rpm
04-11-2003, 01:03 AM
Hi Guys
Just a short summary of ADSL related news in the media. It is great to see that issues surrounding ADSL is popping up everywhere. It is also good to see that our work does not go to waste. The more active we are, the better our results will be.
Regards,
RPM
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Date : 2003/10/27 Station : East Coast Radio Time : 1731 Prog. : News
The eight-month struggle for affordable 24/7 internet access has finally paid off for an East Coast businesswoman. She has been trying to get Telkom to set up a service called ADSL at her business on the North Coast. Phillapa Davis, businesswoman (int) and Hans van de Groenendaal, Telkom spokesperson (int), commented on the matter.
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Date : 2003/10/24 Publication : Hellopeter.com Page : 1
Headline: ADSL - Why are we getting ripped off ?
The writer says: `This is more of a comment than a complaint, as complaints to a monopoly like Telkom fall on deaf ears. To those of you that have ADSL and are not happy with the service (exuberant comparative prices the rest of the world, a 3 gigabyte cap on traffic, lack of transparency on which ports are shaped, false advertising) as it stands, please lets pull together and try make a change. At almost R1000 a month we pay up to 5 times more for our substandard service than the rest of the world. With the SNO been pushed out to 2005 we have been denied the access to competitive prices and service. We are again being dealt the short end of the telecommunications stick.
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Date : 2003/10/20 Station : Kfm Time : 1720 Prog. : Business News
An open fight is brewing between Telkom and users of its broadband internet service, ADSL. A group of 670 ADSL users have openly criticised Telkom for its refusal to improve the service.
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Date : 2003/10/21 Publication : Sake Beeld Page : 11
Headline: Twis tussen Telkom en ADSL-gebruikers
An open battle is threatening between Telkom and the users of its ADSL service. A group of 670 ADSL users, lead by Mr. Stephan Muller, is taking Telkom on because Telkom ’refuses to upgrade their service to be more beneficial to the users’. The group is busy handing in a complaint at Icasa. Muller yesterday confirmed that they have formulated a complaint that will be handed in. Muller is a student that is busy with his master’s degree in information technology and is a daily user of the ADSL service.
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Date : 2003/10/16 Publication : Business Day Page : 24
Headline: Several options for small businesses to consider
Most small businesses need to communicate by e-mail and access the internet, and there are several ways of doing this. Telecommunication costs are relatively expensive in this country and the choice of technology is therefore particularly important, says Tim Parsonson, director of telecommunications service provider Storm. Telkom is placing constraints on the amount of bandwidth a company can use, with a ceiling of three gigabits a month, in order to discourage customers using Diginet leased lines to change over to the cheaper ADSL service, says Parsonson. Once the bandwidth limit is exceeded, the service is downgraded to be even slower than a dial-up telephone line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/15 Publication : Finansies & Tegniek, Finance Week Page : 23,18
Headline: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Telkom has overstepped the boundary of fair business practices in the eyes of SA investment guru Clive Roffey. Writing to recipients of his investment letter, Roffey says that he intends to challenge Telkom's `unilateral` alteration of the conditions of its ADSL broadband Internet service. Telkom advertised and marketed its ADSL service on the basis of a 3Gb cap for either outgoing or incoming data. The cap is now based on both outgoing and incoming data. `This is a completely different set of conditions to those marketed by Telkom for the original ADSL service, to which many people and companies subscribed,` says Roffey.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/13 Publication : ICT World Page : 1
Headline: ADSL - Less than we bargained for?
A little over a year since Telkom announced the availability of asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL), SA's broadband offering still costs roughly twice as much as it does in many other countries, and delivers half the bandwidth, according to Ray Webber of the Communications Users Association of SA (Cuasa). “Admittedly, even SA's ADSL solution provides more or less affordable bandwidth for SMME businesses, but it is still too pricey for most home users. In addition, there is evidence that Telkom's offering is being choked,” says Webber.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/10 Publication : Financial Mail Page : 10
Headline: Telkom in breach?
