And You Thought Your Internet Bill Was High

from the stay-out-of-Africa dept

Thu, May 18th 2006 3:33pm — Mike Masnick

There have been plenty of stories about how much cheaper and faster broadband access is in places like Japan and Korea than in the US, but that doesn't mean the US has the highest prices. A new report notes that Africans pay an average of $1,800 per GB, which could explain, in part, why only 1.5% of people there are online.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

49 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

dorpus, 18 May 2006 @ 3:43pm

Travel on the cheap
If I go to Europe, are there any places where I can watch nazis marching down the street, knights on horseback being shot with crossbows, or royal executions? Are there canals in Venice where maidens in silk robes dive into the canal to retrieve pearls? Are there churches that are at least 1000 meters tall? How about oil paintings that are worth at least $10 trillion, statues of naked men taking a shit, or a statue of the virgin mary that cries and makes Catholics scratch themselves bloody in religious frenzy? Are there places in the Vatican where I can give my girlfriend an abortion for xmas? Are there volcanoes that bury Italian cities at 3PM every day, or the Irish alps that require oxygen masks to climb, or blimps made out of Swiss cheese that fly over the Grand Mosques of France?

Unless there are better attractions in Asia. Are there any airports where levitating monks give rides on flying carpets? Are there live harakiri shows at 3PM every day, or airlines that serve dog brain sushi? Are there places where I can watch starving children with Bausch & Lomb Eye Infections, elephants destroying Indian villages, or Muslims blowing up nightclubs with lots of white people in it? How about the world's tallest skyscraper on top of Everest, Buddhist temples built out of human bones, or Asians with 3 eyes singing karaoke?

But would there be more fun in North America, where I can watch herds of buffalo blocking highways? Are there regularly scheduled school massacres, or the Statue of Liberty being blown up at 3PM every day? How about Mexican illegal immigrants in holocaust camps, Canadians throwing spears at polar bears, or McDonalds that serve Improvised Explosive Devices? Is there a subway that goes from New York to LA, or a place to watch Hurricane Katrina victims swim across the misipipi, or whatever it's called? Are there cities where religious police arrest anyone carrying a science textbook? Or helicopter tours piloted by Mrs. Bush? Are there sushi bars in Hollywood where Tom Cruise chops up babies, or places in the Grand Canyon where Cowboys and Indians have shootouts? Can I watch a KKK cross burning, or get a free nuclear weapon keychain? Are there Wal-mart stores that sell starving homeless children?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- confused, 18 May 2006 @ 5:22pm
  
  Re: Travel on the cheap
  I don't know about that, but in America you can see people go stark raving mad on the internet.
  
  http://techdirt.com/article.php?sid=20060518/1348250#c20
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 18 May 2006 @ 6:33pm
    
    Re: Re: Travel on the cheap
    yup!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Some Dude, 18 May 2006 @ 4:02pm

Um.... What?
Dorpus, a little off topic aren't we? I would like to see concentration camps for illegals though... Cheers
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- |333173|3|_||3, 18 May 2006 @ 5:30pm
  
  Re: Um.... What?
  Australias has something like that, called immigration detention centres, but the conditions are not too bad apart from the alleged beatings and being way out in the desert or on pacific islands.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 18 May 2006 @ 6:10pm
    
    Re: Re: Um.... What?
    The US runs camps for minors who enter the country illegally. The kids are kept in cages without contact to the outside world, absolutely no education, no supervision, no legal assistance. The detainees are being deported as soon as they reach majority. It is illegal to treat a dog like that.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 18 May 2006 @ 6:26pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Um.... What?
      Camps for minors. We don't send them all back when they reach the age of majority. We send some to Area 51 to tend the Alien Farms.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- cg, 18 May 2006 @ 7:00pm
  
  Re: Um.... What?
  you are a faggot.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Panic, 18 May 2006 @ 4:05pm

drugs are bad m'kay?
that hurt my head a little dorpus...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
duhblow7, 18 May 2006 @ 4:09pm

dorpus: nope
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Thomas, 18 May 2006 @ 6:06pm

dorpus the dork
Dorpus; through your arty-farty pseudointellectual "poem" shines a bleeding heart idiot, who has never visited Europe, who does not understand the country you live in, and failing to realize that this world is made up of thousands of cultures that are all wonderful. The religious police exists in states you have never visited; but your grandchildren will live in one, if you don't start realizing the stakes.

