MWEB Uncapped ADSL - Official Q & A

[MWEB]

Hi All,

As it is impossible to keep track of the questions posed within the main News thread due to the flood of other views, opinions & comments, I'm starting this thread to answer specific questions you may have about the newly launched MWEB Uncapped ADSL offerings.

So fire away ...

MWB.

[rorz0r]

How many GB's of downloads torrents/newsservers/etc will be considered "abuse" on the 4mb complete package?

[Fudzy]

You mention shaping in the PDF, to what extent will non-'business' ports be shaped?

[Fudzy]

How many GB's of downloads torrents/newsservers/etc will be considered "abuse" on the 4mb complete package?

Can one actually 'abuse' an uncapped account?

[rorz0r]

And what will happen if Telkom upgrade the 4mb line to 8/10/12mb?

[Seeyou]

Do you know your signup/contact form for the uncapped accounts is broken? :)

[The_Librarian]

Month to month accounts.

Should the user have his/her own telephone line, will it be possible to cancel said account instantly? Or is there a month's notice period?

Also the same goes for the normal accounts. What is the notice period required?

[silkman]

Will the SAIX news server work with the account?

[MongooseMan]

Do you know your signup/contact form for the uncapped accounts is broken? :)

Yeah, I also get

Unfortunately an error has occurred in capturing your request.
when attempting to sign up..

[rorz0r]

Will you be launching a "netflix" type service?

[Azgard]

I'm curious about the continual streaming sections in the acceptable use doc..

How exactly is it defined? For eg, some days I may watch a few hours of streaming video online,
but most days I won't. Same with downloads, FTP, Skype, etc.. It may happen for a long time one
day, and then not the next..

So I'm wondering what exactly is fair use in that regard.

[rsd]

You mention shaping in the PDF, to what extent will non-'business' ports be shaped?

I would also like to know exactly what ports are shaped / unshaped. I run SSH on non standard ports and when I tried out Digichilli it was shaped into the ground. I'd rather not have to find that out the hard way by signing up.

A break down of what ports/protocals are shaped / what the priorities are would be awesome to see. I don't know why all ISPs dont publish this information.

[cavedog]

Will the SAIX news server work with the account?

Nope SAIX news does not work. news.mweb.co.za however works which is actually the IS news server. :-)

[FlatspinZA]

Isn't this going to cause a lot of congestion on the backbone & reduce our download speeds anyway?

[Azgard]

I would also like to know exactly what ports are shaped / unshaped. I run SSH on non standard ports and when I tried out Digichilli it was shaped into the ground. I'd rather not have to find that out the hard way by signing up.


I do the same thing, need to know which ports are shaped and how heavily.

[MWEB]

Hi,

In response to the above questions regarding shaping and acceptable usage, here is MWEB's offical stance ...

Q: Will there be shaping of bandwidth?

Yes, shaping in the form of protocol prioritisation will be employed for those products mainly aimed at consumers, while those specifically aimed at businesses will not be shaped in any way (meaning all traffic will have equal preference).

The protocol prioritisation is used to maintain a premium experience for our customers when using the most popular applications and services under peak network load conditions (times). This will also ensure the impact of abusive or malicious traffic will be negligible for the majority of users.

Should customers wish to use applications and services (protocols) which are not prioritised, MWEB advises that such activities be performed/ scheduled at off-peak times to provide reasonable performance.

Business packages will be unshaped (no priority will be given to certain protocols and activities) and unthrottled. On consumer accounts there will be shaping – that is, priority will be given to some traffic if there is a danger of isolated behaviour or abuse affecting the overall user experience. MWEB will prioritise what most of our user base engages in, including browsing and email, as opposed to peer-to-peer activity. We encourage power users to schedule their activities during off-peak times, which is a good practical way of balancing usage of the network across the day.

Q: What constitutes abuse, according to MWEB?

Where the activities of any one user have a detrimental impact on the user-base as a whole.

[jvk]

what the hell is protocol prioritisation ?

[rsd]

Hi,
Answers


All sounds reasonable. I have no problem with shaping, but would Mweb consider publishing, from time to time, a list of prioritised protocols?

