What IBurst Think [Archive]

THX1138

25-11-2004, 08:57 AM

Just as Sentech is ruled - not by the low end employees - but by those at the top, IBurst follows the same structure. So its important to know what those at the top, think - if one want to get a sense of what the future holds..

I've noticed a lot of hopeful chatter, and loud pronouncements on forum about 'what Iburst will/might do' - as well as what they supposedly WON'T do, because 'it would be too stupid'

After I met with various department heads of IBurst, the following prevailing attitudes emerged as being part of their actual thinking at the top of IBurst. This is what I saw, or was told directly:

They consider 3 gigs of download to be a LOT of data, and quite sufficient.
(The idea that 15 - 20 or more gigs a month downloading, was a norm, was unacceptable and apparently incomprehensible to them.)

They believe that the 'mobility' factor of their product, is the biggest 'sell' for their product.

While they're aware of this forum, they dismiss the people on myadsl as being just a 'minority' (they used that word specifically)- and not of relevance to the market or their product.

They also appeared to be unaware that any of their users/employees are posting on this forum, and also, they made it clear that they didn't pay much attention to this forum.

Their market would - according to them - appear to be the casual user, not the power downloaders, who they clearly percieve as 'abusers'.

And one little anecdotal gem that emerged, apart from the interesting fact that IBurst and Sentech have been holding meetings, was that Sentech had discovered that a sizeable portion of their own bandwidth, was being used up by Sentech employees.
(Any anonymous Sentech employees want to confirm or deny this?)

Kaptain Khaos

25-11-2004, 09:15 AM

LOL staff are always the 1st to abuse networks if u let them, Sentech dont know JACK, they have proven it time and again. MyADSL is a minority in terms of user requirments, company i left was selling quite a few IBurst accounts to corporate guys who just need the mobility it provides and find 3 gigs enough. PPl who wwant in excess of 20 gig are ppl who want to download material that requires huge bandwidth to deliver P2P ect. Most big users seem to be into movies and games and just need the bandwidth to download their latest fix of new software.

Iburst dont really seem to want abusers as they term them, i must say their offering is technologically advanced and outpreforms sentech all the time. I personally think they will suceed wether they are supported by our type of users/abusers or not.

I will just carry on using/abusing my 2mb ADSL :)

in chaos all things are harmonious
Tower 82 14% Signal 512k package

qDot

25-11-2004, 10:07 AM

I am yet to find an individual who signs up for iBurst/ADSL/mywireless for casual internet use. It makes no sense to me to sacrifice well in excess R500 just for an occasional browsing or the odd download of mail. There are far much cheaper alternatives for that.

On the other hand though I am deskbound 8 to 5. Perhaps there really is a significant portion of the sentech/iBurst customer base out thre who really got this product for mobility. I have my doubts.

martin

25-11-2004, 10:07 AM

Well there you go. Thanks for the heads up THX1138.

They consider 3 gigs of download to be a LOT of data, and quite sufficient.

Are they even aware of the fact that businesses may want to make use of their services. If we didn't tightly control the bandwidth usage on our ADSL line in our company, it would be used up in a few days.

Kai

25-11-2004, 10:12 AM

they're shooting themselves in both feet if they do this!

Like KK and qDot said - casual browsers are NOT going to pay R600 a month to do the occassional downloads and some browsing.

WBS - DON'T DO THIS! YOU'RE GOING TO FCK IT UP IF YOU TAKE ON THIS MENTALITY - JUST LIKE SENTECH DID!!!

<hr noshade size="1"><div align="right">one day we will all look back at this... laugh nervously... and change the subject...
Sucktech no more... I'm now an iBurster! hmmmm... bandwidth... [:D]</div id="right">

AcidRaZor

25-11-2004, 10:32 AM

Kai, note... top management does not read these forums :)

this makes me think of how customer orientated the company really is, fine, I found that some of the staff could be very customer orientated, but reading these comments that top management made, I doubt they are BECAUSE if the were, we as the minority on this forum would actually mean something

There goes my hope and dreams... eish, I hope my visa gets granted, if it does I'm moving to the states.... my life for decent bandwidth and customer SERVICE!

bb_matt

25-11-2004, 10:41 AM

You can bet that iBurst will be aggressively shaping traffic if what is indicated here is true, Sentech users are now feeling the bite of aggressive shaping now that they've managed to get thier network under control. iBurst users will get the same treatment.

Ag man, if you can, just get the 384 home ADSL - if not, then that sucks pretty bad and I guess there's no other choice.

Yep, it's still a *** state of affairs to be in, but it's clearly the best option available now.

I may be cursing saying this if my line doesn't get installed soon ... 5 days to go ...

Vat hom Fluffy!

playkiller no.2

25-11-2004, 11:14 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">While they're aware of this forum, they dismiss the people on myadsl as being just a 'minority' (they used that word specifically)- and not of relevance to the market or their product.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Be careful with those words Iburst,cause this minority can make your life a living hell,look at sentech.
The people who were jerked around by Sentech are telling everyone they meet not to buy it.

So if Iburst turns to crap this board will tell everyone it`s crap which leads to word of mouth which equals you losing sales.

So I guess we will See Iburstcrap.co.za next year.

Google is so smart,I typed in Hellkom and guess what google said

Don`t you mean.....<insert evil laugh>
TELKOM!

AcidRaZor

25-11-2004, 11:25 AM

yea, I convinced a few people already to try iburst

playkiller no.2

25-11-2004, 11:31 AM

Well I hope it does not come back to haunt you.
Please Iburst 3gb is not enough,I want 6gb cap.

Google is so smart,I typed in Hellkom and guess what google said

Don`t you mean.....<insert evil laugh>
TELKOM!

Kai

25-11-2004, 11:39 AM

I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, no?

Thank God I didn't sign a contract... and they can buy the modem back...

bb, I would LOVE to get ADSL, but I can't... exchange doesn't support it, and if Telkom thinks I'm going to reapply every second month to see if that status has changed, they have another thing coming!

<hr noshade size="1"><div align="right">one day we will all look back at this... laugh nervously... and change the subject...
Sucktech no more... I'm now an iBurster! hmmmm... bandwidth... [:D]</div id="right">

Spamtheman

25-11-2004, 11:47 AM

If THX1138's comments are accurate this does paint a rather disturbing picture about the management of WBS.

