Making the right broadband choice
Roy Johnson
We used to have only one option for broadband, but now it seems we are spoilt for choice. There are a bewildering number of offerings available and – for the average user – mastering the technical detail and pros-and-cons comparisons are not worth the migraine that follows.

The most useful resource is a local website (broadbandchooza.co.za – no "www") that keeps up-to-date with products and offers useful technical advice.

If you want greater detail and actual user opinions, the forums at mybroadband.co.za (also no "www") make interesting but time-consuming reading.

The landscape is changing rapidly and whatever you have right now will probably be last year's model soon. We already have a couple of companies offering uncapped services. Many have improved their speeds or will soon do so – rumour has it that Telkom will offer uncapped services soon and we know they have been experimenting with increasing their speeds from the current 4Mbps to 8 or even 12Mbps. Some are offering new billing models, separating the three components of phone-line, broadband connection fee and data usage fees.

How to decide?

The first question is how you work – are you a mobile user? Phone-line ADSL is an affordable and high-volume solution if you work from a desk. Others might need the best possible mobility, in which case 3G connections are optimal. For occasional mobile users, WiMax (iBurst, Sentech) wireless connections offer the best of both worlds – if you are in a good reception area when you need to use it.

Second question – what type of user are you? If you move a lot of data (big files, multimedia), you really need to focus on the best balance of speed (how many bits per second the connection really offers – not just the theoretical maximum), cap (the total amount you are allowed – per month, usually) and cost. If you are a specialised user (gamer, video-conferencer), you need to consider that a shaped connection optimises browsing and e-mail ahead of streaming media. That means your content might be always freezing up. An unshaped connection will work better for you but it will cost more.

As always, let the buyer beware. There are two things that catch most people out.

The advertised speed is seldom seen in practice and there is no guarantee. All internet service providers (ISPs) do make honest attempts to deliver good service but, if your speed inexplicably drops, you will be told that "work is being done on the network" or "we do not guarantee international bandwidth". If your usage needs are critical and immediate, make sure you have a backup connection with a different ISP. If not, you have to bite the bullet.

The data caps seem like a lot – unless you've lived overseas. If you are only checking headlines on a few sites per day and sending the occasional e-mail, a couple of GB is enough for a month. Most of us, however, are using VOIP (Skype or any of the messenger services) and we will be watching video clips on websites. Skype uses about 100kBps for voice – and almost three times that if you turn on your cam. Video clips from sites like CNN, Yahoo or YouTube run at about 300kBps. That means that 1GB of cap allows you to watch only a few hours of streaming video – per month.

Consider your needs first when choosing broadband – then look at the cost.