Choosing the correct fibre bundles might be the difference between saving a lot of money on data and squandering a lot of money on dodgy agreements. As a result, it’s critical to keep an eye out for low-cost options. This does not imply that you should settle for a lower-quality internet connection. Choose a connection that offers high speeds without unwanted cutoffs.
Many South Africans are still looking for reliable internet connectivity options because they want to keep connected to their families and loved ones all around the world. Fortunately, this is not a major issue because internet service providers have stepped in to give subscribers attractive discounts. As a result, consumers must be astute in order to take advantage of bargains that are not only reasonable but also provide a reliable connection.
So where do you begin? With so many options out there, it’s important to know what to consider before deciding upon your chosen provider.
Luckily, we’ve got you covered.
What are people actually looking for?
What one person looks for, another may not, and what is fantastic for one individual may not be so great for another. However, the two most commonly requested qualities are:
- Good customer service.
- Consistent line speed.
Since the days of ADSL, Internet service providers and their level of service have gone a long way. Companies that have been around for a while normally have a bit more expertise under their belts, but some of the younger ISPs were formed with the intention of improving on what came before.
Customer service is never easy since it entails dealing with people and their feelings. One of you may be having a terrible day, resulting in a more tense call and, as a result, a poor customer service experience.
For the most part, line speed is a little easier to adjust thanks to your line speed selection.
Knowing How to Choose the Right Line Speed for Your Needs
There are a multitude of things that may affect your line speed, including amongst others:
Number of people in your household
Your use line speed is affected by the number of individuals connected at any given moment. We usually suggest 5Mbps per individual. If you have more than two teenagers in the house, you may want to add an extra 5Mbps to your overall count just to be safe. Teens’ usage of apps and their ravenous consumption of social media information necessitate a bit more than the usual family.
What you need it for
You’ll need a bit more if you’re working from home and only use your internet to check social media, send emails, or watch movies in the evening. You may need a significantly faster linespeed than the usual family house if you live with, or are a gamer. If you’re merely using the internet for basic purposes, 5Mbps to 10Mbps would suffice, but if you’re a gamer, you’ll want to look at speeds of at least 25Mbps.
Your space
Unlike ADSL, where the length of the cable into the house makes a difference, fibre uses light beams rather than electrical signals, therefore the length of the cable into the house makes no impact (which can be affected by bent cabling etc). The interference from other devices or individuals attempting to connect to their own internet slows down your line speed in a standalone, apartment, or cluster house. Because the airways are a little more crowded, your WiFi signal has to compete for its spot, slowing down your connection. To address this, improved WiFi routers and positioning can be considered, as well as the usage of 5Ghz rather than the more crowded 2Ghz band.
The Basic Service Levels All Good Fibre ISPs Should Provide
Disclosure of Fair Usage Policy (FUP)
Most uncapped accounts are subject to a “fair use policy,” which often entails restricting their maximum line speed once a specific amount of data is utilized in a month. Your ISP should be open about their offerings, including whether or not they use FUP.
Support
It’s crucial to think about the degree of help you’ll get when you join up. Examine whether your ISP has a call center or other means of contacting you in the case of a problem or technical inquiry (such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc)
Uptime, Maintenance & Repairs
They should state their repair time (how long it will take them to fix a problem) and whether or not they offer credit for downtime. Many just mention a “best-effort SLA,” which means the network makes no promise that data will be delivered or that it will be of acceptable quality. All users in a best-effort network receive “best-effort” service.
Notifications
As mentioned in point 3, whether or not your ISP sends you any warnings outside of bills, especially for downtime/maintenance, is generally spelt out in their Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Unfortunately, notifications are not always available, and you may need to check an “uptime monitor,” Twitter, or your ISP’s Facebook page or home page to discover whether your network is down.
If you already know what you want and just want to compare prices across the ISPs on your network, contact us and we can make it easier to see packages and price across ISPs and sign-up in one click.