If they believe that there is a large enough mobile market to make money they are badly mistaken, also the type of mobile user who would be prepared to lay out R600 pm for an internet connection would require a far more pervasive market than that limited business could sustain so they would have to look at other target markets. R600 pm is more than the casual user would be prepared to pay for an internet connection, which means the only real markets left are businesses and the power users (in other words us).

The belief that 3 GB of data is enough for a power user is laughable, they would also not find port shaping to the extent that they seem to be proposing acceptable. The technology is also unsuitable for gaming due to the fluctuating ping which leaves only the businesses.

The only conclusions one can draw from these statements is that the WBS management is investing time and money into a market they don't understand and haven't researched. The only people who would do that are morons. And most smart businesses don't give their money to morons when they can avoid it.

This does beg the question then of who they actually intend on selling this product to. If they scare off the business, don't care about the power users and charge too much for the average joe, how do they think they're going to get enough access points in place to service their mobile clients? Hopefully this isn't the case, but if so, then it wouldn't be a product I would have a great deal of confidence in.

AcidRaZor

25-11-2004, 11:55 AM

Spamtheman, I believe you just described exactly what Sentech did...

Hopefully WBS management would wake up and smell the bandwidth...

playkiller no.2

25-11-2004, 11:58 AM

Dam Telkom stop hogging the bandwith give back the SAT-3 cable cause you suck at using it.
Well we see how Sentech and Iburst do next year before we catch them begging on the street.

Google is so smart,I typed in Hellkom and guess what google said

Don`t you mean.....<insert evil laugh>
TELKOM!

kaspaas

25-11-2004, 12:59 PM

Above is enough reason to avoid iBurst for at least 6 months.

When evaluating a new product, it can be compared to horse racing: There is a track, a horse and a jockey.

The track is the bandwidth starved internet community in South Africa. iBurst decided to focus on a very small section of this track. I believe too small to sustain any serious business.

The horse is a new technology. Possibly proven in Australia, but not yet in South Africa where staff and management conditions are 100% different from Australia.

The jockey - well there is a report at the top on which to judge them.

I will personally (and have advised others the same) not to sign any contract longer than 1 month and not to spend any money on hardware either until at least August 2005.

I can get a new Vodacom phone in March next year, and if they are dishing out 3G phones for free, I will take it with a very casual usage contract to try it out. If they don't dish out 3G phones for free, well, then they are not serious about 3G.

I guess the whole internet access scenario will change during the next few months. iBurst,3G, WiMax, IS ADSL, and maybe a revived MyWireless.

I doubt if we are going to see much price competition during the next year, it will most probably be "we have more bells and wistles" market environment.

South Africa needs World Class Broadband at World Competitive Prices.

bb_matt

25-11-2004, 01:25 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Kai
 

bb, I would LOVE to get ADSL, but I can't... exchange doesn't support it, and if Telkom thinks I'm going to reapply every second month to see if that status has changed, they have another thing coming!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I hear you - I really didn't want to go this route as I didn't want another land line.

If you can get away with not signing a contract, go for it !

In terms of 3gig being enough for most users, well, it depends what users that are talking about.

I don't think they understand the simple fact that the people who want broadband internet want to download lots of stuff.

There are many legitimate sources of bandwidth useage :-

1. Streaming audio / video
2. Online gaming
3. Website maintenance - uploading files
4. Linux enthusiasts - large iso files / install via network
5. OS updates
6. Game patches
7. Game demos

3gig is effectively 100meg a day.

An average game demo is 200meg
Steaming audio at a decent kb/s, say 56kb/s will consume 20meg of data in 1 hour.
A linux distribution is anything from 700meg to 3gig

Ah well, guess we'll have to wait and see what happens next year ...

Vat hom Fluffy!

25-11-2004, 01:25 PM

I agree, with everyone that has commented so far.

I have no reason to think that THX1138 has not portrayed an accurate account, BUT I don't just believe everything that people try shoving down my throat, some form of proof to back this up is required.

If this is the attitude that WBS Management have, then I would like their management to register as a MyADSL member, and have the guts to post a reply to this topic. Sihen and Anakin can both confirm for us that said new member is a WBS big cheese. Until then, my opinion of WBS is not favourable.

hArTh

25-11-2004, 01:41 PM

Well said Spamtheman.

I find it hard to believe they will garner enough business from must-be-mobile clients. Wouldn't 3G suit those road warriors rather better? 3G phone (for free e.g. contract) + laptop + reasonable per MB charges = road warrior sorted.

Whatever you do, do NOT sign contracts with Telkom, Sentech or iBurst for the next 18 months at least.

PS: I note ICASA seems to have shut the door to VANS providing net access to consumers with wifi in their latest annoucements which is a big blow.

Seems to me wifi mesh networks with private sat links and an occasional ADSL link + intelligent routing will be the way to go.

Come to think of it I can't recall any pro-consumer move by ICASA to date? So much for protecting the consumer
[}:)]

-Information anarchist-
www.sentechhatesfreespeech.org.za
I support:
www.hellkom.co.za
www.poopband.co.za
Looking for something better than IE?
www.mozilla.org/products/firefox

Ditch

25-11-2004, 04:39 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by playkiller no.2
 Dam Telkom stop hogging the bandwith give back the SAT-3 cable cause you suck at using it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Just an aside here: A reasonable % of Telkom's portion of SAT-3 is unused atm. Telkom does this on purpose to create artificial scarcity of international bandwidth in order to massively inflate the prices they charge other ISPs for access to the cable. This neatly allows them to make a killing while at the same time strangling other ISPs that compete with their own ISP division. It's not that they don't know how to use their cable, they know EXACTLY what they're doing.

Spamtheman, well summed up. iBurst seem to be making the same "high end pricing, low end specs" mistake as ST. It may be true that 3GB is a lot for "casual" users like my dad/mom/gran etc., but then the price is also a lot for them. They can get by just fine on dial-up for a fraction of the price, and I'll keep recommending that they stick with dial-up for now. So much for the "casual user" market, and the "mobile business-user market" is tiny in comparison (and even worse you need broader coverage for mobile users than home users). The potential "casual user" market size (for *affordable* broadband) in SA is probably ultimately well over 1 million, but none of the SA companies seem to have the vision / balls / understanding of broadband markets to bite the bullet and aim for this market (which is the only way to get decent economies of scale). Looking at iBurst pricing vs. specs, I must say I can't really think of any good reason to recommend it to anyone I know (unless someone is in an area where ADSL isn't available).

