Good news for broadband in South Africa – the country is ranked higher this year in a United Nations global broadband report. South Africa is now ranked 80 out of 190 countries, which is up from 92nd in 2013.
According to the report, in 2014 48.9% of the country has access to the Internet (last year it was 41%). Out of developing countries, this ranks South Africa in 37th place. South Africa has also increased its fixed broadband penetration – this year penetration is 3.1%, which is a 0.9% increase from 2013.
The UN praised South Africa’s broadband policy – South Africa Connect – a strategy that was put forward in December 2013 by the government which encompasses investment in broadband infrastructure, applications and services. A 2030 goal has been established by the South Africa Connect policy – to achieve a download speed of 100 Mbps – and a target set of having 90% of the country with access to the Internet (at least 5 Mbps) by 2020.