Your off-topic copy pasting revealed 386 results in goggle. You are an active idiot with an internet connection.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 18 May 2006 @ 6:35pm
  
  Re: dorpus the dork
  yup!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Apennismightier, 18 May 2006 @ 9:48pm
  
  Re: dorpus the dork
  Thank God there are still intellectuals out there who will take the time and show everyday morons, that they are morons.
  
  "Think of someone of "average" intelligence. Then think... half the world is dumber than that."
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Doctor Creek, 18 May 2006 @ 6:22pm

WHAT THE F**K IS DORPUS SMOKING???
Please mail me some.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
yoadrienne, 18 May 2006 @ 7:20pm

african internet
in south africa it is exorbitantly expensive. i'm surprised anyone gets on there, except to check email which very few even do. plus, the expense of a computer is also very high so what would be the point if no one else is hooking up their computers to the internet? how can you email/chat/buy stuff online if no one else is on there to supply the other parts
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Louis, 19 May 2006 @ 2:28am
  
  Re: african internet
  
  african internet by yoadrienne on May 18th, 2006 @ 7:20pm
  in south africa it is exorbitantly expensive. i'm surprised anyone gets on there, except to check email which very few even do. plus, the expense of a computer is also very high so what would be the point if no one else is hooking up their computers to the internet? how can you email/chat/buy stuff online if no one else is on there to supply the other parts
  
  I used to live in Pretoria, had a 512 kbit DSL connection. Fine, its nothing as to what I have now in Germany (4 Mbit DSL) but its not as bad as what some people here make it out to be. And its not because of lack of infrastructure or because "the expense of a computer is high" (a truly ridiculous statement).
  
  The only reason South Africa has such expensive DSL rates is due to the Telkom monopoly. That`s another reason why I believe Network Neutrality would benefit not only the Europeans and Americans, but also the Africans.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
niger, 18 May 2006 @ 7:47pm

then how are them nigerians always doing these fraud ebay bids?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
haha, 18 May 2006 @ 8:00pm

^ lol
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
..., 18 May 2006 @ 8:26pm

Just because the US doesn't have the highest prices doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kyle, 18 May 2006 @ 9:03pm

I disagree with the argument of speed. I live in Japan and I have a "50M" broadband account. However, bandwidth speed tests from both the US and within Japan report my bandwidth to be between 2-4M which is slower than the 5.03M I got in Hawaii. These are down speeds of course.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Psycho-Therapy, 18 May 2006 @ 9:51pm

Dorpus is off his meds today
It would appear that Dorpus is off his medication. I would suggest that he return to his mental facility ASAP. You are in need of electro shock therapy. I would suggest 1000volts applied to your right testicle and 1500volts applied to your left testicle and maybe you will appear normal for at least 5 Min....

Good Luck with that, and nice talkin to ya!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ThePengwin, 18 May 2006 @ 11:00pm

to africa
Im off to Africa.. set up a ISP :)

*Charges $20 a gig anw ats for income*
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Caligula, 18 May 2006 @ 11:20pm

Personally offended
I was very offended by the "Bausch & Lomb Eye Infections" comment!! How dare you talk about such an icon of opthamological sophistication!

Anyway, what I think is really funny is that the comments are now all about the Dorpus post (except for a few) when Dorpus didn't really say anything at all, even though it is signifigantly longer than the original post. Some people actually started sending him hate posts!

LOL
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
double_M, 19 May 2006 @ 12:14am

rude with tude
i've read several articles from techdirt and have yet to find a single intelligent comment, maybe it's due to the fact that everyone here is still sucking on mammas big boob and still shitting green
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dylan Johnston, 19 May 2006 @ 12:26am

Quote CNN - "Internet users in America pay $20 for one gigabyte of data per month"

I pay $40 a month for 10mb/down 5mb/up and my BW limit is 50GB.