AcidRaZor

25-11-2004, 07:23 PM

WBS can come suck me...

however... prelaunch phase is still sweet, so ****off

alchamy

25-11-2004, 07:53 PM

When I met with WBS, I tried to bring up the topic of port shaping and the cap. The topic was quickly dropped and changed. The Chief operating officer was very carefull not to make any comments on the topic.

When the question of hardware prices was raised this was once again dropped very quickly, however they did mention that they would like to make the hardware more affordable for end users.

He was also very defensive of Sentech when the topic came up.

There are several ways to interpret the avoidance of these questions. I will leave it up to you guys to make your own judgements.

For now I agree with noone, make the best of the bandwidth before they cap it. Cause it might be 10 years before we see true broadband again.

Azgard

25-11-2004, 10:08 PM

ADSL here I come.

After reading all this I'm gonna wait a while before signing any contracts with iBurst, Sentech, Telkom or any other company.

I just hope I can get ADSL, Telkom still has to come around and check and everything. Probably only call them in a few weeks.'

If iBurst sticks to their 3gb, and less, cap then I can bet a lot of people are gonna stay away from them.

anakin

26-11-2004, 07:52 AM

I don't know who in management would have dismissed MyAdsl users as the minority - all of us, including management should know better.

Why?

- a large number of our user base learnt about iBurst on MyAdsl
- management personally know many MyAdsl users who actively post here, even some of the vocal ones
- many MyAdsl users have become subscribers
- members of the public who walk in and talk to management drill them about MyAdsl continuously
- discussions on MyAdsl are often brought up

<hr noshade size="1"><center>
My views are mine, and mine alone. </center>

26-11-2004, 11:59 AM

Anakin, thanks for the comment, I think we need to hear from the who in management (WIM) that THX1138 allegedly got all this info from.

THX1138, as Anakin says, WIM did you meet with[?] - it is time to name and shame the WIM, and provide the WIM with an opportunity to defend themselves...

anakin

26-11-2004, 12:21 PM

Ic, there is no necessity to go on a witchhunt for WIMs at this stage. If anyone did indeed make any such remarks, it certainly does not represent the attitude of WBS management towards this forum. It would simply be a mistake, if we did not embrace the viewpoints expressed here.

<hr noshade size="1"><center>
My views are mine, and mine alone. </center>

hArTh

26-11-2004, 12:37 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by anakin
 Ic, there is no necessity to go on a witchhunt for WIMs at this stage. If anyone did indeed make any such remarks, it certainly does not represent the attitude of WBS management towards this forum. It would simply be a mistake, if we did not embrace the viewpoints expressed here.

<hr noshade size="1"><center>
My views are mine, and mine alone. </center>
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Translation: Damage control.

-Information anarchist-
www.sentechhatesfreespeech.org.za
I support:
www.hellkom.co.za
www.poopband.co.za
Looking for something better than IE?
www.mozilla.org/products/firefox

26-11-2004, 12:43 PM

Hi Anakin, I am not proposing a witch hunt.

Note that I don't know who THX1138 is, and I don't know if any of this actually happened, THX1138 has made allegations that need to be backed up.

Please understand that as WBS customers, we are investing 2 years of our finances with WBS. In my case that is R15551.00.

What we need is transparency and openness, which is why THX1138 should tell us WIM he got all this from.

Then WIM must respond, and we the customers should take it from there.

Added: Anakin & Sihen this whole topic is spiralling out of control, I would like to think that WBS Management must be aware of it by now. Damage control or not, I suggest that someone high up registers as a MyADSL member, perhaps with the username WBSManagement, and at the very least states that a further in-depth reply is on its way.

Spamtheman

26-11-2004, 01:14 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">If THX1138's comments are accurate<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I wasn't making a judgement on whether his comments where accurate or not, but there has been more than enough background chatter in a similar vein to give them a little credibility. On the flip side of the coin however it does seem that WBS is paying a great deal more attention to the requirements from customers than Sentech ever did which is commendable.

I would also rather have very clearly laid out restriction on use than vague references to what is acceptable behaviour, even if I disagree with those restrictions.

martin

26-11-2004, 02:36 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by hArTh
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by anakin
 Ic, there is no necessity to go on a witchhunt for WIMs at this stage. If anyone did indeed make any such remarks, it certainly does not represent the attitude of WBS management towards this forum. It would simply be a mistake, if we did not embrace the viewpoints expressed here.

<hr noshade size="1"><center>
My views are mine, and mine alone. </center>
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Translation: Damage control.

-Information anarchist-
www.sentechhatesfreespeech.org.za
I support:
www.hellkom.co.za
www.poopband.co.za
Looking for something better than IE?
www.mozilla.org/products/firefox
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Precisely.

divv

26-11-2004, 04:48 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Kai
 

Thank God I didn't sign a contract... and they can buy the modem back...

bb, I would LOVE to get ADSL, but I can't... exchange doesn't support it, and if Telkom thinks I'm going to reapply every second month to see if that status has changed, they have another thing coming!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hi there I have been reading these posts with interest for a while. (managed to put me off MW!)
I applied six weeks ago for ADSL, to be attached to the phone at the place I am moving to the end of this month. I called today to check up on things, only to get told there are no ports, and that in the meantime someone managed to get things a TAD mixed up, and TK didn't put in for a normal line - so at the moment, come 1 December I probably won't have SQUAT!
So I am looking at alternatives, and believe it or not, I am a "non-power user" who actually IS prepared to pay to be connected all the time - IF things work! What I'm NOT prepared to do is pay over R2000 for a modem, only to find that things actaully s-ck - and then be stuck with it - so what's this about them buying the modem back??? Will they do this????

Thanks,
D

Stewing over bad service - roll on any alternatives!

AcidRaZor

26-11-2004, 05:36 PM

I mentioned once that it might be a possibility seeing as they've been very open to suggestions and very flexible. If you're afraid in getting locked into a 2 year contract, I suggest trying WBS anyway, you have a 7 day window period in which you can cancel. The prelaunch phase is a bit cheaper. Plus, you can cancel at any time you want.

The reason why you sign a 2 year contract is simple : You get the modem for free and WBS needs some kind of document to say that you're prepared to stay a customer of them for at least 2 years so they can make the cash back that they laid out in buying and importing these modems.

This is where Sentech went crazy, the whole contract was based around the actual service, and not the fact you got the modem for free and that you're actually signing it to agree that you'll "pay the modem in 2 years with a monthly installment"

WBS told me that, once you have saved up the cash amount to buy the modem (or feel you have had good service and they're not doing another Sentech on us a few months down the line) OR you wish to cover your ass in case they DO go "Sentech", you can switch from the 2 year contract to a month by month contract by BUYING the modem.

