I certainly enjoy being connected to the Internet and digital world, but as my bills poured in at the end of the month, I started wondering just how much this is costing me.
Here is a (very approximate) breakdown:
3G modem, 1 Gig , R350 3G modem, 2 Gig, R550 Cellphone contract, R500 Blackberry subscription, R150 Audible contract (for audio books) $25 / R200 Basecamp business account $25 / R200 Hosting (US) $10 / R80 .com domains $30 / R240 Hosting (SA) R 500 (this includes registrations of domain names) Media subscriptions giving me access to online archives R 650 Not online per say, but still relevant: My PVR subscription (I watch CNN ☺) at R550
That adds up to just under R4,000 per month. And notice how little I spend on US hosting: if I were to host my content here, the bill would probably be closer to R1,000. And yet, I get a ton of stuff for free (plus bandwidth cost). My email is free, most of the software I use online is free (such as my blogging platform, WordPress), my LinkedIn profile is free, I host my photos online for free, I Skype (a lot) for free and my daughter plays with Barney online, for free.
(By the way: I thought my daughter’s school private school fees were somewhat exorbitant, yet now they seem somewhat of a bargain compared to how expensive it is to educate me! )
Certainly, not all those fees are strictly necessary, but I would find it difficult, if not impossible to give any of them up.
And of course, it must be said that these are more business expenses than anything else. I spend that money to generate more money, so I am certainly not complaining.
(I haven’t included the money I spend on outsourcing, which I do online, but consider to be a pure business expense than a “connectivity” expense).
And before you start lamenting about the high costs of connectivity in South Africa, let me say that this line of thought was inspired by an article I read a while ago in a US weekly (name and date escape me), where the writer commented that his family’s connectivity cost was about $500 per month. I am sure the prices have dropped since then, but there are more opportunities to spend money on online tools, so I suspect his bill hasn’t changed much.
Work out yours (if you dare).
Hey, you need 2 x 3g contracts?
Anyhow, domaon registration for co.za is R50 pa. hosting with 3 email accounts can be as little as R 260pa – imaginet.co.za and http://co.za
>>Hey, you need 2 x 3g contracts?
I was wondering if someone would ask that ….
I actually do need both. I have three machines, I move around a lot, and for other complicated reasons I have found that having two modems is much better than just one. I don’t, though, have ANY fixed line connectivity …
Sony Ericsson K800i(3g) contract – R119
2Gb data bundle – R389.00 (If i go over my limit without knowing up-to R2000)
Hosting through paradigm – R70 pm
Domain through paradigm – R80 pa
It only gets expensive when vodacom catches me over my bundle
I want a blackberry
Mine is probably about R50/month – Company sponsored. Domains set me back about R230/year (1 .com, 1 .net, 2 .co.za), hosting about R250/year (but I also use a lot of free international hosting).
So that’s a basic cost of R40/month. Apart from all of those, there’s about R289/month I might spend on extra 3G connectivity, should the need arise.
I’m cheap. Lol.
~ Wogan
@Mario
That is a serious over-bundle charge.
You do know you can monitor your usage using Vodacom4me? Then, if you find you are over-extended, you simply buy an extra package for that month (About R100 for a Gig, I think)
Lets see:
AUD49=R343 === 12Mbps ADSL line,20GB bandwidth allowance
USD29=R232 === VPS hosting machine ( several domains hosted )
USD15/year X com domains ( 5 ) per year /months = USD 16/R50
USD29=R210 === mobile ( 3g – can be used to connect laptop)
I don’t have a crackberry, but that would cost :
AUD79=R343
just a thought – is watching CNN via your PVR more value than just going to http://www.cnn.com? methinks the PVR is used for more than that , smacks of technology lust to me, something I am guilty of too I must admit – new technology? I must buy it then… well, if budget allows that is.
@Anthony
I was, indeed, kidding about the CNN/PVR comment, although I do watch Larry regularly. But my PVR is for all the “time wasters” I am addicted to, and would never give up.
It is more than technology lust though, since the fast forward feature allows me to watch about 2 to 2.5 shows in the time a non-PVR’d viewer watches ONE.
I just don’t watch television. Problem solved. It’s not like you can’t stay up to date with RSS feeds. And DVDs pretty much take care of the rest for me.
I can’t remember the last time I watched CCTV, or MNA (banned in SA), or even Supersport, for that matter.
Do you really need to pay to get 150 channels of rubbish you’ll mostly never watch?
~ Wogan
iBurst wireless – R449
Audible (I am 4 books into a 10 book buying spree) – US$14.95
Cellphone – R200
Runescape subscription – US$5.00
I would get some sort of 3G/HSDPA internet instead of iBurst (because the connection isn’t that great at the end of the month) but I refuse to hand over any more of my hard-earned money to the leeches at the cell phone networks than absolutely necessary. If I could find a way of using a banana to make phone calls with, I would.
Sjoe, Eve, that’s a lot of money! But I’m sure it’s worth it.
I am an el cheapo, and I (no longer) do not have a domain. I blog on WordPress.
So my interweb habit only sets me back R389 a month. I use the Vodacom 2Gig data bundle.
Topping up is not cheap, which is why I get a full 2Gig. R88 buys only 75Megs with Vodacom
I pay R1500pm to Telkom for a VSAT 3gig pm cap.
When I signed 3 yrs ago it was the only option. Land line is too slow (and getting stolen every month or so), Wireless or ADSL is not available on our farm.
I didn’t know you could SKYPE with 3G ?? Last time I looked into it, Vodacom was ‘shaped’ (or so such thing) to prevent SKYPE. Does it work well with 3G nowadays?
Vodacom tried to screw me over by double billing me on a 1 month data bundle. After trying to call them and get my bill right, i realised that their all a buncha assholes. I wanted to get a 3g contract modem, but decided against it. Don’t want to be screwed over a second time.
I too have two 3g contracts… I realised it was essential when I got a R2500 bill from Mweb/Voda for my usage (despite them cutting me off and me signing a stop limit of R100!!!
This is over and above my ADSL at home and the 300 minutes I easily chew up at the airport, mugg and bean, etc…
We’re getting ready to move back to South Africa after 8 years at grad school in the US. Our internet costs $50 = R375 per month, and that gives us uncapped broadband access.
I’m very anxious about how my online video-watching, 24/7 internet connection, consumption is king American surfing habits are going to have to change once I have capped internet… ack! Can you buy better access than ADSL and how much does it cost?
@Jim Stockley
You can definitely Skype with Vodacom’s 3G. I do it all the time.
@Helen Musselman
I think ADSL would be your best option for now. There are fibre networks etc being put in, but don’t hold your breath.
If you need mobile access, you can’t really rely on WiFi, so going for the 3G modem option is best. You can then use it at home, provided you get good reception. (I get good access in my dining room, but not my study! But I think that is rare – anywhere else the reception is superb).
See the Telkom and Vodacom sites for prices.
@ Helen Musselman
..oh, and your online “video-watching” habits won’t change – they will simply cease to exist all together!
Well, it depends on how many videos she’s watching. Last month, I only used half of my 2Gig cap while YouTubing and Facebooking and Skyping like mad.
Its terrible, I prefer hosting sites in the States, its cheaper. I am also on the the .Net side so getting a windows hosting solution in SA would be highly obscene, if not criminal. The goverment is killing us, Telkom has driven the country into a tech ice age.
Cant wait for Neotel to start kicking some Telkom posterio. LOL!!