BT offers 24 month contracts, Virgin has a mix of different options including 12 and 18 but the majority of providers will offer 18 month contracts. Much like the other factors involved with choosing an internet deal, this is a feature that changes completely based on which ISP you choose. If you're having to import and export large files, streaming a lot or just living in a large household, this could be a worthwhile way to go. This option realistically won't apply to most people, with average speeds in excess of 100Mb, it is for those who really need consistency from their internet. While fibre will cost a decent chunk a month more than ADSL, it will prove to be a worthwhile investment for most larger households, allowing for multiple people to stream, game and more at the same time. Speeds can wary massively but most affordable fibre plans will be in the 30-40Mb average speed mark, with faster plans jumping up to the 70Mb+ mark. This is what the majority of people will end up wanting to go for. The major benefit of ADSL is just its incredibly cheap pricing, coming way under the cost of fibre. However when you try and do much past that, you'll start to see your internet struggle. It will get you through the basic tasks of emails, browsing the web and some light streaming. When you opt for ADSL, you'll be getting speeds averaging around the 10/11Mb mark. But, as technology gets better, a new third option is emerging in the form of Ultrafast: In July 2017, Mweb launched a selection of LTE Advanced products in partnership with Rain, a fixed wireless broadband provider.(Image credit: Shutterstock) What speed do you need? ADSL, fibre or Ultrafast?Īt the basic level, there are two kinds of broadband speeds - ADSL and fibre. On, it was announced that the South African competition authorities approved the proposed acquisition of Mweb with being the effective date of the sale. In December 2016, Internet Solutions announced that it had entered an agreement with Naspers to acquire Mweb pending approval by the South African competition authorities. In addition the company sold its Mweb Business, Optinet and core network assets divisions to Internet Solutions, a division of Dimension Data. In 2015, the company was restructured to focus mainly on the residential and small business market. The company was later first to launch Uncapped ADSL in South Africa, in 2010, and brought the global Fon WiFi network to South Africa in 2014.Īlso in 2014, Mweb launched its first fiber-to-the-home packages. In 2006 its 3G mobile data offerings were launched and the company resold products from two of SA's largest mobile networks. A year later, the South African division of Italian-owned ISP Tiscali was acquired by Mweb. In 2004 it also launched Polka, a low cost ISP. Mweb is an Internet Service Provider based in South Africa since 1997.Īs one of the first Internet Service Providers in South Africa, Mweb launched dial-up internet in South Africa with the Big Black Box in 1997, which was issued with a copy of tech expert Arthur Goldstuck's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet, the bestselling tech book in South Africa at the time.