This is possible, because then WBS is only selling you internet access, and do not need to worry about the potential loss of revenue put in to actually buy and supply the modem to you.

As for buying the modem back from you if you decide not to have WBS anymore, you can always ASK.

For example : I've been staying at the same place for the last 2 years (renting in and staying in a small commune) and by only ASKING, I now have a 25 square metre room (biggest in the house) and my own garage. Only by asking, you open so many doors.

I suggest you call Dylan during office hours, and ask him to find out if it is possible.

In my opinion, they'd be more than happy to help you "re-distribute" your modem by selling/renting it out to someone else, because ultimately it means they dont have to spend x amount of money more to bring in another modem.

As for the topic, damage control indeed. I just find it fun to wait and see and use a system I find very fast and responsive. No ports for ADSL, no liking Telkom or SuckTech... Im more than happy to stay with them for the meanwhile.

clivedoubell

26-11-2004, 08:16 PM

I was just wondering. If a company is so good that it would provide you with the service you're paying for, plus good support, why in the world do they need you to sign a 2 year contract? If their ongoing service is so good, no one would leave them, not in two years or five years. We all know that sentech's two year contract was just a scam to tie you down while they screwed up their service.

AcidRaZor

26-11-2004, 08:34 PM

Like I mentioned, the 2 year contract is only to ensure they get their money back for the initial "investment" they have in you, aka the modem.

It's exactly (yet more difficult to cancel) as a vodacom or mtn contract with a new shiny phone. both of the service providers GIVE you the cellphone for free, but it usually comes at a 2 year contract price with yearly escalations. After those two years you have an option to upgrade your cellphone... this is to make sure you stay "hooked" for another 2 years, because, to get your upgrade and stay "trendy" (and not pay 4000 for a cellphone), they lock you into another 2 years with the lure of a free upgrade.

Thus, I entirely dismiss the whole contract thing, and mentioned in my previous post re: What Sentech did with that contract.

Use your common sense...

They have good service thus far, good technical support that calls you back and can actually DO something for you when you do call, they follow up even if you told them you'd call them and their internet access is superb.

The only constant in life is change, so let's see what the future holds, stop being scared children and touch those big boobs when a lady offers them to you, doesn't matter HOW drunk she is... :)

AcidRaZor

26-11-2004, 08:38 PM

To those thinking I was referencing porn again, no, bandwidth does it for me, and the lady with big boobs (aka bandwidth) is WBS... and I'm cupping a feel while she's drunk [;)]

bb_matt

26-11-2004, 08:44 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by noone
 To those thinking I was referencing porn again, no, bandwidth does it for me, and the lady with big boobs (aka bandwidth) is WBS... and I'm cupping a feel while she's drunk [;)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Bloody communist !

Heck, where was the internet when I was slumming it in communes - bastard ! [:D]

Vat hom Fluffy!

aborg

26-11-2004, 09:03 PM

I see ppl are talking about the 3gig cap...now as I understand it you get 3gig at top speed then everything drops to 64kbps - how would this impact then if you still dl'ed 24/7 after that at 64kpbs. You would far exceed the 3gig top speed, are they (WBS) gonna charge you for the extra bandwidth? YOu can do almost 18gig at 64kbps 24/7. Do these guys really know whats going on? I need some clarity.

"Broadband in SA is like the holy grail - everybody knows what it is but nobody has ever found it"

26-11-2004, 10:56 PM

Noone, glad to see you've cooled off a bit, I think this topic has "agitated" all of us iBursters, myself included.

I will be waiting for an official WBS Management response to THX1138's allegations here.

Like noone says, the 2 year WBS contract should be about paying off the UTC/UTD.

Cellular Network Operators make you sign a 24 month contract - the reason - to tie you to them hand and foot, although they lure you with a shiny new phone, which they tell you is free. Nothing in life is free, and you are definitely not getting a cellphone for free, you're actually paying it off at an inflated price over 2 years.

Like I mentioned WBS Should bill separately for the UTC/UTD (http://www.myadsl.co.za/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5644#45643). The 2 year contract should apply only to the UTC/UTD, and the ISP part of the contract should be month2month (i.e. 30 days notice), with the provision that when you cancel the ISP part you either pay off the UTC/UTD or continue to pay it on a monthly basis.

Killer

26-11-2004, 11:49 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by bb_matt

3gig is effectively 100meg a day.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I used to download about 150MB a night (about 11hrs) with 64k ISDN.

3 gig cap is crazy.

At least give 1gig a Day.

Perdition

27-11-2004, 02:39 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Killer
 At least give 1gig a Day.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

This isn't going to happen, however when you have a 1 mbit connection you should at least be given enough so you're not counting the bytes every time you download something.

Actually thinking about it what may work better in the iBurst environment is a daily cap rather than monthly one e.g. you're given 200 megs a day fast speeds and when you exceed that you're switched to 64kb/s. This way you could surf at full speed during the day and set your downloads to run overnight when it doesn't matter if you're running at 64kb/s. This will also level out overall network usage as you won't have people congesting the network at the beginning and end of the month.

It would be awesome if WBS could implement a package like this alongside the current packages they're planning. I'm sure it's technically possible. Also unused "fast" megabytes don't even need to carry over to the next day as long as you get a reasonable amount like 200+ megs per day. It's a win-win, users get more bandwidth without having to worry about busting their entire cap in a few days and WBS get more even network usage making it easier to manage. What do you think anakin and sihen? (or any of you guys for that matter [;)])

27-11-2004, 04:04 AM

Yep, I have been thinking the same thing - daily cap that is. I know someone mentioned it in another topic somewhere sometime - probably a topic on Telskum & ADSL...

Luckily my home address is not known (I hope), bcos I risk my life by saying:
Have a Daily limit, but control things so that bandwidth gobblers (P2P) have an incentive to gobble in the evenings/'off-peak' - rather than normal business hours. Perhaps it is technically possible to route P2P traffic through a separate subnet, the idea being that P2P customers would regulate themselves by creating their own contention ratio dynamic. Ok so I'm talking a lot of twoddle here, but maybe there is something to it[?]

Also: Packages need to be flexible and not designed to tie customers to a service provider. Rigid packages that are accompanied by a medium to long term contract are anti-competitive, and allow the service provider to monopolise each and every customer that signs such a contract. Customers should be allowed to switch to another service provider if they want to - at a price naturally.