[MWEB]

And what will happen if Telkom upgrade the 4mb line to 8/10/12mb?
Hi rorz0r,

The MWEB Uncapped ADSL products are rate limited to their specific speed. Thus if one uses a 512Kbps product on a 4096Kbps ADSL line, one will only get a maximum throughput of 512Kbps DL / 256 UL.

In the same way the 4096 products will continue to operate at 4096Kbps even if an ADSL line is upgraded to 8192Kbps or more (actually you will get a little more since the overheads on ADSL will only allow you ~3500Kbps on a 4096Kbps line).

MWB.

[armitage]

Hi there.
Just a few questions.

How will the product evolve? The market lately has been receiving a lot of stories that adsl packages from telkom will be upgraded soon from say 4mb/s to 8mb/s. Will the mweb package stay at 4mbs even though the line is syncing up at 8mb/s?

Are you able to sign up for a month to month package?

Youre answer regarding abuse is unfortunately unquantifiable. We as users are not able to see if our actions impact the whole user-base. Therefore can you quantify acceptable usage limits?

Also. this would be a great time for you guys to make bundles. Adsl/dstv packages perhaps?

[Renier]

What is the contention ratio?

[davemc]

Basic questions:
- What is the contract term/length for the uncapped services?
- What is the termination notification period and penalties (if any).
- Do these products utilise a "base cap" (As specified in your T&C)?
- Do the uncapped products utilise the IS backbone? If YES, are websites hosted at IS data centres free from bandwidth usage charges from this connection?

[rsd]

what the hell is protocol prioritisation ?

Some protocols are given priority. E.g. email, voip, ssh, http traffic

Some are left unprioritised, E.g. ftp, peer-to-peer, news servers

So basically business / common use protocols get priority so that people pulling down torrents don't stop the rest of the users from using skype.

[xumwun]

Q: What constitutes abuse, according to MWEB?

Where the activities of any one user have a detrimental impact on the user-base as a whole.

That is still very vague.
Your terms and conditions effectively bar any form of downloading, what is the point of uncapped then.

[MWEB]

Will the SAIX news server work with the account?Hi silkman,

In a manner of speaking. MWEB has deployed its own news infrastructure and any access requests to news.saix.net on the new MWEB network are redirected to our own servers (same 2 connections limit applies).

MWB.

[jvk]

Some protocols are given priority. E.g. email, voip, ssh, http traffic

Some are left unprioritised, E.g. ftp, peer-to-peer, news servers

So basically business / common use protocols get priority so that people pulling down torrents don't stop the rest of the users from using skype.

thanks !

[StNick]

Q: What constitutes abuse, according to MWEB?

Where the activities of any one user have a detrimental impact on the user-base as a whole.

Without some guidelines, how are we, as end-users, supposed to know when our activities are affecting the user-base as a whole?

[phoneJunky]

what the hell is protocol prioritisation ?

You connect to the internet using different protocols example http stands for hypertext transfer protocol, and if you play games it uses another protocol. People browse more than people play games, so they will give web browsers a higher priority in peak teams than games etc.

[Pooky]

Is it possible to sign up now, and how is payment made?

[MWEB]

Hi rorz0r,

Will you be launching a "netflix" type service?Suppose that would be inevitable given the group that MWEB comes from, however at this stage we are not releasing any information in this regard ... but what this space.

MWB.

[jvk]

Without some guidelines, how are we, as end-users, supposed to know when our activities are affecting the user-base as a whole?

i would also love to know ...

[MWEB]

A break down of what ports/protocals are shaped / what the priorities are would be awesome to see.Hi rsd,

I shall see what information I can provide in this respect. Will revert as soon as I can.

MWB.

[Fudzy]

Should customers wish to use applications and services (protocols) which are not prioritised, MWEB advises that such activities be performed/ scheduled at off-peak times to provide reasonable performance.

So the shaping rules change between during the day and after hours?

[Optimal01]

Would it not be possible to do what axxess does and order a 312kb account and have it go full speeds after hours/weekends etc.

[fbman]

Nope SAIX news does not work. news.mweb.co.za however works which is actually the IS news server. :-)


I am currently a mweb subscriber and I use Saix news server with no problems

[Nuro]

Are you guys using seacom bandwidth?
Just interested to know, as it would be a massive success story for a change.