The writer says: `I believe Telkom is guilty of a major breach of contract by altering the basis of its terms for ADSL, a continuous connection to the Internet. Users paid R2 500 for the installation of the facility and signed up for a 3 GB capping on either incoming or outgoing data. It has unilaterally altered the essence of the contract to now include incoming and outgoing. I signed up in May for this service. Six months later, the original terms have been totally abrogated. This is a unilateral, big brother, to hell with the consumer alteration of contract story. Once again the user gets screwed!`
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/09 Publication : ITWeb Page : 1
Headline: Telkom delight in misrepresenting themselves
The writer says: `While there appears to be a supposed `war` between Sentech and Telkom, the truth may lie elsewhere. I actually arrived here from following a link in the forum at <http://www.myadsl.co.za> - which is becoming the main hub for the growing numbers of dissatisfied Telkom customers. I recommend anyone thinking about ADSL or any kind of high speed Internet, to browse at My ADSL's forum, before spending money.. (and no, I don't work for them - I just discovered enough info to stop me from wasting money on either Telkom or Sentech.`
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/09 Publication : ITWeb Page : 1
Headline: Telkom is blatantly lying about the caps
The writer says: `Telkom is blatantly lying about the caps. You can't game on satellite due to the 600ms+ latency. The service is 3x more expensive than ADSL and they are offering satellite as the solution because they don't have the copper infrastructure. You can't even game, so what's the point? The better solution if you need bandwidth is to use M-Web satellite service at R325pm. It works fine with Telkom’s DECT telephones. You can get away for under a R1000pm for a lot of surfing, without any caps. The average speed is about 120 kbps. So typical. The shafting continues.`
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/02 Publication : Mail & Guardian online Page : 1
Headline: `Telkom must die`
The journalist says: `I was on the verge of getting ADSL from Telkom. Then, thanks to this local site which tells you a lot of informative and useful things that Telkom aren't speaking about in their glossy handouts, I've changed my mind. Go read the very useful information available at the excellent site known as My ADSL. I'm sick of this government profiteering and blocking any competition to Telkom, based on fraudulent and bogus 'requirements'. Telkom provides a substandard and massively overpriced service which is screwing up our economy and preventing us from taking our rightful place in the global online community. Telkom must die and be thrown on the scrap heap of history.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
RPM
rpm@myadsl.co.za
Just a short summary of ADSL related news in the media. It is great to see that issues surrounding ADSL is popping up everywhere. It is also good to see that our work does not go to waste. The more active we are, the better our results will be.
Regards,
RPM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/27 Station : East Coast Radio Time : 1731 Prog. : News
The eight-month struggle for affordable 24/7 internet access has finally paid off for an East Coast businesswoman. She has been trying to get Telkom to set up a service called ADSL at her business on the North Coast. Phillapa Davis, businesswoman (int) and Hans van de Groenendaal, Telkom spokesperson (int), commented on the matter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/24 Publication : Hellopeter.com Page : 1
Headline: ADSL - Why are we getting ripped off ?
The writer says: `This is more of a comment than a complaint, as complaints to a monopoly like Telkom fall on deaf ears. To those of you that have ADSL and are not happy with the service (exuberant comparative prices the rest of the world, a 3 gigabyte cap on traffic, lack of transparency on which ports are shaped, false advertising) as it stands, please lets pull together and try make a change. At almost R1000 a month we pay up to 5 times more for our substandard service than the rest of the world. With the SNO been pushed out to 2005 we have been denied the access to competitive prices and service. We are again being dealt the short end of the telecommunications stick.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/20 Station : Kfm Time : 1720 Prog. : Business News
An open fight is brewing between Telkom and users of its broadband internet service, ADSL. A group of 670 ADSL users have openly criticised Telkom for its refusal to improve the service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/21 Publication : Sake Beeld Page : 11
Headline: Twis tussen Telkom en ADSL-gebruikers
An open battle is threatening between Telkom and the users of its ADSL service. A group of 670 ADSL users, lead by Mr. Stephan Muller, is taking Telkom on because Telkom ’refuses to upgrade their service to be more beneficial to the users’. The group is busy handing in a complaint at Icasa. Muller yesterday confirmed that they have formulated a complaint that will be handed in. Muller is a student that is busy with his master’s degree in information technology and is a daily user of the ADSL service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/16 Publication : Business Day Page : 24