And: This whole topic is supposed to be about What WBS Think, but we really do not know what WBS think - there is no clear statement about what direction packages etc are going in, which I can understand since this is still pre-launch and WBS are hopefully still deciding, listening to all of us deranged people.

Our pre-launch comments & views are WBS' chance to put some really amazing customer focused stuff together - before the official launch in 2005.

Having said that, I think they should try running some of the stuff by us (not likely to happen), so we can give them an idea of the reaction(s) they might get when they launch.

Fieldy

27-11-2004, 07:00 PM

How about we take the message to them? Tell them that their package is not aimed at the non regular users that are happy with 56k or ISDN. That a 1mbps Package is aimed at Power users, gamers and P2P users. If they got 400 emails saying that what they are doing is a mistake and that their actions will have a similar effect as Sentech, surely they will listen? And if they don't, then their product is destined to fail. And then all our Bandwidth are belong to Telkom.

Cheerz

AcidRaZor

27-11-2004, 08:16 PM

Fieldy, the only way a company like this is going to listen is if it effects them financially

Cancel all your subscriptions and they might just feel our wrath... CONSUMERS WILL NOT LIE DOWN!!!

wmhaahahahahahahaha

er... I've watched too much Invader Zim...

27-11-2004, 11:10 PM

And smoked some good sh*t too.

Seriously tho, I think we should think up some good iBurst & WBS surveys, the first ongoing one is how many iBurst pre-launch customers are there, I will ask rpm again.

Another obvious survey: do you think 3Gb is a lot?

Do you think a 1Mbps connection should be capped at a. <3Gb; b 3Gb; c. >3Gb

Do you consider yourself to be a. Bandwidth addict b. Business user c. Low bandwidth user...

Basic surveys like that.

If WBS Management do actually take into account what we say on MyADSL, provided they apply some logic, their target market(s) (i.e. us customers) should heavily nudge WBS in the correct direction.

I am wondering why WBS haven't requested rpm to run some surveys for them - Anakin & Sihen[?]

Nuf said 4 now.

divv

28-11-2004, 04:10 AM

What I'd like to know from WBS is how they can justify their pricing, when you look at the same service being offered in Australia.
For example: Why is it that the same modem which is available in Australia for $249Aus (equivalent if R1150) costs R2100 here? I do not believe that it costs you R950 to import a PCMCIA device.
Also, why is it that in Australia, for the equivalent of R462 (Ozemail) you can get their premier service, which includes 3 mailboxes, with 15 email addresses, each mailbox 10MB, personal webspace of 5MB, and dial-up access when out of the network coverage area?
Also, only after 12G usage is the download speed slowed down.
Based on this, how can WBS justify their prices, for which there is a 3GB cap, 1 mailbox, 5 email addresses, NO personal webspace, and no dial-up access?

Maybe those who are close to WBS can ask these questions...

D

Stewing over bad service - roll on any alternatives!

28-11-2004, 08:12 AM

divv, you sort of have a point about the cost here of UTC/UTD, but there could be a ligit reason, I'm thinking it's:
CostPrice+ImportDuties+SomeLicenseFeePaidToGovernm ent

That is of course pure speculation on my part.

divv

28-11-2004, 09:20 AM

Hi IC, I'm sure there are import costs etc, however, I'd also like to point out that the price I saw and converted into Rands was the price that END-USERS were paying overseas - which means that the suppliers would be getting it for EVEN LESS...
And all those other costs should not mean that the unit costs almost double.. Interestingly enough, the same overseas website has the ethernet unit as cheaper than the laptop version...
Di

Stewing over bad service - roll on any alternatives!

bb_matt

28-11-2004, 11:24 AM

It's quite simply the culture of greed we are cultivating in this country.

It starts at the highest level of government and filters down through every sector of society.
People see top government MP's on the take, so they figure, WTF, I'll just follow suit.
We're becoming a nation of criminals - well, I'm not, but so many around are just take take take.

Conversations dominated by money, stories about BEE where instant millionaires are being made - IOW, young up and coming black businesses are given huge cash injections before they've proved themselves.

Joburg MPs in the top echelon getting bonuses of R250 000, making them millionaires, while squatter camps are home to the vast majority.

How does this relate to iBurst ? - heck, I dunno, just talking crap on a Sunday [:D]

Actually, it does all relate - the South African public are so used to getting the short end of the stick and being screwed out of thier hard earned cash by monopolies/consortiums that iBurst is just following suit with thier horribly over-inflated prices.

If Telkom can do it and make 4.8billion profit, heck, why can't iBurst ?

Vat hom Fluffy!

AcidRaZor

28-11-2004, 12:28 PM

You guys should take into account that in other countries they actually subsidise the purchase of the initial modem so that they get more customers in that way. Proven in new zealand with their version of Sentech. They subsidise the modem to make it affordable for a person.

I do agree with most people here, iburst is trying to corner the wrong market, where their product obviously cater for the power user/gamer/business user.

They should catch a wake up

28-11-2004, 12:45 PM

divv, I also looked at the .au iBurst pricing, and I found the prices were about the same, that was a couple of weeks back before I got iBurst.

I suggest that we both post url's & compare what we've been looking at.

I agree that WBS should be getting a bulk discount from Kyocera.

Does anyone know what (if any) license fee would be paid to government for actually using the UTD/UTC[?] This is along the lines of having an alarm system in your home hooked up to a radio transmitter & having to pay an annual radio license fee.

divv

28-11-2004, 02:07 PM

IC I googled "iburst" and went to www.iburst.com.au/site/iburst/iburst_overview.php , from there I took the link get iburst - choose a provider. One of the services that caught my eye was OZEmail - and it was from there website that I got most of my data.
But I also saw an earlier post - Ozzie iburst forums - which gives another link: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-threads.cfm?f=18 amd within that a heading marked WBS Wireless Internet, which I followed because WBS (same dudes???) and if you read some of the posts there you will see many other interesting options - for example http://cbdnet.com.au/Content/content_pricing_monthlyplans.html

Di

Stewing over bad service - roll on any alternatives!

28-11-2004, 04:17 PM

di vv, amazing coincidence that - a company in iBurst .au teritory also called WBS. I could be completely wrong but I think a coincidence is all it is (did some quick research).

Unfortunately that cbdnet.com.au/... url hangs my browser (I will eventually switch from IE to something else, just not right now tho).