[silkman]

I am currently a mweb subscriber and I use Saix news server with no problems

yes but that's NOW- these accounts are different

[steve-rsa]

R219 sounds great but just look at the restrictions in the T&C. Specifically 5.6/5.7/5.9/5.10

edit: also no mention of contention ratios.

You mention tha we should schedule downloads into offpeak times yet your own T&C say there will be no automated downloads.

[rsd]

R219 sounds great but just look at the restrictions in the T&C. Specifically 5.6/5.7/5.9/5.10

edit: also no mention of contention ratios.

You mention tha we should schedule downloads into offpeak times yet your own T&C say there will be no automated downloads.

I agree the T&Cs are a little scary, but worst case you sign up month-to-month, use it the way you want to and get shouted at for abuse.

Not much risk of anything terrible happening.

[Azgard]

I'm curious about why the email coming from Mweb, for the free 512K uncapped in April, comes from this address?

MWEB Connect <freethewebsa@gmail.com>

Seems a bit unusual, I would think Mweb should use a @Mweb address?

[bmchunu]

Hi,

Q: What constitutes abuse, according to MWEB?

Where the activities of any one user have a detrimental impact on the user-base as a whole.


That is still very vague.
Your terms and conditions effectively bar any form of downloading, what is the point of uncapped then.

Enough beating around the bush .. what I want to know is ... if I download at full 4Mb line speed FTP + Torrents, every day, after hours (22.00 - 06.00) ... would that be considered abuse?

[MongooseMan]

Yeah, I also get

when attempting to sign up..

nm, seems to be working now...

[VonPickle]

I'm curious about why the email coming from Mweb, for the free 512K uncapped in April, comes from this address?

MWEB Connect <freethewebsa@gmail.com>

Seems a bit unusual, I would think Mweb should use a @Mweb address?

I suspect it's because they were doing a bit of "Undercover Marketing" on Facebook

[thrakath]

R219 sounds great but just look at the restrictions in the T&C. Specifically 5.6/5.7/5.9/5.10

edit: also no mention of contention ratios.

You mention tha we should schedule downloads into offpeak times yet your own T&C say there will be no automated downloads.

IMO, the points you've raised from their TOS, can be found in every single ISP's TOS.

[nfbs]

Q: What constitutes abuse, according to MWEB?

Where the activities of any one user have a detrimental impact on the user-base as a
I am currently on 30Gb account with another ISP. If I switch over to Mweb:
1. If I download 50Gb per month will that constitute as abuse?
2. Is abuse a fix Gb amount per month?
3. or if I continuously download my full line speed line between off peak hours and not during business hours will that or won't it be seen as abuse?
4. Will this be a standard SAIX shaped account or do I have to go through some other filtering or abuse throttling if I exceed x Gb?

[rorz0r]

Enough beating around the bush .. what I want to know is ... if I download at full 4Mb line speed FTP + Torrents, every day, after hours (22.00 - 06.00) ... would that be considered abuse?

It is indeed far too vague. Once your contention passes 1:1 on any link in the network then visiting a webpage has a "detrimental impact on the user-base as a whole".

[Azgard]

I suspect it's because they were doing a bit of "Undercover Marketing" on Facebook

That seems likely, but now that everyone knows it's them on Facebook doing the marketing and stuff, surely they could have sent from a 'legit' email address :)

[rsd]

Enough beating around the bush .. what I want to know is ... if I download at full 4Mb line speed FTP + Torrents, every day, after hours (22.00 - 06.00) ... would that be considered abuse?

If that wasn't considered abuse what else could you possibly do that would be? :)

[jvk]

which is the cheapest call line option to take from telkom if i want this offer, i don't have a fixed line as yet :(

[Fudzy]

MWEB, seeing as this thread is going to get quite long could you possibly add some of the more common questions to your OP?

[MWEB]

Will the mweb package stay at 4mbs even though the line is syncing up at 8mb/s?
Hi armitage,

Yes answered in more detail above, but I'll just add, as soon as 8Mbps is widely avaliable, MWEB will provide a seperate 8Mbps offering.


Are you able to sign up for a month to month package?

Yes, all consumer/Soho products (Connect as we call them) are provided on a month-to-month basis with no lock in ... give it a try, all it will cost you is 1 month's charges.


