Most student houses in Cape Town now treat uncapped fibre like electricity or water… it’s non-negotiable. Entry-level 20 Mbps packages cost around R400-R470 per month, splitting to R135-R160 per person in a three-person share. For houses with 4-6 students streaming, gaming, and on Zoom calls, 50-100 Mbps packages (R700-R900/month) work better.
The Real Question Isn’t “Do We Need Fibre?” It’s “What Speed Can Five People Share?”
If you’re renting a house-share in Rondebosch, Observatory, or Stellenbosch, you’ve probably noticed something: every student accommodation listing now mentions “high-speed fibre” or “uncapped Wi-Fi” alongside electricity and water. It’s no longer a luxury feature for premium digs. It’s baseline.
The tricky bit isn’t deciding whether to get fibre, it’s working out which package makes sense when you’ve got three, four, or five housemates all trying to stream lectures, play FIFA online, and video call home at the same time. And you need to do this without spending more per month than your grocery budget.
Here’s the good news: when you split fibre costs across a house-share, you’re looking at R135-R200 per person per month for genuinely uncapped internet. That’s less than one night out in Long Street. The bad news? Pick the wrong speed tier and you’ll be arguing over who gets to stream Netflix whilst someone else is on a Zoom call.
Let’s sort this out properly.
First: Check if FibreGeeks fibre is installed in your building or street
Before you commit to a house and start planning internet, check if your address is on the FibreGeeks network. Enter your street address or complex name to see:
- Whether FibreGeeks fibre is installed in your building or street
- Which ISPs are available on our network
- What speed tiers and pricing options exist
If your house or complex is already on FibreGeeks, installation is usually quick and cheap (often free with ISP promos). If the street isn’t trenched yet, you’re looking at a longer wait whilst infrastructure gets rolled out.
Student hotspots on FibreGeeks:
Most student areas around UCT, CPUT, and Stellenbosch have FibreGeeks coverage, including:
- Rondebosch, Mowbray, Rosebank (heavy student density near UCT)
- Observatory (popular for house-shares)
- Cape Town CBD (student residences and apartments)
- Stellenbosch (dedicated student complexes near campus)
Once you’ve confirmed coverage, you can start comparing ISPs and packages.
How Much Speed Does a Student House Actually Need?
This is where most house-shares get it wrong. You either overpay for speed you’ll never use, or you cheap out and end up with four people competing for bandwidth every evening.
The right speed depends on:
- How many students are in the house
- How many devices each person connects (phone + laptop + tablet + console?)
- What you’re actually doing (streaming 4K vs browsing lecture notes)
- Whether everyone uses the internet at the same time (yes, you do – evenings and weekends)
Here’s a realistic breakdown based on typical household usage patterns:
| Household Type | Typical Devices Online | Recommended Speed | Why This Speed Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 students, light streaming & browsing | 3–4 devices | 20–25 Mbps | One HD stream + video calls + browsing without major slowdowns |
| 3–4 students, Netflix + Zoom + gaming | 6–10 devices | 50–100 Mbps | Multiple HD streams and calls running simultaneously; less contention at night |
| 4–6 students, heavy streaming + gaming | 10+ devices | 100 Mbps+ | Simultaneous 4K streaming, online gaming, and downloads without buffering wars |
What each activity actually uses:
- HD video streaming (Netflix, YouTube): 3-5 Mbps per stream
- 4K video streaming: 15-25 Mbps per stream
- Zoom/Teams video calls: 1.5-3 Mbps per call
- Online gaming (FIFA, Fortnite, COD): 3-6 Mbps (but latency matters more than speed)
- Downloading large files: Uses whatever’s available, which is fine if you’re not competing with five other people
The maths is simple: if three people are streaming HD content at the same time (15 Mbps total) and someone else is on a Zoom call (3 Mbps), you need at least 18 Mbps just for those activities. Add in phones auto-updating apps, background downloads, and someone browsing Instagram, and you’re pushing 25-30 Mbps in real usage.
This is why 20 Mbps packages work fine for two students with light usage, but struggle when four people are home in the evening.
