HSDPA shootout: MTN versus Vodacom

By: MyBroadband

MTN and Vodacom have the same pricing for their HSDPA offerings, so which provider gives the best broadband value?

MTN recently announced their new HSDPA mobile broadband pricing structure, bringing it in line with Vodacom’s current rates. Both providers offer the same technology and data speeds, namely 1.8 Mbps HSDPA, so which provider has the best value proposition?

When pricing and technology is taken out of the equation, other factors come to the fore when selecting a broadband service provider. These factors include reliability, coverage, real-life upload and download speeds, customer service and bundle top-up choices.

MTN believes that now that the playing field has been leveled, customers will have a wider choice which will make customer service and network reliability deciding factors. “MTN has in the last three months undertaken extensive upgrading and performance enhancements to the network,” says Ntombi Mhangwani, MTN’s Senior Manager of PR & Internal Communications. “MTN has added additional GPRS core equipment in Cape Town to supplement the existing equipment in Gauteng, many of the servers have been significantly upgraded, international capacity has been increased, and an additional 45Mbps international link from Cape Town is now available.” MTN added that their 3G/HSDPA network is in the best condition ever and has measured performance to rival the best in the world. “We have built nearly 600 new 3G/HSDPA base stations this year and will build at least another 400 over the next few months,” Mhangwani points out. 

The MTN upgrades seem to show in the recent broadband survey where MTN subscribers consistently reported international downlink speeds of over 600 Kbps, higher than any other wireless provider which formed part of the survey. MTN HSDPA subscribers further indicated far higher service reliability in the broadband survey than their Vodacom counterparts, something which MTN has long punted as one of the major strengths of their offering. Vodacom on the other hand showed higher local downlink speeds and its upload speeds far exceeded that of MTN’s. Vodacom also has better HSDPA coverage, but in more rural areas MTN claims to reign supreme with superior EDGE coverage to fall back on.

With the same technology and similar pricing models it is not surprising that consumers feel that the two mobile giants provide basically the same value for money. Their subscribers further gave similar ratings for support and their overall satisfaction with the service in the broadband survey. There is not too much differentiating the two companies when looking at subscriber feedback, and it may boil down do what users value the most in terms of reliability, download speed, upload speed and support when selecting a mobile broadband service.