New undersea cables can make broadband more affordable - OpenWeb

As part of its efforts to reduce broadband costs, local Internet service provider OpenWeb has introduced an affordable broadband solution. Its Silver Uncapped package is a brand new ADSL service that bridges the gap between its Standard and Gold Uncapped packages.

Wright says the Seacom cable increased the country's broadband capacity considerably. "The new West Africa cable system, the Africa coast to Europe cable and the South Atlantic Express cable combined should boost broadband capacity substantially over the next year."

Interconnectivity fees have to drop

According to the deputy-director general of the Department of Communications, Themba Phiri, Icasa needs to establish a programme to be presented to Parliament on the cost to communicate. He stresses that interconnectivity fees have to reduce drastically and he wants the operators to commit to doing this.

OpenWeb is extremely lenient with its fair usage policy for Silver and Gold Uncapped packages. During quieter times and after hours, OpenWeb tries to offer an optimal experience to gamers. Silver Uncapped is a shaped service, and generally, during office hours, heavy download protocols will take the lowest priority on the network. However, OpenWeb believes that when the network is quiet, its clients should have full access to it.

Suitable for the after hours gamer

"Silver Uncapped is the perfect solution for gamers. With a 15% lower contention ratio than Standard Uncapped, Silver Uncapped was made for the after hours downloader and gamer. We have placed a very specific focus on gaming on our Silver and Gold Uncapped services. As gaming mostly takes place after hours, we have prioritised gaming across our premium network, offering our clients the most superior gaming experience," Wright explains.

He says there is no actual fair usage policy, other than the fact that download protocols will be shaped during busy periods. However, when the network is quiet, clients will be offered an unshaped experience. Daytime speeds are dynamically managed to ensure that all users on the network get the best possible speeds.