What Fibre Actually Costs in Cape Town (2025 Pricing)
The good news: fibre packages in the Western Cape have become significantly more affordable, especially for students who can split costs.
Entry-level uncapped fibre (10–20 Mbps):
In 2025, entry-level uncapped packages typically start around R370–R550 per month for 10–20 Mbps speeds. These usually include:
- Free installation (normally R1,500–R2,000)
- Free router on sign-up
- Month-to-month contracts (no long-term lock-in)
Example packages:
- Openserve “The Scroller” 20/10 Mbps: R371/month with free installation
- LunaFibre entry-level 20 Mbps: R465/month, student-friendly positioning
- Various ISPs on FibreGeeks offer similar 10-20 Mbps tiers around R400-R500/month
Mid-tier uncapped fibre (50–100 Mbps):
50–100 Mbps uncapped packages sit in the R700–R900 per month range, depending on your ISP and which FNO your area uses. These also typically include:
- Free installation and router
- Better international routing (matters for gaming)
- Faster upload speeds (useful for video calls and uploading assignments)
This is the sweet spot for most student house-shares with 3-5 people.
Higher speeds (200 Mbps+):
Unless you’re living with six people who all stream 4K content simultaneously or someone’s running a small business from the house, speeds above 100 Mbps are usually overkill for student digs. Save the money.
For detailed breakdowns, check how much fibre costs per month in Cape Town and our guide to fibre deals for first-time buyers.
What You’ll Actually Pay Per Person
Here’s where sharing a house becomes financially sensible. When you split fibre costs across multiple people, the per-person price drops dramatically.
3-person share on 20 Mbps:
Total monthly cost: R400–R470
Per person: R135–R160
This works if your household uses the internet lightly (mostly during the day for lectures and browsing, occasional Netflix in the evening). Not ideal if everyone’s home at night streaming and gaming.
4-person share on 50 Mbps:
Total monthly cost: R700–R800
Per person: R175–R200
This is the most common setup for student houses. 50 Mbps handles multiple HD streams, video calls, and gaming without major slowdowns. You’re paying R40-50 more per person than the entry-level package, but getting significantly better performance.
5-person share on 100 Mbps:
Total monthly cost: R850–R900
Per person: R170–R190
Surprisingly, 100 Mbps for five people is only slightly more expensive per person than 50 Mbps for four people. If your house has five or six students, this is usually the right choice. You get headroom for peak usage without constant buffering.
The key insight:
For less than the price of one night out in Cape Town, your entire house can have stable uncapped fibre for the whole month. That’s a pretty good deal when you’re competing for bandwidth with four other people who all have assignment deadlines at the same time.
Why Open-Access Networks Matter for Students
Here’s something most students don’t realise until they need it: on an open-access network like FibreGeeks, you’re not locked into one ISP forever.
How it works:
FibreGeeks is the Fibre Network Operator (FNO). We build and maintain the physical fibre infrastructure such as the cables in the ground, the ONT device on your wall, the connection from your house to our network.
But we don’t sell internet packages directly. Instead, we partner with 18+ ISPs who compete to offer you the best speeds, prices, and contract terms on our network.
This matters because:
You can start cheap and upgrade later: Pick a budget-friendly ISP in first year, then switch to a faster package in second year without reinstalling fibre.
Month-to-month contracts work better for students: Many ISPs offer month-to-month plans on open-access networks. If you’re only renting for 10 months of the year, you’re not locked into 24-month contracts.
Switching is easy: If your ISP’s customer service is terrible or their speeds drop, you can switch to a different ISP without losing your connection or reinstalling anything. The physical fibre line stays the same; you’re just changing who bills you each month.
Competition keeps prices down: When 18+ ISPs are competing for your business on the same network, prices stay competitive and service quality matters. Closed networks where one company controls everything don’t have that pressure.
For students who move houses frequently or want flexibility, open-access networks are significantly better than being locked into one provider’s infrastructure.
Getting Landlord Approval: What You Need to Know
Here’s the bit nobody talks about until it’s too late: you can’t just install fibre in a rental property without permission.
