Another take on the *Pre-Paid ADSL* currently on offer in South Africa

Things in the ADSL pre-paid bandwidth arena change so often with new specials from new companies.  I came across some interesting new specials that I thought I’d share with you.

My criteria for choosing the best offer for me:
1) Price (PrePaid, in other words: No monthly fees, no contracts, no setup fees, nor hidden fees!) and No use-it-or-lose-it policy ie: unused bandwidth must not be lost.
2) Support (ie: not an 0861 number, preferably toll free ie: 0800 number, and instant messenger support)
3) Reliability
4) Speed
5) Ease of purchase, in other words, able to pay with credit card with auto top-up facility
6) Bandwidth usage monitor/graph
7) Shaped or Unshaped – not really a factor for the basic user

Update on Tues 22 Sept:  Things have changed BIG time my loyal readers – ignore this article and read this for a 1GB monthly offering for R29…. from AfriHost

Note: readers of this blog would not like the complexity of switching to local only bandwidth accounts – so I have not factored that into my decision criteria.
Note: this is not intended to be an all-encompassing analysis of the market’s offering – merely a sharing of the analysis that I did when choosing a pre-paid offering for myself.  Use this information at your own risk, if I’m wrong, then please share why (by adding a comment) so that I can benefit too – thanks ;)


FNB Connect https://www.fnbconnect.co.za/products_connect_ifuel.shtml

- Unshaped ADSL data
- 6.9 cents per MB or R69 per GB
- 12 month data carry over
- Easy online top-up
- No contracts
- Up to 5 concurrent connections

Data carry over means that if you have a 3GB data bundle and only use 1GB in the month, the excess 2GB is carried over to the next month, so you don’t forfeit it :)

Here is some more information:
- You must have an active FNB account
- You must be registered for inContact
- You have to pay a R69.00 activation fee (you get the R69 back in data).

Here’s an idea on what you can get:
R100 gets you 1.45GB
R200 gets you 2.90GB
R500 gets you 7.25GB


Gam.co.za: http://www.gam.co.za/index.php?class=page&objectID=4888add3060ae#48a2fd7b0c42c
24x7 support: 011 318 1230; R79.80 per GB.


WebAfrica: http://www.webafrica.co.za/adsl/prepaid/
24x7 support: 0861 555 222 or 021 464 9500 (use that 021 number – it’s cheaper!); LiveAssistance instant messaging to the support team; Superb service – I’ve experienced it!  R70 per GB (shaped), R125 (unshaped).

 
Axxess: http://www.axxess.co.za/prepaid.php
Also allows you to roll over your bandwidth if you don’t use it all up, to a maximum of 12 months.  R69 for 1GB semi-shaped; Vouchers can be purchased at Pick ‘n Pay and Engen; 24x7 support: 0861 300 900  Ooops, there’s that 0861 number again! :( 
ADSL 626 Account: http://www.axxess.co.za/adsl626.php R55 per GB: During the week, from 6pm to 6am and Weekends from Friday 6pm to Monday 6am, you will get full unshaped Internet access. (Please note with a 626 account, out side of the times above, you will have NO Internet connectivity).  So, a bit of a pain to have to swop logins on your ADSL router.

 
G-Connect https://gconnect.wirelessg.co.za/pricing.aspx Only 4.9c per MB for unshaped bandwidth with data carry-over and no activation fees. That’s R50.17 for 1GB unshaped data :)

I see that they also have a Happy Hour (every weekday from 17:00 - 20:00) for R46.08 per GB
and
Super Happy Weekend (Saturday and Sunday from 00:00:00 to 23:59:59) for R48.13 per GB.   

Anyone tried their service? Their price is 28% less than the "standard" R70 per GB offerings out there.
I see there’s a thread on MyBroadband.co.za “G-Connect, is there a catch?” – seems that you need to use the “Connection Manager” [2.6 MB] to login to the Internet.
Although, their 101.pdf guide says “Should you opt not to make use of the Connection Manager you will need to set up your router in Router Mode.  Ensure that the ATM PVC settings in your WAN interface are as follows…”
 

Edgars ClubConnect:  http://www.edgars.co.za/Edgars/Edgars_Clubs/Core_Benefits/ClubConnect.htm
Exclusive to Edgars Club members (that’s R20 per month); R28 per GB for the first 6 months, thereafter R55 per GB. Support line: 0861 232 582; No contract.  If you already are a member of ClubConnect, then I’d say this is a good deal.


CybertSmart: http://www.cybersmart.co.za/index.cgi
Seems like they don’t have a pre-paid offering… there’s a monthly fee product called “One Price ADSL” with 1GB per month for R169 that INcludes the ADSL line cost.  Also, there’s an “Account only ADSL” with 3GB for R125 per month.  No contract, month to month.


So, here’s my short-list:
- G-Connect: R50.17 for 1GB UNshaped data :)
- Axxess: R69 per GB semi-shaped.
- WebAfrica: R70 per GB shaped.
- Edgars ClubConnect: I’ll need to join ClubConnect @ R20 per month, so that’s R48 per GB (1st 6 months), then R75 per GB.

…and the winner is…. well, I think I’m going to try G-Connect since my current provider WebAfrica has gone down a notch or 3 as far as pricing goes :(
So, cheers, I’m going to signup here:  G-Connect Signup



If you want to compare ADSL offerings, then here’s a nice site to use: http://broadbandchooza.co.za/adsl.html 


What you need to know about Prepaid, for the beginner: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=111816
There are also lots of other forums that discuss the latest in ADSL in South Africa.

Note (again): this is not intended to be an all-encompassing analysis of the market’s offering – merely a sharing of the analysis that I did when choosing a pre-paid offering for myself.  Use this information at your own risk, if I’m wrong, then please share why (by adding a comment) so that I can benefit too – thanks ;)

Update on Tues 22 Sept:  Things have changed BIG time my loyal readers – ignore the above and read this for a 1GB monthly offering for R29…. from AfriHost