rpm
07-08-2003, 11:27 AM
Hi friends
At long last we received a reply from Telkom. This reply is far from satisfactory and they are making us out be the problem. Please give your views and comments about this reply.
_____________________________________
TELKOM RESPONDS TO ADSL COMPLAINTS
ADSL has become a major discussion point in the media, driven by a few
customers who are dissatisfied with the service. Commenting on the
criticism of the service Telkom's Steven White, Executive Product
Development said that most of its nearly 10 000 customer base have no
problems with ADSL and in fact experience the real value that ADSL
brings, always available fast internet.
ADSL is an access product used to connect to Internet Service
Providers (ISP's) via the South African Internet Exchange (SAIX). The
ADSL access service is based on the following value propositions:
* Access speed
Fast access with down loads at 512
kbps and uploads at 256 kbps.
* Always available connection
The connection is not dialled up but
is always available except for session timeout after 24 hours. This
was introduced to enable Telkom to determine daily usage in order to
measure and manage the volumes uploaded and downloaded. This session
timeout also ensures that dynamic IP addresses are assigned. Session
timeout will occur 24 hours after previous login. Customers can login
immediately after being disconnected. In addition the ADSL session
will also be disconnected after idling for sixty minutes. A click on
the mouse will re-establish the connection.
* Flat rated service
There are no dial-up (usage) costs.
The only access charge is the R680 per month subscription (R800 for
business)
* Simultaneous Voice and Data
Telephone calls are still possible
while on the Internet, no business connection
ADSL is targeted at the small business and higher end of the
residential market that has a moderate volume of Internet traffic and
requires an always available service. That is what Telkom ADSL offers.
The service is not designed to offer bandwidth intensive
communications such as peer-to-peer applications (e.g. fasttrack,
gnutella, napster, kazaa, e-donkey etc.) for downloads, which
incidentally are the applications used by most of people who are
complaining about the service. The service is designed to offer
premium Internet surfing (HTTP), email (SMTP) and file transfer
protocol applications
The rollout of ADSL in South Africa has proceeded smoothly with the
service now available in the main metropolitan areas.
From the launch day, the Telkom ADSL access product has been limited
to a monthly 3GB cap. While we only implemented the cap much later,
it was always a condition of service.
The monthly 3 Giga Byte volume cap applies to all ADSL subscribers and
is enforced by all ISPs providing the service. It has also created
quite a bit of debate in the media but upon reflection it appears to
come from those users for whom ADSL is not the ideal solution for
their needs.
ADSL is a shared service; the more subscribers the slower the Internet
download speeds on the international link. That is why we carefully
balance the number of users versus available bandwidth. It is also a
key reason for capping. The 3 GB cap protects users from a small
minority of people who abuse the service and use it for purposes it
was not intended for. Capping ensures that most customers will enjoy
the true ADSL experience of fast Internet.
Coupled with this, the performance of international servers will also
affect download speeds. The fact that we are situated in South Africa
means that international bandwidth is purchased at a premium and not
unlimited.
On the International pipe Telkom's SAIX has prioritised surfing, email
and file transfer protocols. Bandwidth intensive protocols such as
peer-to-peer applications (e.g fasttrack, gntella, napster, kazaa,
e-donkey etc) are afforded a lower priority and as such will perform
worse than a standard dial-up under high international load
conditions. This has been implemented to provide the majority of ADSL
customers with fast Internet experience.
The volume capping and prioritisation of the international pipe is
done at the wholesale level to ensure that all ISP customers enjoy the
ADSL experience of fast always-available Internet.
SAIX is working on the introduction of a less shaped international
pipe that will be offered to ISP's to meet the needs of customers who
have high bandwidth applications. This will be at an additional
premium to the current service.
The 3 GByte cap is measured on total usage, both local and
international users who exceed the cap are redirected to a more
limited international pipe. This will have the result that these
users receive a slow international throughput.
Recent statistics show that very few customers reach their monthly
cap. ADSL users who require more than 3GB monthly can order a second
username and password from their ISP's providing them with an
additional 3GB per month.
To manage ADSL usage Telkom has for Telkom Prolog and Prolog Plus
users introduced a Usage Tracker with the option of receiving a daily
email to inform you of the usage over the past 24 hours. There are
also various graphic options.
Based on other feedback received Telkom has implemented a caching
server to increase international Internet access performance. HTTP
(Browsing), RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) and MMS (Microsoft
Multimedia Streaming) are being cached currently. The cache will be
used automatically and no configuration is required.
