A study by Picodi found that South Africa has the most expensive 100Mbps fibre prices in the world.

“This research covers 62 countries, including G20 countries, the largest English and Spanish speaking countries, as well as former USSR countries,” Picodi said.

“We took into consideration major internet providers offering unlimited residential fibre internet or the most advanced technology available in the country.”

According to the study, 100Mbps was the most common speed offered across the countries that it investigated, and as of December 2019, the global average speed of broadband was 70Mbps.

This means, according to Picodi, that comparing 100Mbps connection prices is a good way to gauge fibre prices across the globe.

Expensive 100Mbps fibre

According to the study, South Africans pay an average of $87.24 (R1,277.93) for a 100Mbps fibre connection – the highest in the world. The next-highest pricing of all analysed countries is Iceland, where a 100Mbps connection costs $69.05 (R1011.47).

Eastern European countries filled the top three spots for the cheapest 100Mbps fibre prices, with all three (Ukraine, Russia, and Moldova) charging less than $10 (R146.48).

Some countries – including Poland, Romania, France, and Singapore – do not offer speeds as low as 100Mbps.

Polish and Romanian fibre speeds begin at 150Mbps and 200Mbps is the minimum in France, while Singapore only offers fibre speeds starting at 500Mbps.

Countries including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam do not yet offer 100Mbps speeds.

A comparison of 100Mbps fibre prices across the globe can be viewed in the graph below.

What you can get for R300

Picodi also looked into the maximum speed users could get in each country for $20 (R292.97) per month.

South Africa did not feature on this list, as all uncapped fibre products Picodi included from South Africa cost more than the $20 dollar figure.

South Africa was joined by the likes of Australia, Germany, Brazil, Switzerland, Italy, and the US in not offering any uncapped fibre packages for $20 per month or cheaper.

In several Eastern European countries, as well as India, users can subscribe to a 1Gbps fibre package for the equivalent of less than R300 per month.

View the maximum speed users in various countries can access for $20 per month below.

Price of 1Gbps fibre

Of the countries where consumer 1Gbps fibre is available, South Africa had some of the highest pricing worldwide.

In South Africa, the average price of 1Gbps fibre was calculated to be $100 (R1464.84) per month.

Eastern Europe and Asia offered the cheapest 1Gbps fibre prices, with these high-speed connections usually costing less than $25 (R366.21) per month.

However, in parts of Europe and Australia, 1Gbps fibre connections cost significantly more than they do in South Africa.

The worldwide distribution of 1Gbps fibre prices can be viewed below.

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