South Africa's mostly select group is probably best known for its DStv satellite TV service, which is a major force in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the company has now entered the fiber optic Internet market aggressively, incorporating DStv and Internet into its own uncapped fiber offerings, which are available at very low prices.
The DStv website currently advertises two products, one bundling the cheaper DStv compact bouquet and the other offering a high-end premium bouquet. Both include 25Mbit/s uncapped fiber with 10Mbit/s uplink as part of a deal that includes a TV subscription.
However, consumers who want to sign up for these new bundles will need a 24-month subscription. dStv's Streama box is part of the bundle. It has built-in Wi-Fi and supports 4K HDR playback and Dolby Atmosphere audio.
The launch of DStv's fiber offering is the first time the multi-optional DStv Internet division is offering fiber Internet. However, it already offers fixed 4g / LTE service.
The service apparently requires the support of at least one fiber network operator, as MultiChoice does not own the fiber service, although so far MultiChoice has been tight-lipped about who it is working with. However, TechCentral's website says the speeds offered are comparable to those offered by Openserve, the wholesale arm of operator Telkom, which operates one of the largest fiber-to-the-home networks in South Africa.
The low-end fiber market in South Africa is highly competitive, although whether the deals are intended to spell trouble for companies such as Frogfoot, metrofiber Networx and Vumatel, which are targeting the country's underserved market, is unclear.