I don't know if WBS (ZA) realise this, but if people get pissed at them, there will be a very short leap to the name WirelessBS, any name that includes the letters BS is doomed to ridicule, I would do something about it if I were WBS. There once was a (IT) architect I worked with, who had the initials BS, and believe me, he was the laughing stock, because he sprouted so much BS.

Another thing - iBurst - people I talk to keep thinking Burst Eye / Eye Burst, a tad unfortunate, but probably gimmicky enough for people to remember - especially with the "shoot 'em up" gaming community.

THX1138

28-11-2004, 05:28 PM

Just a note re what has been termed here as my allegations.

I could list the names of the persons who stated the various things I referred to, as well as give some interesting quotes from the various IBurst people present, to back up what I've said - but tactically, its not a good idea - because if I list who was present, and who said what, then THEY will know for certain who I am. :)

I will say though, that Sasan Parvin (chief tech oficer) was extremely serious and adamant, whenever the subject came up - that 3 gigs was not only 'a lot of data', but 'quite sufficient for any normal user'. (I would imagine that this is not something he would deny, if asked, given his totally frosty and disinterested attitude, towards any suggestion that a 3gig cap was not a good idea.)

I'm still considering trying IBurst, regardless.

(Because if their eventual 'throttled' state, is more reliable, consistent and faster than Sucktech's supposed 'regular service' - then it might be a better option, regardless of the profiteers at the top of the pyramid.
Guaranteed available and consistent (although low speed) b/w, could still beat the bullsh*t and stress from Sentechs unpredictable 24/7 modem service.)

28-11-2004, 06:55 PM

THX1138, let me make this easy for you, I personally stated that you have made allegations about "What IBurst Think", and you can quote me anytime.

In the abscence of conclusive proof, that is all your very 1st post under the member name THX1138 is.

I never said that I didn't believe you, right now I am not prepared to say that I do beleive your allegations either.

I have also stated that your allegations are serious enough for WBS Management to provide an official response.

The reason I suggested you name the WBS people, is because you already provided sufficient info for WBS to deduce your identity - you had already exposed yourself. While online anonimity is important, hiding behind a new member name did nothing for you:

You probably met with several people at WBS, either individually or in group(s).
It happened before 11/25/2004 : 08:57:15.
Looking at the security tapes would allow them to visually identify you.

Your topic is important, especially to those who already have iBurst, your topic is equally controversial.

What should happen now: the named WIM, should either respond individually, or WBS Management should respond. Like I said before, both Sihen and Anakin should authenticate whoever from WBS actually responds - (if).

Ditch

29-11-2004, 02:34 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ic
Cellular Network Operators make you sign a 24 month contract ... to tie you to them hand and foot, although they lure you with a shiny new phone, which they tell you is free. Nothing in life is free, and you are definitely not getting a cellphone for free, you're actually paying it off at an inflated price over 2 years.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
OT: This was actually a pretty clever business tactic, especially in the SAn context where the initial price of a new phone is a major hurdle to becoming a cellphone user for most of the population who aren't so well off ... since you pay for the phone anyway as part of your contract (hope nobody is really stupid enough to think it's actually free), effectively they have managed to sucker all the people on contract into buying a whole new phone every two years. (Of course many don't mind because they've also convinced us we simply have to keep "trendy" too.) Anyway, this was clever because what it means is that a large number of lower-cost 2nd-hand phones are continually entering the market, which allows poorer people to afford phones and also join on a pay-as-you-go arrangement. This strategy has been pretty successful ... Vodacom alone have over 10,000,000 customers in SA alone (almost 25% of the population), and earn an average revenue per customer of R184/month.

bb_matt

29-11-2004, 12:57 PM

Sasan Parvin must be a very narrow minded un-imaginative person if he thinks 3gig is enough for anyone.

Try streaming 128kb/s quality radio for a few hours and see how much bandwidth it chows up. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would be 46meg of data in an hour, so 65 hours of steaming music would chew your 3gig right up.

Perhaps Sasan Parvin would also say that anyone wanting to listen to streaming audio is just not normal too.

What a plonker.

Vat hom Fluffy!

29-11-2004, 01:40 PM

Yep, people must either stick with & defend their own opinions, or deny they ever said such a thing, or be big enough to admit that they were wrong and take action to sort it!

Spamtheman

29-11-2004, 01:40 PM

"Just a note re what has been termed here as my allegations"

Well frankly THX1138 at the moment your comments are exactly what you termed them, allegations. Now no one was disputing the accuracy of those allegations (from other sources it does seem to be accurate), we'd just prefer to hear as many opinions as possible before jumping to conclusions.

And to the WBS lads who may or may not be paying attention to this forum I would suggest that you do some in depth research into the current usage of your pre-launch customers and to "broadband" customers the world over. It should become blindingly obvious that 3GB is a ridiculously low cap (if one is even warranted) and that if the cap is in place to limit international usage then only international usage should contrubute towards the cap and only international usage should be affected by it.

Traffic shaping is also a terrible idea, WBS management is not the moral compass of their customers, neither are they the censorship board. Their customers pay them for a connection, what those customers do with that conncection is their own business. I think everyone could accept port prioritization if it was a transparent proccess, certain applications are far more dependant on latency than bandwidth and it is foolish to not recognise that. However care must be taken that such measures are not implemented to a degree that would render other forms of traffic unusable. Otherwise we may as well get the NG Kerk to decide what we may do and read again.

Lastly if iBurst's final offering does not resemble their beta testing period it does render any positive reviews they may recieve void and could possible result in a nasty backlash from those beta users who would have become used to one thing and are now receiving quite a bit less.

I agree with ic and the others in suggesting that some sort of statement regarding what their cap and shaping policies will be, should be forthcoming from a senior member of WBS management if just to end this debate.

03-12-2004, 12:27 AM

By Razer0
Speaking of foreign forums with poeple using the same technology...I just had an idea about posting there concerning how we are getting, how shall i say it, 'raped'? of our precious bandwidth...i'd absolutely LOVE to see their reactions after hearing of the prices that these atrocities charge us for internet services

Razer0, this thought crossed my mind even before I got iBurst, and google led me to the same Whirlpool forum. If you do post there, make sure that sheep shagging doesn't feature in the thread :p - I lfound that out the hard way with my uncle in Perth. Sadly iBurst isn't available in Perth, so my cousin has no feedback to give me.

By Craig:
...
Things I can't understand about iburst:
...
-that they seem to be targeting people who would get along fine with dial up 56k connection (i.e. the below average to average, non-power user)
...