__________________________________________
RPM
rpm@myadsl.co.za
At long last we received a reply from Telkom. This reply is far from satisfactory and they are making us out be the problem. Please give your views and comments about this reply.
_____________________________________
TELKOM RESPONDS TO ADSL COMPLAINTS
ADSL has become a major discussion point in the media, driven by a few
customers who are dissatisfied with the service. Commenting on the
criticism of the service Telkom's Steven White, Executive Product
Development said that most of its nearly 10 000 customer base have no
problems with ADSL and in fact experience the real value that ADSL
brings, always available fast internet.
ADSL is an access product used to connect to Internet Service
Providers (ISP's) via the South African Internet Exchange (SAIX). The
ADSL access service is based on the following value propositions:
* Access speed
Fast access with down loads at 512
kbps and uploads at 256 kbps.
* Always available connection
The connection is not dialled up but
is always available except for session timeout after 24 hours. This
was introduced to enable Telkom to determine daily usage in order to
measure and manage the volumes uploaded and downloaded. This session
timeout also ensures that dynamic IP addresses are assigned. Session
timeout will occur 24 hours after previous login. Customers can login
immediately after being disconnected. In addition the ADSL session
will also be disconnected after idling for sixty minutes. A click on
the mouse will re-establish the connection.
* Flat rated service
There are no dial-up (usage) costs.
The only access charge is the R680 per month subscription (R800 for
business)
* Simultaneous Voice and Data
Telephone calls are still possible
while on the Internet, no business connection
ADSL is targeted at the small business and higher end of the
residential market that has a moderate volume of Internet traffic and
requires an always available service. That is what Telkom ADSL offers.
The service is not designed to offer bandwidth intensive
communications such as peer-to-peer applications (e.g. fasttrack,
gnutella, napster, kazaa, e-donkey etc.) for downloads, which
incidentally are the applications used by most of people who are
complaining about the service. The service is designed to offer
premium Internet surfing (HTTP), email (SMTP) and file transfer
protocol applications
The rollout of ADSL in South Africa has proceeded smoothly with the
service now available in the main metropolitan areas.
From the launch day, the Telkom ADSL access product has been limited
to a monthly 3GB cap. While we only implemented the cap much later,
it was always a condition of service.
The monthly 3 Giga Byte volume cap applies to all ADSL subscribers and
is enforced by all ISPs providing the service. It has also created
quite a bit of debate in the media but upon reflection it appears to
come from those users for whom ADSL is not the ideal solution for
their needs.
ADSL is a shared service; the more subscribers the slower the Internet
download speeds on the international link. That is why we carefully
balance the number of users versus available bandwidth. It is also a
key reason for capping. The 3 GB cap protects users from a small
minority of people who abuse the service and use it for purposes it
was not intended for. Capping ensures that most customers will enjoy
the true ADSL experience of fast Internet.
Coupled with this, the performance of international servers will also
affect download speeds. The fact that we are situated in South Africa
means that international bandwidth is purchased at a premium and not
unlimited.
On the International pipe Telkom's SAIX has prioritised surfing, email
and file transfer protocols. Bandwidth intensive protocols such as
peer-to-peer applications (e.g fasttrack, gntella, napster, kazaa,
e-donkey etc) are afforded a lower priority and as such will perform
worse than a standard dial-up under high international load
conditions. This has been implemented to provide the majority of ADSL
customers with fast Internet experience.
The volume capping and prioritisation of the international pipe is
done at the wholesale level to ensure that all ISP customers enjoy the
ADSL experience of fast always-available Internet.
SAIX is working on the introduction of a less shaped international
pipe that will be offered to ISP's to meet the needs of customers who
have high bandwidth applications. This will be at an additional
premium to the current service.
The 3 GByte cap is measured on total usage, both local and
international users who exceed the cap are redirected to a more
limited international pipe. This will have the result that these
users receive a slow international throughput.
Recent statistics show that very few customers reach their monthly
cap. ADSL users who require more than 3GB monthly can order a second
username and password from their ISP's providing them with an
additional 3GB per month.
To manage ADSL usage Telkom has for Telkom Prolog and Prolog Plus
users introduced a Usage Tracker with the option of receiving a daily
email to inform you of the usage over the past 24 hours. There are
also various graphic options.
Based on other feedback received Telkom has implemented a caching
server to increase international Internet access performance. HTTP
(Browsing), RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) and MMS (Microsoft
Multimedia Streaming) are being cached currently. The cache will be
used automatically and no configuration is required.
__________________________________________
RPM
rpm@myadsl.co.za