The price war between fibre network operators is intensifying, with MetroFibre Networx the latest to offer significantly improved value to home broadband users.
The company said on Monday that it is doubling the line speeds of all its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) packages at no additional cost to subscribers. It is also introducing an entry-level symmetrical 20Mbit/s package, with pricing for uncapped access through its Internet service provider partners of about R400/month – “or possibly less”.
At the higher end, MetroFibre has announced plans for new 500Mbit/s and 1Gbit/s plans aimed as what it describes as “intensive users”. The changes will take effect on 1 May and will be rolled out over a two-week period from that date.
“Existing MetroFibre direct FTTH customers will automatically be upgraded to the next higher speed at no additional cost. Customers of ISPs and resellers operating on the MetroFibre network will be advised by their ISPs/resellers as to the timing of the upgrade roll-out,” the company said.
Customers currently on the 25Mbit/s package will be upgraded to 50Mbit/s at the same price, and the 25Mbit/s package will be discontinued. Customers on both 200Mbit/s and 300Mbit/s plans will automatically be upgraded to 500Mbit/s.
The new 1Gbit/s plan, aimed at “serious users or large families”, offers upload speeds of 250Mbit/s.
The changes come as MetroFibre rivals Vumatel and Telkom-owned Openserve dramatically cut the price of home fibre services. Openserve has been particularly aggressive with its entry-level plans, while Vumatel last year announced sweeping wholesale price cuts across its portfolio of products. — (c) 2022 NewsCentral Media