iBurst triples subscriber base

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 22 May 2007

Wireless broadband provider iBurst has passed the 40 000 subscriber mark, more than tripling its broadband subscriber base compared to last year this time.

Last year, iBurst had 12 000 subscribers, the company says in a statement. The growth spurt brings the company closer to its stated target of 70 000 subscribers by year-end.

It also makes iBurst one of the country's best performing Internet service providers in percentage growth terms, the company says.

CEO Thami Mtshali says iBurst's launch of entry-level wireless broadband packages, priced at under R100 per month, will further boost subscriber numbers as more South Africans are able to enter the broadband market.

Earlier this month, iBurst unveiled a broadband package of a laptop or USB modem and 40Mb of data, at R69 per month, on a 24-month contract.

The promotion, which is valid until the end of August, also offers desktop modem users a similar package for R89 per month and a no-modem month-to-month offering at R49 per month.

Aggressive marketing

MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says iBurst's strong subscriber growth is to be expected, in view of the company's R350 million investment in network infrastructure. The growth is also a direct result of iBurst's aggressive marketing campaign, he says.

He notes that SA has half-a-million broadband subscribers (fixed-line and wireless). At last count, there were 300 000 ADSL subscribers, he says.

Telkom and Vodacom will announce new subscriber figures when releasing their annual results in mid-June. MTN does not disclose subscriber figures for its broadband data services. The company reveals the number of HSDPA users, which includes subscribers who have mobile phone handsets that have 3G, says Muller.