Measuring broadband performance in South Africa

Broadband penetration is increasing in South Africa, particularly on mobile devices, but little is known about the performance of fixed or mobile broadband in the country. This lack of empirical data imposes significant limitations to innovation, because broadband performance metrics help users audit their connectivity costs and regulators to make informed decisions about policies and infrastructure investments. We present the results from a measurement study of both fixed and mobile broadband connections in South Africa. We use measurement software that we implemented on mobile phones and home routers and adapted to address challenges that are unique to the developing world. Our findings suggest that consumers in South Africa are not getting advertised speeds, that mobile broadband generally has higher throughput than fixed broadband, and that interconnection between ISPs (or lack thereof) plays a significant role in determining the reliability and performance that users ultimately r...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2013
• Where: DEV
• Authors: Marshini Chetty, Srikanth Sundaresan, Sachit Muckaden, Nick Feamster, Enrico Calandro
• Keywords: DEV 2013