Craig, personally I don't beleive that WBS' pricing speaks to the community of up to 56K non-power users. The pricing is more aligned with the "Power User".

THX1138

06-12-2004, 12:28 PM

Okay - my last post:

a) For those who think that 'few posts on forum = minimal potential of being valid'. Bad logic. I'll prove it further in.)

b) I went to IBurst and they met with me knowing that I am a journalist.

c) I was sniffing around for the possibility of a freebie service, or some interestingly useful
'exchange of service for advertising' type of deal that is routine in Media.

d) All the comments they made at me, WERE made - although whether they stated the things they did, and behaved in the way they did because 'I'm a journalist', or because they truly believe them, is unknown.

e) I felt that the things they were saying needed to be communicated to the forum, regardless - and as there was no 'off the record' requests by them, they clearly felt content and secure with what they were saying.

f) Even though there was the chance of a deal potentially occurring with IBurst, the things they were saying didn't sit well with me - and I made a decision call to make the initial post, regardless of whether this screwed up the possible deal. (I tend to be compulsively honest, regarding this as more important and ethical than worrying about my own possible 'benefit' sometimes.)

g) Since the post, I got tired of waiting for my Editor to come back to me with firm info on some kind of useful arrangement - so I forked out cash for the modem and the '30 day notice' contract, becoming a regular customer of IBurst - altho I'm still with Sentech...

h) The one thing that irked me enough to decide to share the info with the forum, was when I was asked just what exactly did I download (that would make me so adamant that a 3 gig cap was utterly insufficient) - and when I replied 'movies and that sort of thing'. Thami Mtashali (chief operating officer) leaned forward with a big smile and said "We'll RENT you some movies rather."
Laughs all round from the assembled folks.

The overall approach which they were taking was precisely as I detailed in my first post on this thread. Again, I don't know if this was a manufactured general construct they chose to 'show' me because I am a journo - or because its what they truly believe. I was quite blatant about the disgusting service I've experienced from Sentech, with them - but they made no real responsive comment in this regard.
(Mention was made elsewhere in passing, about meetings having taken place with Sentech, but unfortunately I didn't pursue this interesting nugget of info)

They also professed to - as I said in my first post - not pay much attention to this forum, and used the words 'a minority' very specifically. Oddly enough, just like various Sentech PR people have, in the media, at various points.

I know there's an online presence of WBS personnel, mostly on IRC (and here as well) - but again, this appeared to be 'news' to the people when I mentioned it. (Although again, I don't know how much of their reaction was 'reality' and 'true' - versus their desire to present a standard corporate 'we're unaware of this and its not official' reaction to a journalist.

From having had a LOT of hands-on experience with Sentech and its 'service', I watched as what I interpreted as a fairly dismissive approach towards consumers needing far more than 3gigs as a norm, began being raised more and more, during the discussion.
I tried various tacks to see how flexible they were on this issue, but the general response was by turns unconcerned and almost shocked at the repeated statements by me to the effect that a mere 3 gigs usage was nowhere near sufficient or acceptable as a norm.
This is the point where chief technical officer Parvin airily dismissed the 'need' for more than 3 gigs by anyone as being basically unreasonable. I did notice that all heads turned to him, each time it was raised by me. He spoke, they quieted.

While treading the dodgy path of sniffing them out for a possible mutually useful arrangement - yet wanting to confront some of the things they seemed to think were fine, and which I did not accept at all. I knew that I was in a priviliged position, and should ask all the things that other forumites would ask, if they were in the same situation..
I tried pushing and asking, for instance 'If you're putting a 3 gig cap in place - what's the difference then between you and ADSL? You're not offering anything that doesnt already exist.' (The 'mobility' angle was floated in reply to this.)

As it stands now, I have the spare cash to enjoy a brief experiment. So I bought the modem unit, and paid for a couple of months in advance, and I'll enjoy the current apparently 'uncapped' service up until it starts to suck, thereafter, I'll cancel. No problem. To me, the money outlay is worth it to have even a month or two of vaguely decent speeds, after most of this year whining and bitching at Sentech.

So IBurst is my brief Xmas present to myself. :)

As for the 'buy back modem'policy - while signing papers, I asked, and watched as one of the staffers carefully took the contract and peered at the fine writing on the back, before eventually announcing that 'theres a seven day period in which you can return it'. So I don't hold out too much hope in getting a return on my outlay. I dont care really. I've waved goodbye to the money I've spent, and am now briefly a user of both Sentech AND IBurst.

Like I said, the instant that IBurst begin to suck, I'm gone - and will return to the fraudulently slow bad 24/7 slow-modem service of Sentech. Thereafter, I'm watching the market for the next better alternative to appear, and do the same testing approach, until I'm sure its decent, then I'll cancel Sentech finally.

Sentech have taught me that throwing good money after bad, and wasting energy and time in trying to 'make an incompetent and blatantly profiteering company see its errors and fix its bad service' - just doesn't work. Ever.
If IBurst turn into Sentech, then bye bye instantly..

So a few grand has gotten me some speeds for now, but I'm ready to cancel and deprive them of any further money. ("Loyalty" is for my friends and family, not for a company I'm paying for a service. Any attempts to suggest that 'loyalty' is important, is a con-job by the company that wants your money)

Sentech have also taught me that - even if there are decent, hardworking, genuinely friendly folks working down on the customer support and tech-levels - it means absolutely nothing, if the top management structure have their own agenda and policy.

So I know that Sentech (and IBurst) both have decent folks working for them, techies doing their best and help-centre folks fielding calls - but ultimately the only thing that counts, is what is decided 'is best for the Customer' in the boardrooms.

So any Iburst workers reading this, don't make the mistake of taking anything said here personally - and that its understood that there is a BIG difference between the individual worker trying to provide a good service, and doing a decent job - and the upper management who make the Policy of the company.
So you Iburst (and you Sentech people) reading the forum, there are those of us who know that you are in the middle, between a rock and a hard place. Its upper management who are at fault, not you. So rest easy :P

There do appear to be a couple of options looming on the horizon in the new year, and time will tell whether any of them are worth repeating this somewhat expensive but worth-it-to-me experiment.

I hope this clarifies some of the issues for the various folks looking to make their own decision call on which way to go, or how to proceed viz 24/7 net.

My choice was 'expend money and get Iburst now up until their cap/bandwidth management' phase kills their service, (or reputation) - and if it does - then cancel. Put modem in cupboard & return to stinky Sentech. Await new wireless companies.'