Nearly all South African lease agreements include clauses preventing tenants from installing fixtures or making alterations without written landlord consent. Fibre installation involves drilling holes through external walls, mounting an ONT box, and sometimes trenching cables across the property. That’s definitely an alteration.
What you need:
- Written permission from your landlord before applying for fibre installation
- Body corporate or HOA approval if you’re in a complex or estate
- Proof of who’s paying for installation (usually covered by ISP promos, but some landlords want this confirmed)
Common landlord concerns:
- Damage to property: Drilling through walls, trenching across gardens
- Who pays if there’s a problem? If the cable gets damaged later, whose responsibility is it?
- What happens when you move out? The ONT and cables stay as fixtures (they become part of the property), but who owns the router?
How to approach this:
Most landlords will approve fibre installation if you explain that:
- Modern ISPs offer free installation with most packages (the landlord isn’t being asked to pay R1,500-R2,000)
- The property value increases when fibre is installed – it’s an amenity future tenants want
- The infrastructure stays with the property when you move out, benefiting the landlord long-term
- Professional installation means minimal damage (small drill holes, neat cable routing)
Get approval in writing (email is fine) before you apply with an ISP. This protects you if the landlord later claims you damaged the property.
For detailed guidance, read how tenants can get fibre installed in South Africa and who pays for fibre installation.
Router Placement and Wi-Fi Coverage: Why Your Speeds Feel Slow
You’ve signed up for 50 Mbps fibre. Your ISP confirms the line is active. You run a speed test and get 48 Mbps. Perfect.
Then you go to your bedroom at the back of the house, try to stream a lecture, and it buffers constantly. What’s going on?
The problem isn’t your fibre speed – it’s your Wi-Fi coverage.
Most student houses have one router placed wherever the fibre ONT was installed (usually near the front door or in a passage). If you’re in a multi-storey house with thick walls, Wi-Fi signals don’t reach the back bedrooms or upstairs rooms properly.
Common Wi-Fi issues in student houses:
- Router hidden in a cupboard or behind furniture (blocks the signal)
- Router on the floor (signals travel outward and up, not down)
- Router next to thick walls or metal objects (microwaves, fridges, filing cabinets all interfere)
- Multiple devices competing on the same 2.4 GHz channel (your neighbours’ routers create interference)
- No range extenders or mesh system in large or multi-storey houses
Quick fixes:
- Place the router in a central location – ideally elevated (on a shelf or mounted high)
- Keep it away from thick walls and metal objects – clear line of sight to as many rooms as possible
- Use 5 GHz Wi-Fi for devices close to the router – faster speeds, less interference, but shorter range
- Keep 2.4 GHz for devices further away – slower speeds, but better at penetrating walls
- Consider a mesh Wi-Fi system if your house is large or multi-storey (costs R1,500-R3,000 but solves coverage issues permanently)
If four people are getting full speed in the lounge and one person upstairs is buffering constantly, the problem isn’t your fibre package – it’s Wi-Fi coverage. Don’t upgrade to 100 Mbps if 50 Mbps would work fine with better router placement.
Peak-Time Slowdowns: Why Evenings Are Different
You might notice that your fibre feels fast during the day but slows down between 18:00 and 22:00. This isn’t your imagination.
Why evening speeds drop:
- Everyone in your neighbourhood uses the internet at the same time – streaming after work, gaming, video calls
- ISPs that oversell capacity struggle during peak times (they sell more bandwidth than their network can actually handle)
- International routing gets congested when thousands of people are streaming from Netflix, YouTube, or gaming servers overseas
20 Mbps during the day might feel perfectly adequate. 20 Mbps split between five people all streaming in the evening will feel painfully slow.
This is why we recommend 50-100 Mbps for houses with 3+ students. You need headroom for peak usage times, not just average usage.
If your speeds are consistently terrible in the evenings, it might be your ISP rather than your fibre line. Learn why your fibre is slow at night and what you can do about it.
Splitting Costs Fairly: Who Pays What?
You’ve chosen a package. Now comes the awkward conversation: how do you split the cost fairly when one person streams 4K movies all day and another barely uses the internet?
