2015 – The Year of the Internet
Welcome to 2015! With the New Year racing forward, full steam ahead, I wanted to take a few moments to consider what I feel 2015 is destined to hold. Here are a few thoughts on what I feel will be big changes in the coming months.
Fibre and Connectivity
This year I find myself feeling even more energised as I believe that 2015 will be the year that the Internet becomes truly ubiquitous in South Africa.
An excess of R7 billion has been invested in South Africa since 2010 leading to Fibre being rolled out across the country at a rate faster rate than any other in Africa. This is incredibly exciting, as more and more we are seeing business’ considering the upgrade to a Fibre connection from ADSL, and I predict that soon we will see a massive decline in the use of ADSL as a type of business connectivity. Dial up connections are a thing of the past, and soon ADSL will be too.
Mobile
Mobile Internet speeds are increasing and prices continue to drop, extending the Internet’s reach to most South Africans. More and more cell phones are hitting the market as well as tablets and other devices, and I predict that soon, very soon, we will see the death of the feature phone. We have already seen the $50 (approximately R580) android phone do very well in Africa and now there are phones entering the market that are capable of a rich Internet experience, for as little as $20 (approximately R235).
With this comes a change in the types of mobile phones being used and an ever increasing level of access to the Internet and information. Soon we will no longer see such a massive differentiation between the lower and higher income markets in terms of mobile phone capabilities, a fact that has massive potential in so many sectors including Education, Transport and more.
Television viewing and the way we consume content
The way we consume TV is destined to change. Netflix has reportedly stated their intention to enter the market in 2016, a move that will not only shake up the current DSTV monopoly but that will bring an even greater influx of video and television content to our screens.
We have seen media companies and ISP’s launch streaming video services, and, as more content is licensed to online streaming providers, this will become more and more viable as time goes on. I foresee DSTV maintaining their dominant position, but prices may just fall.
Breaking down borders
Africa is getting smaller – The Internet is breaking down the barriers of doing business across borders, and many South African business’, such as Flickswitch, who we profiled in a previous blog post have already set up shop in Nigeria and Kenya. Commerce is booming and will continue to grow.
Accordingly to the IAB SA, the BBC is launching a brand new Africa edition of the BBC.com homepage, which will ensure that digital audiences in Africa, will be able to experience continent specific content, with prioritised reporting for and about Africa. Source – http://bit.ly/15IsHZ9
These changes will not only place South Africa and Africa in further in the spotlight for development from an international perspective, but also introduce incredibly exciting opportunities for both big and small African businesses to engage.
What do you think are going to be the biggest changes we see in 2015? Tweet us @RSAWEB and let us know your thoughts #2015changes.
Did you know that RSAWEB offers Fibre connectivity through City Fibre? Click here to find out more.
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