The national BTC backbone provides
to all ISPs a bandwidth of 512 Kbps via Global One in USA and 256 Kbps via Internet
Solution in Johannesburg, South Africa. POPs exist in Gaborone, Francistown and Maun.
Info Botswana Internet Services (IBIS), a commercial Internet
Service Provider based in Gaborone, is a joint venture between Info Botswana (a
local business and tourist information company) and Technical Solutions
(a local computer and electronic services company). The company has established POPs
in Gaborone, Francistown
and Maun and it has plans to expand further. IBIS has recently upgraded the capacity
of its link to the Global One Data Network in the US to 128 Kbps, and added more modems
and phone lines (now 45 modem lines in Gaborone and 20 in Francistown). The company has a
policy of keeping its caller/modem ratio below 15 to 1. IBIS also represents CompuServe
Africa in Botswana. IBIS' services include e-mail, web, FTP, dial-in and
leased line Internet connections; web page hosting and design.
Fees at IBIS are
(The US dollar to Botswana Pula ratio is US$ 1 = P 2.562 as of April 1998):
- Single Internet Account
(unlimited use): P 128 per month (payable three months in advance), plus P 128
registration fee
- Additional email addresses on
the same account are P 50.00 extra per month
- Internet multiple User
(limited to 50 hours): P 150 per month, plus P 150 registration fee, plus P 3 per extra
hour
- leased line (analog 28.8 Kbps):
P 1,250 per month, plus P 1,250 registration fee
- leased line (digital 64 Kbps):
P 2,950 per month, plus P 2,250 registration fee
- web hosting: 2 Mb commercial
site, P 200 per month
Registration fee and one month's
subscription are waived if user pays for a full-year in advance.
The other main ISPs are:
Global Internet Access (GIA), a subsidiary of USKO Limited in South Africa, has provided Internet-related services on a commercial basis
since 1994 where the initial focus of the company was on the delivery of dial-up Internet
access facilities to the consumer market. GIA is today host to some 27,000
active subscribers. GIA has established 14 national local points of presence (POPs) or nodes with 3
additional POP’s in Botswana and discussions are currently underway to provide
coverage in other neighbouring countries.
Mega Internet:
Fees at Mega
(The US dollar to Botswana Pula ratio is US$ 1=P 2.562 as of April 1998)
Registration
Fee (to be paid only once by new client) |
P
50 |
| Monthly
Subscription (to be paid monthly in advance) |
P
75 |
| Six-monthly
Subscription (to be paid in advance) |
P
425 |
| Annual
Subscription (to be paid in advance) |
P
750 |
The University of Botswana has a
direct 128 Kbps connection to the Internet through Botswana Telecom. The campus is also
served by an Ethernet LAN.