...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kev, 19 May 2006 @ 12:31am

This article says it all
http://www.homecomingrevolution.co.za/?page=2&category_id=93&related_id=1140
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Spartacus, 19 May 2006 @ 12:44am

Botswana
I live in Botswana (the country just north of South Africa) and pay $400 USD per month for a 128 kb/sec connection and that's as fast as it gets here. At least it's just barely fast enough to play World of Warcraft! Sophacles, 60 Mage on Frostwolf baby!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kev, 19 May 2006 @ 12:49am

To Spartacus
US or EU realms?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
south african, 19 May 2006 @ 12:49am

gprs on my cell phone is US$0.16 per mb

:)

just subscribing for adsl costs $100
then $20 for 512kbps and after 3gigs download or upload it becomes 64kbps local and 0kbps international

iburst wireless internet is cheaper
and speed is 1mb

maximum speed available here 2mb
and really expensive

:)

im moving!

p.s. ThePenguin until recently there was a law which allowed only 1 national provider, there will be a new one next year
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
elp, 19 May 2006 @ 12:49am

Those figures are definitly for Kenya only.
I run an ISP in South Africa, and those prices don't tie up with my experiences. If that price is for a 1Gb/s pipe then the same thing would cost me around $1.5 Million a month.

Usually mere mortals who aren't part of a state owned monopoly get charged per Gig of actual data shifted each month, and at a reasonable ISP that will run you about $15/Gig a month for hosting and ADSL works out at around $30 per Gig.

Personally the high prices don't bother me that much, what is really frustrating is that I can’t get anything better than 100Kbytes/sec downloads from any site in the US to my servers at any of the top collocation facilities in the country. (I’m paying top dollar for unlimited bandwidth)

As for the Nigerians…150+ accounts from Nigeria and I’m still waiting for a single legitimate Nigerian customer. If you use a stolen credit card clearly price isn’t an issue. (We block all signups from Nigeria now.)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Spartacus, 19 May 2006 @ 1:13am

Kev
US relm. My twink is on Crushridge, Sparticus, 30 Orc Warlock.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
deaf_by_ipod, 19 May 2006 @ 1:14am

Wow...but I'm still complaining about U.S. rates
I wish had the capital to set one up over there...that's a wide open market.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
CrazyPunk, 19 May 2006 @ 2:04am

Lol
I have someone from south africa in my buddy list on msn, he's only online in weekends and only has a bitchy 56k modem - but also a kickass pc :o
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Louis, 19 May 2006 @ 2:19am

Africa
Mike,

Like so many Americans you seem to forget that Africa is the second largest continent on the world. Its not one single country, but made up of quite a few countries. And a lot of people.

The CNN article is pertinent to Kenya, not the whole of Africa, there are other countries in Africa that enjoy better internet connectivity and better prices (such as South Africa, for example).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Mike (profile), 19 May 2006 @ 2:31am
  
  Re: Africa
  Like so many Americans you seem to forget that Africa is the second largest continent on the world. Its not one single country, but made up of quite a few countries. And a lot of people.
  
  I know this. It is unfair of you to say that I "forgot" this. Please read the article again. It pertains to all of Africa.
  
  The CNN article is pertinent to Kenya, not the whole of Africa, there are other countries in Africa that enjoy better internet connectivity and better prices (such as South Africa, for example).
  
  No. While the article was based on a talk given in Kenya, it clearly is discussing all of Africa. It's true that prices are different in different parts of Africa, but the report is discussing an average price.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Worked In Kenya, 19 May 2006 @ 10:32am
  
  Re: Africa
  I worked for four and half months in Kenya, and I can tell ya, internet ain't cheap. I was trying to install high speed internet in one of the offices of the US Embassy--the cheapest was 256k--a $1200 setup and something like $200 a month. That was DSL and their landline infrastructure is, in a word, crap. I was told to expect about 50% downtime with no prorated costs. The most reliable system there is there "wireless". An $1800 setup to erect an antenna and something like $600 per month. 128K ISDNs were several hundred a month a month. It's crazy...internet cafe is the way to go there--my friend writes me from one and she only pays a few shillings per minute. It's funny...60% unemployment in that country and Nairobi ranks as one of the most overpriced places (quality/quantity vs. cost) I've been in the world...and I've been a lot of places. That and the divide between the rich and the poor is incredible. That place survives, and likely their internet industry, by charging the plethora of US and European expatriates a ton of cash--usually funded by US/UK/EU governments or the barbarian horde that's called the UN--it's the largest UN hub in Africa. Anyway...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Louis, 19 May 2006 @ 3:38am

Re: Africa by Mike on May 19th, 2006 @ 2:31am

I know this. It is unfair of you to say that I "forgot" this. Please read the article again. It pertains to all of Africa.

I find it unfair of you to suggest people to stay out of Africa because of the price of connectivity.

No. While the article was based on a talk given in Kenya, it clearly is discussing all of Africa. It's true that prices are different in different parts of Africa, but the report is discussing an average price.

