The nightmare of slow Internet
In the Digital Age where connectivity is king, buffering has turned into the new paralysis. Slow Internet, like lack of oxygen, is choking Batswana who recently went guns blazing to a meeting with service providers and the regulator, BOCRA. Staff Writer, TIMOTHY LEWANIKA, was present
While the whole world walks down the aisle of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) with technology betrothing Artificial Intelligence, automated electric cars, and 5G Internet speed, Botswana is standing in the back pews as an imposter claiming to have the second fastest Internet speed in Africa.
The claim is that Botswana is standing head and shoulders next to the likes of China when it comes to Internet speed. At last week’s Quality of Service workshop held by the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA), local consumer rights lobbyist, Richard Harriman, dismissed these claims as a blue lie.
“The idea that Botswana has the second fastest Internet speed in Africa is only true at the government building that was used to conduct that test,” he said.
“I did a survey to ask over 1,500 consumers about the quality of the Internet speed they enjoy at home and 61% of this sample population thought the speed was very bad, with 18% thinking it’s neutral.”
However, according to the recent claim which says it is based on statistics from the Speedtest Global Index, Botswana has the second fastest mobile Internet speed in the continent, with an impressive 43.79Mbps.
The results show that Botswana only trails behind South Africa in mobile Internet speed but what local Internet authorities will not mention is that in practice, the country has one of the worst broadband Internet speeds in Africa.
“When it comes to fixed broadband Internet, Botswana, with an average speed of 7.25MBps, ranks fourth worst in Africa, only being better than Niger, The Gambia, and Burundi.
“Globally, the country ranks 175th out of 181 surveyed countries,” results from Speedtest revealed.
Broadband is the wired Internet that allows access to the Internet at home and allows for mass travel of highspeed Internet. Botswana’s ranking in this category is amongst the worst. When officials at state data agency, BoFiNet, boast of having the highest ranking in mobile Internet speed, they appear to gloss over the the failure in broadband speed, hiding the reality that consumers live with daily.
Over the past festive season, consumers thronged various social media platforms with complaints about poor data services from the different service providers, with most of the complaints emanating from worries over the low speed of the Internet at home.
Much of the trouble stems from the inconsistent availability of Internet, whether mobile or broadband, meaning consumers rarely get value for their money.
Speaking to the performance of Botswana in an array of mobile network operations, BOCRA’s Manager Networks and Quality of Service, Tebogo Ketshabile, revealed that mobile operators have a set standard of achieving 99% network availability.
He said throughout the whole of 2023 this target was only achieved in May by only one mobile operator while the two other mobile operators operated above 80%.
According to Ketshabile, Botswana has outstanding performance in mobile voice services which includes the quality of voice calls throughout the country and texts. However, there has been a series of challenges when it comes to data transmission in higher networks such as 4G and 5G with mobile operators failing to meet the set target of 98% for over nine months in a year.
The meeting grew tense as Harriman, whose Consumer Watchdog Facebook page has more than 200,000 members, matched wits with the mobile operators. He pounced on the sweet-coated network jargon and said that the truth is consumers in the country are getting less data than they actually pay for. In real time “consumers pay more than they get” he asserted.
He further indicated that this unfair business practice is tantamount to false and misleading advertising because mobile operators advertise bundle packages only to deliver half of that bundle even in times when network congestion is considerably low.
“At my house, I consistently get seven megabytes per second of speed compared to the 14mbps of speed I pay for and it’s like this every day. “And this is the case for many consumers in Botswana.
“Mobile operators just keep getting away with this and they must be brought to task.”
BOCRA compels mobile operators to at least deliver 75% of the speed and bundles that they sell to consumers but Harriman argues that they consistently deliver not more than 50%. In today’s fast-paced world, individuals rely on the Internet for various tasks, including work, communication, and accessing information. Whether it is uploading large files, participating in video conferences, or conducting research, sluggish Internet speeds can significantly impede efficiency and workflow, leading to frustration and lost opportunities.
It is not just virtual work that necessitates fast consistent Internet access but the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has moved the access of essential services such as healthcare, banking, and government resources online, increasing dependence on reliable Internet connectivity. Slow Internet speeds can hinder individuals’ ability to access telehealth services, perform online banking transactions, or access government portals for vital information and services. In rural or underserved areas where Internet infrastructure may be lacking, slow speeds exacerbate the digital divide, leaving residents at a disadvantage.
This is in no way meant to undermine government’s effort to fast-track Internet access to rural areas and push for a connectivity-savvy country through various initiatives such as SmartBots, but mobile operators are delivering low-quality data services. At the meeting, mobile operators attempted to calm the seething anger of consumers. According to their officials, it is difficult to consistently deliver fast Internet because the country has a small population spread unevenly over a large geographic area. This, they said means huge infrastructure costs.
Mobile operators also bemoaned rampant copper cable theft, citing it as a prevalent problem in Botswana which causes significant disruptions to telecommunication services. Copper cable theft results in substantial financial losses for service providers and inconvenience for customers.
Last year, the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) outlined plans to go ‘copper-free’ in some parts of the country following a spate of theft of its copper cables. At one point, BTCL incurred losses of P29 million from copper cable theft. BTC announced plans to eliminate copper from its networks in Gaborone, Orapa, and Jwaneng by the end of the coming financial year, in favour of using fibre infrastructure.
“When copper cables are cut and stolen, the end result is service disruption, meaning customers do not have access to communication, which could put lives at risk,” BTCL managing director, Antony Masunga said previously.
“Further, damage to BTCL infrastructure results in Internet service outage, which in turn affects customers’ ability to transact either online or through the ATMs hence denying them the opportunity to buy or pay for services,” he said.
“In essence, copper cable theft negatively impacts businesses and their ability to provide service to customers.”
For consumers who are paying for consistent service, the challenge appears here to stay, for now.