2009 was the year of Seacom. Now that it’s been ready and rumbling for a few months, will its impact continue into the new year?
For months Africa’s IT professionals and analysts expressed both uncertainty and enthusiasm over the effect that the Seacom fibre optic cable would have on ADSL broadband and other factors which previously prohibited internet access in Africa.
Seacom, which became operational at the end of July 2009, effectively links South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda to Europe and Asia, connecting the African countries to the global broadband network.
There was particular skepticism around claims that the arrival of Seacom would effect a drop in ADSL prices of up to 90 percent. However towards the end of 2009 some major internet service providers (ISPs) started either to cut prices or up data caps, both of which spelled better consumer value.
Telkom, Mweb and WebAfrica are just some ISPs who started introducing price cuts or data increases from September 2009. Such moves confirm that Seacom has positively enhanced market competition, and this trend is expected to continue into 2010. Not quite 90 percent, but progress nonetheless.
Consumer satisfaction looks set to rise further, as a survey by MyBroadband last year showed that South Africans consider ‘price’ the most important factor when choosing an ISP, ahead of other factors like download speed, reliability and support.
World Wide Worx’s Internet Access in South Africa 2010 study showed that internet usage shot up by 15 percent last year, with 5.3 million users (10 percent of the total population) online. This is dramatic considering that from 2002 to 2007 growth remained stagnant at only 7 percent, due to price and lack of market competition.
Expert predictions for Africa’s IT sector for 2010 year indicate that this will be the year that cheap broadband become accessible to computer users. Improved ADSL services will continue to expand the online population, which will start to use the internet in different ways.
4G technology with its promises of live video streaming, integrated wireless and customized personal service will start to emerge in 2010, as will cloud computing and increased mobile online activity.
As South African’s become increasingly internet savvy they will start to allocate their ADSL broadband to more functional activity. Online shopping and commerce will become more popular, opening up opportunities for businesses.
Looks like the soccer pitch is not the only place where exciting things will take place in 2010.
Related Posts
No related posts.