An Internet Contention Ratio is the number of users or households sharing the same available network bandwidth. Expressed as a ratio (e.g., 1:10 or 1:15), it dictates how many people are concurrently drawing from the same connection, meaning your speed drops when network traffic peaks.
1. Typical Ratios in South Africa
South African ISPs typically categorize connection contention into two types:
- Home (Residential) Fibre & LTE: Ratios usually range between (1:10) and (1:50). This means up to 50 users are sharing the same main broadband fiber line.
- Business Connectivity: Ratios typically fall between (1:1) and (1:10). These are significantly more expensive but offer higher speeds and prioritized bandwidth. Business fiber often come with an SLA (Service Level Agreement) which have defined support and service attention outlines.
2. Contention vs. Uncapped Speeds
A higher contention ratio is why your 100 Mbps Home Fibre line often drops in speed during peak hours (usually between 18:00 and 23:00) when everyone in your area is streaming simultaneously.
3. How to Avoid Contention
If you require guaranteed, consistent speeds for business operations or gaming, look for connections marketed with a (1:1 or 1:5) contention ratio. If you want higher dedicated connection speeds and the highest possible stability on your data connection you want a service which has the smallest contention (1:1).
- These are known as Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) or typically Business Uncapped Unshaped packages.
- In South Africa, many modern ISPs have shifted away from traditional contention ratios on fiber networks by upgrading their upstream core networks to scale with demand. JABI has worked closely with network carriers to provide Home fiber connections with contention ratios of 1:10 to 1:15.
