SA prices from 2004 to 2014: broadband vs petrol vs DStv vs Big Mac

Over the last ten years the price of ADSL and mobile data products plummeted, but the price of petrol, DStv and Big Macs increased significantly.

When Vodacom launched its first 3G products in December 2004 the company charged R1,198 for a 2GB data package. Ten years later the price for a 2GB package is R99.

The price drop in ADSL data is even more significant. In 2004 South Africans were paying R73 per GB from Telkom. Today the consumers can pay as little as R2 per GB.

ADSL speeds also increased by leaps and bounds over the last decade. In 2004 ADSL users paid R680 per month for a 512kbps service (excluding line rental and data). Fast forward ten years and users can purchase a 40Mbps VDSL service for R795 per month.

Unfortunately not all products were able to fight inflation as time moved on. South Africans are now paying far more for petrol, DStv, and food than they did in 2004.

The following table provides an overview of how prices changed for various products between 2004 and 2014.




Source: www.mybroadband.co.za