But that's just me, and not for everyone.

So IBurst will have got a few grand for the modem and a couple of months fees, nothing more. If enough people operate in a similar way, then IBurst will fail, or be forced to alter their policy.
(According to person X at Iburst, that I spoke with while doing the signup, this IS how the majority of their new customers are doing it. 30 day contracts. Very few have done the 'two year' thing.
Good.
We'll see how IBurst behaves with a possible mass withdrawal of their incoming monthly finances, the instant their service becomes capped and/or slows down.
Unlike Sentech, this might even force them to change their policy as their profits drop below projected targets.

There you have it.

THX1138 A.K.A LoneGunman
(Sentech's favourite customer, now also IBursts favourite customer.)

I won't be posting again, unless I run across something else of use for forumites, as in this case. So hold off on wasting energy on flames :P )

Hope everyone's well..

*goes back into the mists of online activity*

LoneGunman

06-12-2004, 12:35 PM

*walks off with THX1138, both online avatars searching endlessly for the holy grail of geeks...
that elusive, speedy, reasonably priced 24/7 internet option.."

playkiller no.2

06-12-2004, 01:15 PM

Thanks for the info Thx1138 very interesting read.

Happy Ibursting for...........NOW!

06-12-2004, 01:29 PM

...In the abscence of conclusive proof, that is all your very 1st post under the member name THX1138 is...I never said that I didn't believe you, right now I am not prepared to say that I do beleive your allegations either...I have also stated that your allegations are serious enough for WBS Management to provide an official response...While online anonimity is important, hiding behind a new member name did nothing for you...Your topic is important, especially to those who already have iBurst, your topic is equally controversial...WBS Management should respond
LoneGunman (aka THX1138),

Thanks for coming out of the closet as it were, also I do appreicate your posts as THX1138 including the first one.

Please note that I would've been less suspicious if you had just posted from the start as LoneGunman.

One thought that occurred to me was: you might be one of those Suckingtech wraiths/orcs running interference & deliberately trying to cast dispersions on WBS/iBurst waters.

Not even taking your last THX1138 post into account, I do believe that enough time has passed, and WBS Management's lack of response is sufficient indication that thou hath spake the truth.

If I had the money to shell out on the UTD, I would have done it, but I have posted elsewhere that I am saving up to buy the UTD outright and switch to 30d notice - that is if WBS stick to what they told Noone (*allegedly*) ;)

I won't be posting again, unless I run across something else of use for forumites, as in this case. So hold off on wasting energy on flames :P )About that, I really don't think myself or anyone else intentionally flamed you, if you took it that way - I apologise, my personal intention was to give WBS the opportunity to respond and defend their opinions, so please stick about & don't take it personal like :)

Perdition

06-12-2004, 10:17 PM

Hehe, the elusive LoneGunman returns... and departs ;) I find it unfortunate that you'll be leaving us again despite the fact that certain members take exception to your postings. Personally I have no doubt that what you have conveyed to us is the truth and I certainly will be holding off on iBurst until they bring something more reasonable to the table. If I wanted a 3 gig cap I would go for the more reliable option with better pings aka ADSL. Those boardroom guys must be smoking crack if they truly believe "mobility" is the most important factor. If I wanted mobility 3G is just around the corner and it'll be useable in a FAR larger region than iBurst.

06-12-2004, 11:11 PM

Yep Perdition, you be absoluto correcto.

I'm still singing this tune: WBS will fail miserably if it doesn't do its market research right now, in the end it was clear that Sentech didn't want power users (anymore? / from the start?).

WBS Management also don't want power users (they aren't denying anything so it is highly likely to still be their line of "thinking"), and yet they continue to think that Joe Public is prepared to pay between R600 and R700 per month for a connection to do their email, come on W-BS-M get real, smell the daisies that are about to surround your tombstone!!!

Here comes total failure 2.0 aka WBS' I-Go-Nowhere.

stoke

07-12-2004, 09:05 AM

Back to the "Is 3gb a lot ?" question/surver raised by ic.
To me - yes it is when I don't need more, but sometimes I do, and, sometimes I only use 600 MB, and feel ripped off cos I didn't use the full 3GB.

Lets see - about R 650 for 3GB = R 216 for 1GB = R 108 for 1/2 a GB. If a service provider would charge me R 108 per 1/2 a GB used, then i'd be as happy as a gamer with a direct 1MB line to the gameservers. It would also stop us from downloading like maniacs at month end.

Oh - damn - this is far too simple a solution - I must be missing something.

Spamtheman

07-12-2004, 01:41 PM

Yes the bit where you get to shaft the customer, you're clearly not cut out for business. Go join a commune or something, dirty commie hippy.

07-12-2004, 02:21 PM

I don't want to be hunted down and tortured by gamers, but I don't think iBurst is suitable for gamers (get the hint - gamers get out of my playpen!), seriously the latency on iBurst is what should keep 'em shooting up somewhere else...

I doubt WBS will want to be stabilising latency anytime soon.

Spamtheman

07-12-2004, 05:22 PM

Yeah the technology is not ideal for latency dependant applications, but it's still better than a kick in the ass. I'm really just arguing the point out of a sense of moral outrage, I'm far meaner when it's something that affects me :)

bb_matt

07-12-2004, 11:23 PM

Yeah

TheRoDent

08-12-2004, 09:48 AM

Guys, I think the bottom line here is that ADSL is less expensive, more stable and reliable, and far superior than both Wireless technologies we've seen so far.

LoneGunman, I can't believe that you went for another wireless dark horse again dude. ;)

12-02-2005, 11:43 AM

I'm ressurecting this thread specially for all those newcomer iBursters that haven't read all the important iBurst threads yet. Start at the beginning, as all things do, work your way through to the end, this is a historical thread & will give newcomers that never have any problems some perspective on what they're getting into. Happy reading, Enjoy!!! :)

ghoti

12-02-2005, 12:06 PM

Well after reading this thread, it appears that iburst does not want to hear what we have to say, and after reading what management thinks of us as the 'minority', I am even more upset.

Well, as for their monority.... I have a mailing list that goes out to 22000 people in Johannesburg twice a month. I will be sure to tell all the readers what IBurst thinks of them. Abusers........ a minority?

Well, I will show them a minority. Until they start responding to us here, 22000 readers will twice a month, get a segment dedicated to what I think of Iburst. (and its their target market)