Can't wait for Telkom's excuses! [Archive]

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PierreLeRiche

29-11-2003, 12:08 PM

Telkom has already announced that their ADSL prices will remain unchanged for 2004. Imagine the egg on their faces when they are forced to cut prices due to the Sentech and SNO competition, and they have to explain why they are suddenly able to do so.

Telkom spokesman: "It's a miracle, international bandwidth suddenly got a lot cheaper!"

I think the stink around Telkom will take quite a while to go away, so much so that many people will feel inclined to go for competitors' products over similar offerings from Telkom. I certainly don't feel any loyalty towards Telkom.

Andre

30-11-2003, 02:15 PM

Why would Telkom want to reduce prices? The Sentech 512k option is already 50% more expensive than Telkom.

ProAsm

30-11-2003, 03:23 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Why would Telkom want to reduce prices? The Sentech 512k option is already 50% more expensive than Telkom<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
mmm perhaps, but what would you pay for ADSL with a Static IP, without a Cap, without Port prioritizing, be portable and approx 120 gigobytes of downloads per month [?]
Would R26000 pm be close [?]

Andre

01-12-2003, 10:15 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ProAsm
mmm perhaps, but what would you pay for ADSL with a Static IP, without a Cap, without Port prioritizing, be portable and approx 120 gigobytes of downloads per month [?]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I'd like to pay what the rest of the world pays, not however much Telkom or Sentech think they can get away with.

chopsky

01-12-2003, 10:29 AM

Mate, then maybe you need to move elsewhere, because that isnt going to happen just yet or any time soon. The rest of the world pays a lot less for their bandwidth compared to us all the way down here. Either way, if we give Sentech a chance now, over time they will improve the services and we'll soon see US/UK competitive packages.
At the moment though, move over to Sentech, because what they're offering, is better than anything Telkom is/will be offering

PierreLeRiche

01-12-2003, 10:40 AM

Telkom may not want to reduce prices, but if the 128K Sentech product actually delivers (i.e. you get 128kbps) everyone in their right mind would switch.

When's the last time you actually got 512kbps off you DSL modem? I just did a speed test - 26.9kbps.

Andre

01-12-2003, 10:52 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by chopsky
 Mate, then maybe you need to move elsewhere, because that isnt going to happen just yet or any time soon. The rest of the world pays a lot less for their bandwidth compared to us all the way down here.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Compare what New Zealand or Australia pays and they are even further down than us.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Either way, if we give Sentech a chance now, over time they will improve the services and we'll soon see US/UK competitive packages.
At the moment though, move over to Sentech, because what they're offering, is better than anything Telkom is/will be offering
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to knock Sentech as such and the idea of competition to Telkom is great.

The main issue I have with the Sentech product is the 24 month contract. Absolutely no way am I signing up for that.

The Sentech 128k package looks like an attractive package for ISDN users. The 512k package is R1500 per month, R500 more than Telkom DSL. I'm not sure what to make of the 256k Sentech package, that might be one that suit my needs and budget.

Lastly, I live in Cape Town and there won't be any Sentech offering here for months, but I'll be reading with interest what the "beta testers" have to say.

chopsky

01-12-2003, 11:07 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Compare what New Zealand or Australia pays and they are even further down than us.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

They've also had fair competition for many years. Ours is only just beginning now. Rome wasn't built in a day mate.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The main issue I have with the Sentech product is the 24 month contract. Absolutely no way am I signing up for that.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

As ProAsm suggested earlier in the forum, give them a call and voice your opinion.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The Sentech 128k package looks like an attractive package for ISDN users. The 512k package is R1500 per month, R500 more than Telkom DSL. I'm not sure what to make of the 256k Sentech package, that might be one that suit my needs and budget.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Do you realise, Telkom can provide us with an 8mbit connection and still sit rest assured we'll only use 3gb monthly internationally. Sentech on the other hand are giving you the opportunity to download around 90gb a month on their 256kbps connection alone. You cannot compare Telkom's 512kbps connection to Sentech's. Theirs is absolutely limited.