Option 1: Split equally regardless of usage
Most student houses do this. Everyone pays the same amount per month (R150, R180, whatever the split is). Simple, no arguments, and it accounts for the fact that everyone benefits from having reliable internet available even if they don’t use it 24/7.
Option 2: Adjust for room size or usage patterns
Some houses charge the person with the ensuite bedroom slightly more for rent and utilities (including fibre). If one person works from home and uses the internet heavily whilst others are on campus most days, this might feel fairer.
Option 3: Add fibre to the utility bill
Treat fibre like electricity and water. One person manages the account, everyone splits the monthly cost, and it’s included in the house utility settlement at the end of each month.
Our take:
Equal splits work best. Trying to calculate who streamed more Netflix than someone else creates unnecessary tension. Fibre is a fixed cost – R700 per month is R700 per month regardless of usage. Split it equally, set up a debit order or scheduled payment, and move on.
What Happens When Someone Moves Out Mid-Year?
Student houses have high turnover. Someone graduates, someone moves overseas for an exchange semester, someone transfers to a different campus. What happens to the fibre contract?
If you’re on a month-to-month contract:
Easy. The remaining housemates continue splitting the cost. If you drop from five people to four, each person’s share goes up slightly (from R180 to R225, for example). No penalties, no drama.
If you’re on a 12- or 24-month contract:
More complicated. The person who signed the contract with the ISP is legally responsible for the full term. If that person moves out, they either:
- Keep paying their share until the contract ends or a replacement housemate takes over
- Pay an early termination fee (typically R500-R1,500) to cancel the contract
- Transfer the account to another housemate (requires ISP approval and possibly credit checks)
Lesson:
If you’re in a student house with frequent turnover, month-to-month contracts make life significantly easier. You pay slightly more per month (~R50-R100 extra compared to 24-month contracts), but you don’t get stung with cancellation fees when plans change.
Common Mistakes Students Make When Choosing Fibre
1. Picking the cheapest package without checking speed
“R299 per month, uncapped!” sounds great until you realise it’s 10 Mbps and your house has four people. You’ll spend the whole year arguing over bandwidth.
2. Signing 24-month contracts when you’re only renting for 10 months
Student leases often run February to November. If you sign a 24-month fibre contract, you’ll either pay cancellation fees or keep paying after you’ve moved out.
3. Not getting landlord approval first
You apply for fibre, the technician arrives, and your landlord refuses installation. Now you’ve wasted time and possibly paid application fees.
4. Ignoring upload speeds
Download speeds get all the attention, but upload speeds matter if you’re:
- Uploading assignments to university portals
- On Zoom calls (video requires upload bandwidth)
- Sharing files with study groups
- Streaming on Twitch or posting videos online
Check that your package has decent upload speeds (at least 5-10 Mbps for 4+ person houses).
5. Assuming the router from your ISP is good enough
Many ISPs provide basic routers that struggle with 6+ devices connected simultaneously. If your house has 10+ devices online (5 people × 2 devices each), consider upgrading to a better router with stronger Wi-Fi.
6. Not testing the line immediately after activation
Run speed tests as soon as your fibre activates. If you’re getting 60% of the speed you’re paying for, log a fault immediately. Don’t assume it’ll “get better” – it won’t.
Fibre Checklist for Student House-Shares
Before you apply for fibre, tick these off:
Coverage & Availability
- Confirmed your address is on FibreGeeks network using the coverage checker
- Checked which ISPs are available in your area
- Compared pricing for 20 Mbps, 50 Mbps, and 100 Mbps packages
Permissions & Contracts
- Got written approval from your landlord for fibre installation
- Confirmed body corporate or HOA approval if in a complex
- Checked whether your lease allows you to install fixtures
- Decided on month-to-month vs fixed-term contract based on your rental period
Speed & Budget
- Counted how many people and devices will use the internet simultaneously
- Calculated per-person cost splits for different speed tiers
- Confirmed which activities you’ll be doing (HD streaming? Gaming? 4K?)
- Decided on a speed tier that gives you headroom for peak times
Installation & Setup
- Confirmed the package includes free installation and router
- Asked which ISP handles the router (are you keeping it or returning it when you cancel?)
