The study shows that most of the growth in fixed line broadband comes from SMEs upgrading to ADSL. This in turn has extended Internet access to more than half-a-million South Africans working in small offices, who did not previously have access.

 

The headline data in the final report from the study, released today in the Michelangelo Hotel, Sandton, also reveals that wireless broadband has been growing almost three times as fast as fixed line broadband in South Africa. Wireless broadband subscriptions have grown by 88% in the past year, against 21% for ADSL. The driving force behind this growth is mainly large companies giving 3G cards to employees who need to be connected whilst out of the office. “Wireless broadband is neither cheaper nor better quality, but it is more convenient and flexible, and it changes the way we think about where and how we use the Internet,”comments Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx.

 

Previous data from the study indicated that the number of South African internet users has finally passed the five million mark, breaking through the 10% mark of internet penetration for the county.