Headline: Several options for small businesses to consider
Most small businesses need to communicate by e-mail and access the internet, and there are several ways of doing this. Telecommunication costs are relatively expensive in this country and the choice of technology is therefore particularly important, says Tim Parsonson, director of telecommunications service provider Storm. Telkom is placing constraints on the amount of bandwidth a company can use, with a ceiling of three gigabits a month, in order to discourage customers using Diginet leased lines to change over to the cheaper ADSL service, says Parsonson. Once the bandwidth limit is exceeded, the service is downgraded to be even slower than a dial-up telephone line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/15 Publication : Finansies & Tegniek, Finance Week Page : 23,18
Headline: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Telkom has overstepped the boundary of fair business practices in the eyes of SA investment guru Clive Roffey. Writing to recipients of his investment letter, Roffey says that he intends to challenge Telkom's `unilateral` alteration of the conditions of its ADSL broadband Internet service. Telkom advertised and marketed its ADSL service on the basis of a 3Gb cap for either outgoing or incoming data. The cap is now based on both outgoing and incoming data. `This is a completely different set of conditions to those marketed by Telkom for the original ADSL service, to which many people and companies subscribed,` says Roffey.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/13 Publication : ICT World Page : 1
Headline: ADSL - Less than we bargained for?
A little over a year since Telkom announced the availability of asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL), SA's broadband offering still costs roughly twice as much as it does in many other countries, and delivers half the bandwidth, according to Ray Webber of the Communications Users Association of SA (Cuasa). “Admittedly, even SA's ADSL solution provides more or less affordable bandwidth for SMME businesses, but it is still too pricey for most home users. In addition, there is evidence that Telkom's offering is being choked,” says Webber.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/10 Publication : Financial Mail Page : 10
Headline: Telkom in breach?
The writer says: `I believe Telkom is guilty of a major breach of contract by altering the basis of its terms for ADSL, a continuous connection to the Internet. Users paid R2 500 for the installation of the facility and signed up for a 3 GB capping on either incoming or outgoing data. It has unilaterally altered the essence of the contract to now include incoming and outgoing. I signed up in May for this service. Six months later, the original terms have been totally abrogated. This is a unilateral, big brother, to hell with the consumer alteration of contract story. Once again the user gets screwed!`
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/09 Publication : ITWeb Page : 1
Headline: Telkom delight in misrepresenting themselves
The writer says: `While there appears to be a supposed `war` between Sentech and Telkom, the truth may lie elsewhere. I actually arrived here from following a link in the forum at <http://www.myadsl.co.za> - which is becoming the main hub for the growing numbers of dissatisfied Telkom customers. I recommend anyone thinking about ADSL or any kind of high speed Internet, to browse at My ADSL's forum, before spending money.. (and no, I don't work for them - I just discovered enough info to stop me from wasting money on either Telkom or Sentech.`
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/09 Publication : ITWeb Page : 1
Headline: Telkom is blatantly lying about the caps
The writer says: `Telkom is blatantly lying about the caps. You can't game on satellite due to the 600ms+ latency. The service is 3x more expensive than ADSL and they are offering satellite as the solution because they don't have the copper infrastructure. You can't even game, so what's the point? The better solution if you need bandwidth is to use M-Web satellite service at R325pm. It works fine with Telkom’s DECT telephones. You can get away for under a R1000pm for a lot of surfing, without any caps. The average speed is about 120 kbps. So typical. The shafting continues.`
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : 2003/10/02 Publication : Mail & Guardian online Page : 1
Headline: `Telkom must die`
The journalist says: `I was on the verge of getting ADSL from Telkom. Then, thanks to this local site which tells you a lot of informative and useful things that Telkom aren't speaking about in their glossy handouts, I've changed my mind. Go read the very useful information available at the excellent site known as My ADSL. I'm sick of this government profiteering and blocking any competition to Telkom, based on fraudulent and bogus 'requirements'. Telkom provides a substandard and massively overpriced service which is screwing up our economy and preventing us from taking our rightful place in the global online community. Telkom must die and be thrown on the scrap heap of history.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
RPM
rpm@myadsl.co.za