Youre answer regarding abuse is unfortunately unquantifiable. We as users are not able to see if our actions impact the whole user-base. Therefore can you quantify acceptable usage limits?Unfortunately acceptable usage is somewhat subjective in nature. There is no finitely specified limits defining what becomes unacceptable usage.

Uncapped broadband is a shared service, thus the needs/requirements/experience of the many is given priority over the few whose activities are negatively impacting on the majority. So it basically comes down to ... if what you're doing *IS* negatively impacting the majority, we will ask you to refrain or advise you of trying to do it another way. Should one persist we may have to insist.

This is in line with global norms in the service provider industry.

MWB.

[lord_spaceman]

How many concurrent sessions are allowed?

[NomNom]

How many concurrent sessions are allowed?

1

[murraybiscuit]

can i access my uncapped account through an alwayson hotspot?

[jvk]

which is the cheapest call line option to take from telkom if i want this offer, i don't have a fixed line as yet :(

anyone ?

[SirFooK'nG]

So downloading from share file sites such as Hotfile, Rapidshare and MegaUpload will that be shaped or normal HTTP?? Basically I can use about 70gig a month on that alone... (on a 512 line)

[herbertk]

anyone ?

Closer 1 is 148 I think....

[Giantslayer]

At what speed will torrents be throttled on a 4mb line? 400Kb/s - 300Kb/s - 80Kb/s? Or will it only be throttled during peak hours? Surely there must be a magic number of what constitues abuse? over 100Gb?

[Nortic]

Enough beating around the bush .. what I want to know is ... if I download at full 4Mb line speed FTP + Torrents, every day, after hours (22.00 - 06.00) ... would that be considered abuse?
I doubt whether you would get an outright yes or no to this question from them, but this would definitely not be abuse because internet traffic dips after hours which means you wont affect other users = not abuse. Sending 1000000 spam emails in 10 minutes while only consuming 10mb traffic, that would be abuse. Read it right.

[jvk]

Closer 1 is 148 I think....

thanks!

[xumwun]

Please explain this


5.10 You may not use the ADSL Service for unattended automated operation, unless otherwise agreed. You may stay connected as long as you are actively using that connection. You further agree not to use Internet applications for the purpose of simulating network activity to avoid session inactivity disconnection.

Does this mean no torrents or any other downloads.

[MWEB]

What is the contention ratio?

Hi Renier,

On an ADSL access level MWEB's products conform to the standard 20:1 ratio. Further into the nework it is not possible to provide a singular figure as multiple upstream paths are used.

That said, MWEB continually monitors our network to ensure all paths are operating at an optimal capacity to provide our customers with a performance experience applicable to their product.

MWB.

[phoneJunky]

anyone ?

I think the closer deals are the cheapest - closer 2?

[DarkStreet]

anyone ?

http://www.telkom.co.za/products_services/telkomcloser/plan4.html

[Ryansta]

anyone ?

i just called telkom, Ok the install is R468 for the analogue line and R131 monthly rental, or you can get closer 1 which is free install and free calls during the weekend for R145 a month or closer 2 which is free install and free calls after 7 till ?(maybe 7 not sure forgot) and free calls on weekends for R170 a month.

[Schwartz]

If i download 24/7/30 at 300kbps.... is that considered abuse?

[MWEB]

I'm curious about why the email coming from Mweb, for the free 512K uncapped in April, comes from this address?

MWEB Connect <freethewebsa@gmail.com>

Seems a bit unusual, I would think Mweb should use a @Mweb address?Hi Azgard,

Free the Web was MWEB's teaser campaign to generate excitment before the launch, dont worry its legit.

MWB.

[scot.cowley]

Just thought I would thank you guys for handling this the correct way.

Launch a product and then have a official Q & A with quick and detailed responses.

To tell you the truth, this is the last company I thought would do this... Nice going Mweb.

[Azgard]

Hi Azgard,

Free the Web was MWEB's teaser campaign to generate excitment before the launch, dont worry its legit.

MWB.

Thanks for the clarification. I assumed as much :)

[Azgard]

If i download 24/7/30 at 300kbps.... is that considered abuse?

I think so..