And the article groups the whole of Africa into a single group. Which is what I find so disconcerting. Looking at the prices that www.hellkom.co.za publishes you could pay R463 for 3 GB of Data in South Africa. That`s about 77$ US. Or 26$ US for 1 GB of data. While that is still an exorbant amount, its nowhere close to 1800$ US for 1 GB.

The link below is my reference:

http://www.hellkom.co.za/tco.php?price=100&isp=Cybersmart&package=R100%20192kb s&url=http://www.cybersmart.co.za

So obviously the problem here is the fact that South Africa (and Egypt, Malawi, Namibia) was grouped with countries that had relatively poor infrastructure and net connectivity.

The average in such a case is not a good indication of the truth of the matter.

I`m not saying that the price of communication is not a problem in South Africa and other African countries (as it is also in Germany and in America I gather), I`m saying that it is unfair to average across the whole continent and then expect it to be a reasonable indication of the technological ability (in this case, internet connectivity) of any individual country.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Mike (profile), 19 May 2006 @ 3:51am
  
  Re: Re: Africa by Mike on May 19th, 2006 @ 2:31am
  
  I find it unfair of you to suggest people to stay out of Africa because of the price of connectivity.
  
  Um. I never suggested people stay out of Africa. Where did you get that from?!?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Louis, 19 May 2006 @ 4:05am
    
    Re: Re: Re: Africa by Mike on May 19th, 2006 @ 2:3
    
    Um. I never suggested people stay out of Africa. Where did you get that from?!?
    
    from the stay-out-of-Africa dept
    
    Fine, I might be taking it too seriously, but I`ve met too many Americans who refer to Africa as though its a single country. A just want people to understand that there`s more to it than the CNN reports on starvation and war.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
ZINGZINGZINGZINGZING, 19 May 2006 @ 4:46am

Re: Dorpus
I thought that was a jolly nice poem, Uncle Dorpus, and I'm going to hang it on my wall
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Av, 19 May 2006 @ 5:27am

Big fucking deal. I pay $6,100 CDN per gig on my cell phone's internet plan. It's a total scam.

-av
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
yoadrienne, 19 May 2006 @ 6:45am

Its a good way to keep people dumb, at any rate. deny them the opportunity to inform themselves and nothing will change. its almost like china now.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Thilak Rao, 19 May 2006 @ 8:42am

Here in India I pay 27.99 $ per GB.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Andre, 19 May 2006 @ 8:44am

Hi from Africa
I live in Africa as you would call it, but the fact of the matter is that there are different countries in Africa. Thsi applies for South Africa which is a COUNTRY in AFRICA. There is no such thing as AFRICA, since it is a ontinent, and each county in the continent has their own billing system.

So, be specific and get your facts straight. This is all due to a monopoly in South Africa. We only have ONE telephone company, so there is the explination.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
John Yen, 8 Dec 2006 @ 12:39pm

Trouble In Africa - What's new?
Sigh. It's quite unsettling to hear that internet access, a luxury that most Americans, Asians, and Europeans openly enjoy daily, is inaccessible to a country that may need it most. I'm almost certain that the 1.5% mentioned is probably all concentrated in Johannesberg, or some wealthy part of South Africa.

Hopefully some kind of AFRICAN-BASED company will get enough capital to build some kind of virtual internet infrastructure or network in which they can charge Africans a bit less. It's pretty sad that the only ones with money in Africa aren't even African. Makes you wonder.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
new battery, 5 Oct 2008 @ 11:50pm

battery
It's crazy...internet cafe is the way to go there--my friend writes me from one and she only pays a few shillings per minute. It's funny...60% unemployment in that country and Nairobi ranks as one of the most overpriced places (quality/quantity vs. cost) I've been in the world...and I've been a lot of places. That and the divide between the rich and the poor is incredible. That place survives, and likely their internet industry, by charging the plethora of US and European expatriates a ton of cash--usually funded by US/UK/EU governments or the barbarian horde that's called the UN--it's the largest UN hub in Africa.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
newest jordan shoes, 8 Nov 2010 @ 11:10pm

newest jordan shoes
Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the solid work.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
kamagra, 28 Dec 2010 @ 5:30am

nice..
Nice post. Please keep continue sharing your great ideas
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
sprearson81 (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 6:16pm

Wanna try Cambodia for high prices, seriously ridiculous . . .
[ link to this | view in chronology ]