Just yesterday I was pondering the future prices of WiMAX service, but we have admittedly little information on which to base our speculations. All we have to go on at this point is what the different carriers are charging for service overseas, and pricing information has been difficult to track down. For the second day in a row, though, we're getting a sneak peak into what these carriers think their service is worth.

In stark contrast to the very affordable rates Packet One Networks is charging for their service in Malaysia, news has surfaced today that South Africans will be shelling out a lot more dough to get their hands on high speed broadband. Vodacom and partner iBurst (who one "clever" website referred to as "Vodaskum" and "iBust") are set to launch their WiMAX network in October, with two separate packages available: one aimed at small businesses and the other, a leased line, at corporate customers...

...Rich business customers, that is. The pricing for Vodafone's service is allegedly in the $79 - $109 range! I know some of us used to pay $79.99/month for EVDO back in the early days of 3G, but isn't WiMAX supposed to be "more cost effective?"

P1's affordable service in Malaysia has already attracted thousands of customers - I wonder how many South Africans will be willing to shell out the big bucks?