[mikef]

Hi rorz0r,

The MWEB Uncapped ADSL products are rate limited to their specific speed. Thus if one uses a 512Kbps product on a 4096Kbps ADSL line, one will only get a maximum throughput of 512Kbps DL / 256 UL.

In the same way the 4096 products will continue to operate at 4096Kbps even if an ADSL line is upgraded to 8192Kbps or more (actually you will get a little more since the overheads on ADSL will only allow you ~3500Kbps on a 4096Kbps line).

MWB.

Is my understanding of this correct namely that you can subscribe to the 512Kbps product at R299 even if you have a 4096Kbps ADSL line from Telkom?

[Bizkit87]

If i download 24/7/30 at 300kbps.... is that considered abuse?

i've got a strange feeling MWEB will not give us a direct answer to this question...

its easy:

1. is it abuse as per the user stated above
2. Am i still ok if i download full speeds through the night, and end up with 400-500gb a month?
3. What if i only use 20GB one month, but 700GB the next?

when and what is abuse

realistically, everyone is going to rape their line, for maybe the 1st 3 months, but after that... things should calm down?

[Kora]

@MWEB

You really seem to be avoiding this question but here goes..

Alot of people want a solid number for what abuse is. Is it 100gigs, 200gigs, 300gigs, or is it something else.

I was very keen on this account but due to the spins and the half speech im getting worried.. I dont want a Uncapped that isnt really uncapped..

Plus i would like to know how will mweb be monitoring my account usage, will it be in the form of traffic or will you peer into the information to see whats being transfered

[MWEB]

Hi Pooky,

Is it possible to sign up now, and how is payment made?Officially the new MWEB Uncapped products are avaliable from Tue 23rd from our call centre or online.

MWB.

[rorz0r]

So when will the price be dropping? R899 for 4mb uncapped is still a lot by world standard. 8mb for R350 is decent but still nothing to shout about in intl terms.

[phoneJunky]

Yes, I think your understanding is just fine mikef

[hambone]

Is my understanding of this correct namely that you can subscribe to the 512Kbps product at R299 even if you have a 4096Kbps ADSL line from Telkom?

As one of the lucky 1000, my e-mail said if I had a 4Mbps line I could upgrade their 512 service for 299. Perhaps that only applies to the lucky?

[herbertk]

i just called telkom, Ok the install is R468 for the analogue line and R131 monthly rental, or you can get closer 1 which is free install and free calls during the weekend for R145 a month or closer 2 which is free install and free calls after 7 till ?(maybe 7 not sure forgot) and free calls on weekends for R170 a month.

If you get a closer package there is not instelation costs, then when the line is in get self install dsl also no instelation costs

[MWEB]

So the shaping rules change between during the day and after hours?Hi Fudzy,

No shaping rules do not change, however the traffic load genrated by the priority protocols on the network will change during different times of the day. Non-priorty protocols (such as P2P) will perform much better during off peak times when the network has excess capacity.

MWB.

[phoneJunky]

They can't state what abuse is. All they can say is that you shouldn't do something that would negatively effect others. Their ratio is 20:1 and if everyone download at 24/7 it will be seen as abuse, but if the internet usage of the average user isn't more periodical then they will probably be more lenient. The only problem is that normal South Africans don't know this speed and will probably abuse it at the start and as people get used to it, the abuse will die down.

[mikef]

As one of the lucky 1000, my e-mail said if I had a 4Mbps line I could upgrade their 512 service for 299. Perhaps that only applies to the lucky?

AFAIK the lucky 1000 purely get a R299 discount on the first months subscription - i.e. you would pay R300 for the first month not the normal R599 - thereafter the normal R599 applies.

[Bandwidth]

How about Skype? Is Skype considered P2P? (It technically is P2P). Or do you give it the highest priority? I am in the process of canceling with SAINET, Skype calls sound terrible over their uncapped account but it sounds great on Afrihost.

[Bizkit87]

@MWEB

You really seem to be avoiding this question but here goes..

Alot of people want a solid number for what abuse is. Is it 100gigs, 200gigs, 300gigs, or is it something else.

I was very keen on this account but due to the spins and the half speech im getting worried.. I dont want a Uncapped that isnt really uncapped..

