Gaborone - Post Report Question and Answers
Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
High speed internet is available in theory, but it is neither high speed nor is it reliable. The bandwidth is so bad that you cannot hold video calls. You can get internet installed right away because you can buy a plug and play router. They are all Huawei, so forget about protecting your data. - Dec 2023
Internet was mediocre. BBI was my provider and they were okay. You could usually stream video. - Jul 2019
This is a huge issue. In Botswana, internet service is very expensive and very bad. All the internet service providers in Botswana are inadequate, but Botswana Telecommunications Corp (BTC) is more inadequate than the rest. STAY AWAY FROM BTC!! Other ISPs also have frequent outages and service issues, but at least when you phone them and complain they are responsive and do their best to address the problem. BTC will not even answer their phones. Broadband Botswana Internet (BBI) has a special plan for US Embassy employees, and is the provider that most embassy staff was using (as of 2017). OPQ is another provider which the US Embassy frequently works with. - Apr 2017
Internet is a problem - very very slow with low bandwidth. If you're planning to work from home take this into consideration. It works, it's just slow... - Jul 2016
No. DSL-quality internet is available - we pay around US$200 per month for less than 2 mbps download speed. - Mar 2015
ADSL only and is very unreliable. We pay for phone and internet around US$90 a month. - Oct 2014
Internet will cost you approximately US$100 per month. - Nov 2013
Internet access is available from the government-subsidized phone/internet company, but it is expensive (US$100 per month) and is not high-speed. They offer either a bronze, silver, or gold package, but there is virtually no difference between them because they do not dedicate one line to each customer, you share a line with unknown others. If the others are using it at the same time as you, it is very slow or connectivity is lost. This is glaringly apparent at the U.S. Embassy. When the speed is good, however, you can Skype or even watch Netflix (with a proxy server). - Jul 2013
We paid about $50/month. It was not fast - no streaming possible. This is a constraint in the region. - Apr 2013
Yes. The speed is far from blistering, but it will usually suffice to browse effectively. We have had a little trouble using Skype, which works sometimes, and doesn't other times. - Jun 2010