ProAsm

01-12-2003, 11:49 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'd like to pay what the rest of the world pays, not however much Telkom or Sentech think they can get away with.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
This unfortunately wont happen in a hurry as believe it or not but broadband Internet is a very low profit business.
Now having said that here in SA or Africa for that matter we have a certain size or potential user base size which is a hell of a lot smaller than most parts of the world and that user base is about to be split into 2 and soon into 3.
Equipment and the technology which needs to be the latest is hellish expensive and needs to be offset against whatever the user base is.
Hopefully this technology helps towards creating jobs, thus increasing the user base and only then will prices start dropping.

microfast

02-12-2003, 12:56 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
.... broadband Internet is a very low profit business.
.....potential user base size which is a hell of a lot smaller than most parts of the world and that user base is about to be split into 2 and soon into 3.
.....Equipment and the technology which needs to be the latest is hellish expensive ...
.....increasing the user base and only then will prices start dropping. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hi ProAsm,

Your contribution to myadsl / Sentech has been invaluable.
yr recent post is flawed.

NZ has 4M and we have 40M.

NZ is split into more than 2 or 3.

Equipment and so on costs the same in NZ.

Waiting for the user base to increase in order to drop prices can only be done by a monopoly.
In a competitive, free and unregulated environment this strategy would be a non-starter.

If more users = lower price then less users = higher price.
Reduce your prices, scrap 24m contract and Sentech will clean up.

The Sentech entry is important, mostly in the context of Telkom's ridiculous prices and service delivery.

Zeliard

02-12-2003, 07:49 AM

Microfast:

I don't think that it is entirely valid to simply compare the population bases - your potential market in SA (i.e. people that would purchase broadband access at any reasonable price - even R100 or similar) is most likely a lot smaller than 40 mil or even 4 mil. In percentage terms, I would expect it to be a lot smaller than even in NZ...

Otherwise, using the same logic (i.e. only looking at the population capacity), broadband companies should rather turn to Nigeria with its 120 mil population?

rpm

02-12-2003, 08:12 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Hi ProAsm,

Your contribution to myadsl / Sentech has been invaluable.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hi Microfast and ProASM

ProASM's contribution has indeed been very valuable, and we hope to see a great deal more from you. Thanks for your continual help and support in the Sentech forums. We will definitely vote for you for CEO in years to come :-)

Regards,

RPM
rpm@myadsl.co.za

microfast

02-12-2003, 11:21 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Zeliard
I don't think that it is entirely valid to simply compare the population bases -<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yr point is accepted.

I believe NZ is about 70% connected and ZA about 5%.

.7 x 4 = 2.8M in NZ
.05 x 40 = 2.0M in ZA

Growth potential in NZ is limited and the potential here is massive.
If we do not do something NOW to realise this potential it will be very costly in the near future.

btw - Telecoms are lining up to setup in Nigeria - watch this space.

aels

02-12-2003, 12:28 PM

i wish people will stop comparing internet in south africa with that of the rest of the world ....

nobody cares about internet in south africa, so nobody will do anything about it !

look at this map for instance : http://www.reach.com/en/imap/imap_intro.php (click on interactive map) ... you will see the 3 little connections (might be a few more) south africa has in comparison with the rest of the world ... so unless that changes nothing will ever change to south african internet. if for example you click on the IP service availability on that map ... looks at all those big fast speed links from Australia, that is why they can also offer cheap internet to their customers

is also because you people dont know how big isps work ... jeez man these guys are global with massive pipes between their pops .... even i have a bigger and faster home network in my room with bigger upstream providers than most ISPs in South Africa ....

i am working in some of the biggest colocation facilities in the world at the moment, some like TeleHouse Europe, TeleCity ,UK and these guys are like ..uhm...South Africa ... who ?? Didn't even know South Africa do have internet

walking through these data centres, just makes you realise how big these guys are ..., there networks are massive, reaching globally ... MASSIVE man ... and now you want to compare internet prices in South Africa with those in the rest of the World, good luck ... it will never change in our lifetime [:D]

Pavlov

02-12-2003, 12:41 PM

nobody cares about internet in south africa, so nobody will do anything about it !

No people do care and they are not prepared to accept telkom's trickleband offering - that is why myadsl.co.za was formed and why we must constantly ask the question of why the SNO is not in place yet.

aels

02-12-2003, 12:52 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Pavlov
 
No people do care and they are not prepared to accept telkom's trickleband offering - that is why myadsl.co.za was formed and why we must constantly ask the question of why the SNO is not in place yet.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

this is why [:)]

ICASA has submitted a recommendation to the Minister to turn down both applications by Goldleaf PTY Ltd and Optis Telecommunications for the 51% equity stake in the SNO

apparently the reason is because they don't have enough experience and big enough customer base, but Optis Telecoms is also owned or does own Shanghai Telecom which has a subscriber base of over
6,4milion

I think South Africa just dont want it .... they are all "kop in een mus" , is that how you say it [;)]