The Biggest ADSL ISPs

The ADSL ISP space is hotting up with smaller players taking on the big guns. But who is leading the ADSL ISP race?
Big ISPs
TelkomInternet, which has the advantage of direct marketing to all ADSL subscribers, currently leads the ADSL ISP pack with around 120 000 subscribers. This constitutes a market share of around 36% of the 335 112 strong ADSL user base.
The second largest ADSL ISP is MWEB which has recently surpassed the 100 000 subscriber mark. MWEB is aggressively marketing its broadband products, something which seems to pay dividends for the company.
Internet Solutions, which acts as a wholesaler in the ADSL market, currently has just over 40 000 ADSL subscribers on their network.
Vox Telecom, aka DataPro, says that it currently has in the region of 23 000 ADSL subscribers. This gives the company a market share of around 6%, something which CEO Douglas recently said he wants to increase significantly over the next few years.
Smaller ISPs gaining ground
Axxess, one of the ISPs that has been aggressively marketing their prepaid ADSL vouchers this year, has over 20 000 ADSL subscribers on their books. The company continues to grow on the back of aggressive pricing and easy-to-use prepaid systems.
WebAfrica continues to show impressive growth in the ADSL space with 20 273 subscribers. WebAfrica is well known for its exceptional support and great online pre-paid ADSL system.
Cybersmart, a smaller ISP well known for its low cost entry level ADSL products, has grown its subscriber base to just under 20 000, making it a big player in the ADSL space.
Small players gaining ground
While there is a fair amount of double-counting when it comes to ADSL subscriber numbers – typically with TelkomInternet or MWEB subscribers using a smaller pre-paid ISP when capped – the smaller ISPs are clearly starting to compete against their larger counterparts.
The current status quo in the ADSL market, characterized by low monthly usage limits and more adaptable products, means that smaller, more nimble ISPs can often create products quicker and support them better than larger companies.
More aggressive pricing from smaller players further means that we may see a few traditionally small ISPs punch far above their weight. Source: mybroadband.co.za