mywireless modem

[qDot]

Will there be an option for one to buy (from Sentech or elsewhere) the wireless modem upfront ?

[chopsky]

Apparently at launch, a partner will be announced who should be selling the modem up front but no details have been released yet.

[aels]

i see they sell this modem in Germany for 389 Euros (about R2900)

http://www.ngi-net.de/x/privat/index.php?main=29

they will probably be at least R4000 - R5000 in South Africa

[freeek]

There are already quite a couple of wireless internet service providers in SA, but they not fully legal but partially are. Apparently ICASA said they would not pass judgement untill april as the way it looks it might be legal. I have used this one of their wireless services and I can say its great for surfing. IT was much >> then 56k. But online gaming had no hope
The hardware costs are like were like R2300. The hardware is simpilar to sentech just the "modem" is connected to an antenae for long range. Basic service was R400(not static ip), Pro R950(static) and Extreme R2800(static)


Here's one of those companies
www.uninetwork.co.za



..-

[Tharaxis]

Not only is Uninet's service pretty damn shocking (I have several friends using it), they are also pretty damn illegal - ICASA has confiscated their equipment numerous times.

[chopsky]

Sentech and Telkom are apparently the only 2 companies licensed to provide such multimedia services in South Africa. Uninetwork are only actually allowed to provide the service as long as they arent crossing streets(as far as I know). If they are providing the service within a complex, I think it should be legal.

[Karnaugh]

UniNet is blatently illegal, and such behaviour actualy hinders progress as ICASA constantly have reason to enforce their laws.

ISP's need to gain ICASA's trust, rather than their wrath.

Chopsky is 100% correct, "The SNO", Sentech and Telkom are the only companies licensed to provide multimedia services in South Africa.

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[mithrandi]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">ISP's need to gain ICASA's trust, rather than their wrath.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I disagree; ICASA needs to be completely disbanded, and the .za telecommunications industry deregulated. Until then, we will continue to be pushed around by government-enabled monopolies.

I might add that the technology in use by UniNet and others is absolutely nothing like Sentech's MyWireless product.

mithrandi

[Karnaugh]

Unfortunately mithrandi, while I agree that telecommunications should be deregulated. Radio frequencies need to be regulated very strictly.

Most of the cases where UniNet or Megawan and those kinds have been taken down by ICASA is where their equipment has come under suspicion of RF interference.

<hr noshade size="1">
"Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak."

NetLink Research

[mithrandi]

If you didn't already know, I subscribe to cryptoanarchist / anarchocapitalist / libertarian philosophies. So when I say everything should be deregulated, I mean EVERYTHING.

[mbs]

Sorry, but a nihilistic approach to regulation merely leads to chaos, and must be relegated to the annals of our own destructive past. The reality is clear - regulate for the benefit of all, and *not* for the sole benefit of a state monopoly, for political expediency or for the benefit of free marketers worshipping the bottom line...

[mithrandi]

The problem is, there is no fundamental motivation for such a regulatory body to regulate for the benefit of all. Indeed, it is quite the opposite; such a regulator actually has very powerful motivations to support monopolies, such as Telkom, or limited polyopolies (is that a word? :P), such as Telkom + SNO. Economics (greed) is always the most powerful motivator in any situation, and thus self-interest will always prevail. The solution is to align self-interest with "group" interest, which is what anarchocapitalist philosophies rely on for success.

mithrandi

[mbs]

Ah...the practicalities! And there's the rub: how to justifiably align self-interest with "group" interest, without infringement of the rights of those outside the group, whether individual or common. Probably the best example of how difficult this is to achieve (if not impossible), is to be found in our owm context, methinks. This combination (of self-interest and "group" interest) led to us being viewed as the pariahs of the world not too long ago...

I still believe that *partial* regulation (particularly where there would be an impact on vital services - e.g. frequency allocation) coupled to consumer activism will prove to be the most effective mechanism for ultimate improvement of the situation. Consumer activism should balance out economic interest (greed) - more power to MyADSL!

[mithrandi]

Consumer activism is only effective when it hurts the corporations targeted by the activists economically; there's no "balance" with greed here, it's all about greed.

[madsimba]

Has anyone had a look at http://www.fastcomm.co.za/
Looks like they will be the local suppliers