Click to enlarge. Data source: Balancing Act News Update - www.balancingact-africa.com

The above chart is based on data from the year 2000 as listed under the African country profiles on Balancing Act Africa. Data points represent the lowest documented cost for monthly dial-up access, in USD. It must be noted that, in addition to a standard monthly fee, most providers charged a substantial setup fee, and often demanded extra hourly fees on top of everything. Although the data may not be current, the conclusion is obvious: there is no correlation between the cost of dial-up Internet access and a country’s Gross Domestic Product per capita.

Leased lines, at the time providing anywhere from 19kbs-128kbs, cost anywhere from $500-$5000 USD per month. Few individuals had access to such speeds; these lines were generally leased by the government, businesses, NGOs, or universities.