- Planned where the router will be placed for best Wi-Fi coverage
- Discussed backup power (UPS or mobile data) for load-shedding
Cost Management
- Agreed on how to split costs (equally or adjusted?)
- Set up a debit order or scheduled payment system
- Decided who manages the account and pays the ISP
- Planned what happens if someone moves out mid-contract
FAQ
How much does student fibre cost per person in Cape Town?
When split across a house-share, fibre costs R135-R200 per person per month depending on speed and household size. A 3-person house on 20 Mbps (R400-R470/month) costs R135-R160 each. A 4-person house on 50 Mbps (R700-R800/month) costs R175-R200 each. A 5-person house on 100 Mbps (R850-R900/month) costs R170-R190 each. Most packages include free installation and router.
What speed fibre do students need for streaming and gaming?
For 2 students with light usage, 20-25 Mbps handles HD streaming and browsing. For 3-4 students with Netflix, Zoom, and gaming, 50-100 Mbps prevents buffering during peak times. For 4-6 students with heavy streaming and gaming, 100 Mbps+ gives headroom for simultaneous 4K streams and online gaming. The key is planning for evening peak usage when everyone’s home, not average daytime usage.
Can I install fibre in a student rental without landlord permission?
No. Nearly all South African lease agreements prohibit tenants from installing fixtures or making alterations without written landlord consent. Fibre installation involves drilling through walls and mounting an ONT device, which qualifies as an alteration. Get written approval (email is fine) before applying with an ISP. Explain that installation is usually free, increases property value, and the infrastructure stays with the property when you move out.
Which Cape Town student areas have FibreGeeks coverage?
FibreGeeks covers most major student areas including Rondebosch, Mowbray, Rosebank, and Observatory (near UCT and CPUT), Cape Town CBD student residences, and Stellenbosch student complexes. Check your specific address using the FibreGeeks coverage checker – enter your street address or complex name to see which ISPs and speed options are available on our network.
Can I switch ISPs if my house-share finds a better deal?
Yes. On FibreGeeks’ open-access network, you can switch ISPs without reinstalling fibre. The physical line stays the same; you’re just changing which ISP bills you monthly. This is useful for students because you can start with a budget-friendly ISP in first year and upgrade later, or switch if customer service is poor. Just ensure you’re on a month-to-month contract to avoid early termination fees.
What happens to the fibre when students move out?
The fibre infrastructure (cable and ONT device) stays with the property as a permanent fixture – it benefits the landlord and future tenants. The router typically belongs to either the ISP (must be returned) or the departing tenant (can take it or sell it to the new housemates). If you’re on a month-to-month contract, cancel with 30 days’ notice and there’s no penalty. Fixed-term contracts may have early termination fees of R500-R1,500.
Does fibre work during load-shedding?
The fibre line itself stays active during load-shedding, but your router and ONT need electricity to function. When power cuts, you can’t connect even though the fibre is technically working. Solutions: install a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for R1,000-R2,000 to keep equipment powered for 2-4 hours, or use mobile data as backup during scheduled outages. Most student houses plan heavy downloads around load-shedding schedules rather than investing in UPS units.
How do students split fibre costs fairly?
Most student houses split fibre costs equally regardless of usage – everyone pays the same per-person amount (R150, R180, etc.). This is simpler than tracking individual usage and accounts for the fact that reliable internet benefits everyone even when not actively using it. Some houses adjust splits based on room size (person with ensuite pays slightly more) or add fibre to the monthly utility bill alongside electricity and water. Set up a debit order or scheduled payment to avoid awkward monthly reminders.
TL;DR (78 words)
Student fibre in Cape Town costs R135-R200 per person when split across a house-share. Entry-level 20 Mbps suits 2-3 light users; 50-100 Mbps works for 4-6 students streaming and gaming. Get landlord approval in writing before installation. FibreGeeks’ open-access network lets you switch ISPs without reinstalling. Month-to-month contracts suit student rentals better than long-term commitments. Router placement matters as much as speed – central, elevated, away from thick walls.
