Telspace has announced another low-cost package as Internet service providers (ISPs) slash Web hosting costs in a thriving market.
Telspace, a small Johannesburg-based Web hosting and IT service provider, has launched two new Web hosting packages, priced at R19 and R39 a month respectively.
Telspace owner Dino Covotsos says the products have been introduced because "there is a large market for low-cost hosting - this has been noticed and researched by ISPs for a while now".
"The market for Web hosting in SA is exceptional. Every company which is serious about business has to have a Web site. People from all walks of life go for Web hosting, ranging from government departments, small businesses through to large, non-profit organisations and Web sites for personal usage."
He notes that a recent free hosting drive signed up 300 users within two weeks. Covotsos says Telspace competes against "a couple of providers who also have great rates, which are similar to our own".
Afrihost marketing manager Jean Visser says his company has been in operation since 1999, and is seeing phenomenal growth in the market. "Back in 1999, you could count the number of Web hosting companies on two hands, now I think there are around 500 competing for business in SA."
Visser says the demand for Web hosting is growing rapidly too. "Around 1 500 new sites have been registered on the .co.za domain every month during the past five months."
There are 164 607 .co.za sites registered, although not all of them are active.
Visser says many of the new clients signing up with Afrihost are small businesses with five employees or less that want a basic online brochure with contact details. "Many of them hope to get into e-commerce at some stage, but they are starting off with around five-page sites with e-mail ordering functionality."
Visser says Afrihost`s offering is not the cheapest on the market (starting at R65 a month), but local Web hosting companies face stiff pricing competition from overseas companies. He notes that while overseas companies may be able to offer "incredibly cheap" hosting, they cannot offer local support and service, and local sites may be slower if they are hosted abroad.
This week, Zazu Internet/Rumba also introduced a new range of affordable Web hosting packages starting at R49 a month.
Saying the Web hosting market had been neglected until recently, Zazu spokesman Francois Joubert said: "We are in the ISP market, but we have realised that many people are competing aggressively in the hosting area. This is a new area for us, because even though we did have similar products on offer, people simply weren`t aware of this."
Several other local ISPs also offer budget packages, with companies like Host4Africa advertising a basic package for R9.99 a month, and others such as Hartman Productions promoting Web hosting from R19.99 a month.
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