	20 MB	50 MB	100 MB	200 MB	500 MB	1024 MB	2048 MB
0 MB	R0.00	R2.00	R2.00	R20.00	R40.00	R100.00	R200.00	R400.00	R1000.00	R2048.00	R4096.00
10 MB	R10.00	R1.00	R2.00	R10.00	R30.00	R90.00	R190.00	R390.00	R990.00	R2038.00	R4086.00
100 MB	R100.00	R1.00	R1.50	R100.00	R100.00	R100.00	R100.00	R250.00	R700.00	R1486.00	R3022.00
350 MB	R220.00	R0.63	R1.50	R220.00	R220.00	R220.00	R220.00	R220.00	R445.00	R1231.00	R2767.00
1024 MB	R499.00	R0.49	R1.25	R499.00	R499.00	R499.00	R499.00	R499.00	R499.00	R499.00	R1779.00

Notes:

These bundles are available to contract and prepaid subscribers
If you don't purchase a bundle, costs will be R2 per MB
Currently only one data bundle per month is available per sim card. It is however possible to buy another prepaid simcard and use that to get another bundle. Prepaid sim cards are currently cheap (R5). Five 10MB bundles will then cost only R50 for 50MB. But you need 5 simcards ;)
The costs for EDGE or 3G access are basically the same, but at much faster speeds.

Cell C GPRS Data tariffs
Tariff Option	Tariff cost	Price per MB	10 MB	20 MB	50 MB	100 MB	200 MB	500 MB	1024 MB	2048 MB
smartdata standard	R0.00	R2.00	R20.00	R40.00	R100.00	R200.00	R400.00	R1000.00	R2048.00	R4096.00
smartdata personal	R15.00	R1.75	R32.50	R50.00	R102.50	R190.00	R365.00	R890.00	R1807.00	R3599.00
smartdata professional	R60.00	R1.55	R75.50	R91.00	R137.50	R215.00	R370.00	R835.00	R1647.20	R3234.40

Notes:

These tariff options are only available to contract subscribers
Prepaid subscribers... ?

Vodacom GPRS Data bundles
Bundle	Bundle cost	Price per MB in bundle	Price per MB out of bundle	20 MB	75 MB	150 MB	250 MB	500 MB	1024 MB	2048 MB
0 MB	R0.00	R2.00	R2.00	R40.00	R150.00	R300.00	R500.00	R1000.00	R2048.00	R4096.00
20 MB	R35.00	R1.75	R2.00	R35.00	R145.00	R295.00	R495.00	R995.00	R2043.00	R4091.00
75 MB	R110.00	R1.47	R2.00	R110.00	R110.00	R260.00	R460.00	R960.00	R2008.00	R4056.00
150 MB	R149.00	R0.99	R2.00	R149.00	R149.00	R149.00	R349.00	R849.00	R1897.00	R3945.00
250 MB	R200.00	R0.80	R2.00	R200.00	R200.00	R200.00	R200.00	R700.00	R1748.00	R3796.00
500 MB	R350.00	R0.70	R2.00	R350.00	R350.00	R350.00	R350.00	R350.00	R1398.00	R3446.00
1000 MB	R599.00	R0.60	R2.00	R599.00	R599.00	R599.00	R599.00	R599.00	R647.00	R2695.00
2000 MB	R1198.00	R0.60	R2.00	R1294.00	R1294.00	R1294.00	R1294.00	R1294.00	R1294.00	R1294.00

Notes:

These bundles are only available to contract subscribers
Prepaid and Top Up subscriber costs are R2 per MB
The costs for EDGE or 3G access are basically the same, but at much faster speeds.

Pro's:

No connection fee - price is calculated only for data transferred.
No setup fees or monthly contracts are necessary. Note that only MTN provides cheaper data bundles to prepaid customers.
The minimum monthly cost can be much less than dialup costs
It is portable.

Con's:

Data costs are expensive and only viable for low bandwidth applications like small emails, IRC, IM or occasional browsing.
You need a cellphone with GPRS, EDGE or 3G. You also need to connect the cellphone to your computer with IrDA, Bluetooth or a data cable. Your cellphone documentation should be able to help you set up your GPRS connection. If not, see the manufacturer's website or the network provider's website for help. For some more help, here is a GPRS and Bluetooth setup guide. Also check out the links page.

56k Dialup

Telkom Call charges
	Monthly subscription	Min Charge	Cost per minute	10 min	20 min	30 min
Peak time	R79.00¹	R0.59	R0.38	R3.80	R7.61	R11.41
CallMore	R79.00¹	R0.59	R0.16	R1.60	R3.20	R4.81

¹ Telkom ISP Internet account. There are other cheaper ISP accounts available.

If you connect 15 times per month
	10 min sessions	20 min sessions	30 min sessions
	150 min	300 min	450 min
Peak time	R136.06	R193.12	R250.18
CallMore	R103.03	R127.06	R151.09

If you connect 30 times per month
	10 min sessions	20 min sessions	30 min sessions
	300 min	600 min	900 min
Peak time	R193.12	R307.24	R421.36
CallMore	R127.06	R175.12	R223.18

Notes:

These are only estimated costs. Your time online will obviously be different ;)
The costs include the R79 Telkom ISP Internet charge. Your own ISP charges may be different. For some cheaper ISP's look at the Hellkom site.
Monthly telephone rental of R92.28 is not included.
Prepaid phones have slightly more expensive call charges.
You can get the InfinitCall plan for R62.05. Domestic calls (not cellphone calls) will then have a price cap at R9.85 per call. This is a good option if you have to use a normal dial up modem and mostly work after business hours.

Pro's:

Cost is not based on the amount of data transferred.

Con's:

You pay for the time spent online. Casual browsing or reading email get expensive if you stay connected.
You need a telephone connection and an account from an ISP.
The minimum cost will be the monthly cost of the ISP plus the line rental (~R170).
It is not portable.

Your comments and corrections are welcome.

You can also get more information and help at the mybroadband / myADSL website and forums.