Lusaka - Post Report Question and Answers
Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Fiber is increasingly available, but will depend on your neighborhood. It only takes a few days for installation, but it can be incredibly frustrating. The service itself is pretty reliable but the administrative processes are challenging. Our fiber subscription is for up to 20 Mbps (ha, never) and is about $120/month. - Mar 2022
Fiber is available in some areas and seems to work okay. In other areas the internet is SIM-based and can be very slow and unreliable. Fiber is cheaper but SIM-based is around $85/month for 100gb of data. - Dec 2021
Not great internet options- we are lucky enough to be in Kabulonga where there is very expensive fiber optic, which is mostly reliable. We can stream Netflix most of the time. But like I said very expensive. Other parts of town have fewer options. You can get a SIM card and router box from MTN and use that anywhere but the data for that can get expensive too. - Feb 2018
Yes, but internet and wi-fi can be spotty depending on where you live, and it is expensive. Constant power outages mess with the routers. - Nov 2017
High-speed is a relative term. You can get 20-40 GB packages with decent download and streaming speeds for $60-$100/month, depending on your usage. Zamtel has the best rates, but is fraught with service issues. MTN and Airtel tend to have better reputations. There are small providers, as well, but they can be more expensive and harder to access support. - Jan 2017
Internet is available, but it is expensive and unreliable. It is pretty much guaranteed to be out on the weekends and at night, when everyone is at home and using it. Frustrating for sure. - Jun 2016
Available but expensive: $100-$200 per month. - May 2016
High-speed Internet is theoretically available although most people have at least occasional issues if not outage, sometimes for weeks. It is not inexpensive, but I don't know the amount/month. - Mar 2015
Not high speed and about US$80/month. - Aug 2014
Yes, very expensive up to US$200 a month and goes down frequently. - Jan 2014
Quasi high-speed internet is available. Some days it works better than others; some days it doesn's seem to work well at all. We can usually skype, although we do so without cameras, but streaming and downloading can be very frustrating. - Apr 2013
Yes and no - not what you'd call high-speed, but better than dial-up. Price varies with service - ranges from $40/month to $135/month. - Jul 2010
More than US$100 month, and that;s after installation and equipment and turn-on fees. All providers have problems, don't be fooled. Until zambia invests in improving capacity, it won't change or get any cheaper. - Mar 2009
High speed internet here is a dream. Internet access is expensive and slow when it is working, which is about 75% of the time. - Mar 2009
Available and expensive. - Oct 2008
There are a handful of ISPs -- Zamnet tends to be the cheapest and least reliable. Microlink and AfricaConnect (doing business as iConnect) offer better service at about US$75-$100/month for limited bandwidth. We tend to use our Internet only at night and on the weekends -- most of the time we have no problem using video-conferencing services. Upload speeds run about 85 kbps, download speeds are about 275 kbps. - May 2008