Plus i would like to know how will mweb be monitoring my account usage, will it be in the form of traffic or will you peer into the information to see whats being transfered


i've got a strange feeling MWEB will not give us a direct answer to this question...

its easy:

1. is it abuse as per the user stated above
2. Am i still ok if i download full speeds through the night, and end up with 400-500gb a month?
3. What if i only use 20GB one month, but 700GB the next?

when and what is abuse

realistically, everyone is going to rape their line, for maybe the 1st 3 months, but after that... things should calm down?


If i download 24/7/30 at 300kbps.... is that considered abuse?


Please explain this



Does this mean no torrents or any other downloads.

MWEB, why aren't you answering these questions?

even a "I don't have acurate answers at this time, but ill get back to you by xxxx." would be sufficient,

but don't just plain out ignore/avoid these questions.

[Zyzzyva]

So when will the price be dropping? R899 for 4mb uncapped is still a lot by world standard. 8mb for R350 is decent but still nothing to shout about in intl terms.

The price was around R3000.

R3000 down to R899 is a huge drop. I'm sure it will drop further in 2 years, but for now i think we should be happy.

[Mr_Mag]

I signed up and online immediately so much for 24th March Billing is pro-rata this Month and then 1st of April normal payment. Service both friendly and prompt. Line speed downloading from RS at 40+ kb/s

[Fantastic1]

NICE Acceptable USE Policy Wording for their ADSL Service - Extremely Important (Extracted from their Website)

5.4 Unless you are subscribed to a business package, you may not use the ADSL Services for anything other than your own personal use. The ADSL Service is intended for periodic, active use of email, newsgroups, file transfers, internet chat, games and browsing the World Wide Web.

5.5 Unless you subscribe to a business packages and you are permitted in terms of such business package, you may not resell the ADSL Services, receive any charge or benefit for the use of the ADSL Services or provide Internet access or any other feature of the ADSL Services to any third party or in any other way exploit the ADSL Service for any commercial purposes. For example, you cannot provide Internet access to others through a dial up, ADSL or other connection, host shell accounts over the Internet, provide e-mail or news services, or send a news feed. The ADSL Services are consumer products designed for personal access to and use of the Internet. For example, the ADSL Services do not provide the type of security, upstream performance and total downstream throughput capability typically associated with commercial use. You may not run a server (including game servers) in connection with the ADSL Services. You may not provide network services to others via the ADSL Services.


5.5 Unless you subscribe to a business packages and you are permitted in terms of such business package, you may not resell the ADSL Services, receive any charge or benefit for the use of the ADSL Services or provide Internet access or any other feature of the ADSL Services to any third party or in any other way exploit the ADSL Service for any commercial purposes. For example, you cannot provide Internet access to others through a dial up, ADSL or other connection, host shell accounts over the Internet, provide e-mail or news services, or send a news feed. The ADSL Services are consumer products designed for personal access to and use of the Internet. For example, the ADSL Services do not provide the type of security, upstream performance and total downstream throughput capability typically associated with commercial use. You may not run a server (including game servers) in connection with the ADSL Services. You may not provide network services to others via the ADSL Services. In addition, you are prohibited from running servers for mail, http, ftp, irc and multi-user interactive forums. You may not share your ADSL Services.

5.6 You may not restrict, inhibit or interfere with the ability of any person to access, use or enjoy the Internet or the ADSL Services,


5.6 You may not restrict, inhibit or interfere with the ability of any person to access, use or enjoy the Internet or the ADSL Services, or create an unusually large burden on our network, including, without limitation, continuously uploading or downloading streaming video or audio; continuous FTP uploading or downloading, or otherwise generating levels of traffic sufficient to impede others' ability to send or retrieve information, or to use the ADSL Services in an abusive manner in connection with any unlimited packages, options or promotions.

5.7 We reserve the right to establish policies, rules and limitations, from time to time, concerning the use of the ADSL Service. You must comply with any bandwidth, data storage and other limitations we may impose, in our sole discretion.


5.7 We reserve the right to establish policies, rules and limitations, from time to time, concerning the use of the ADSL Service. You must comply with any bandwidth, data storage and other limitations we may impose, in our sole discretion. Failure to comply with these rules will result in your service being restricted, suspended or terminated, in our sole discretion.

5.8 We will manage bandwidth usage to the best of our ability during peak periods, however, it remains a best effort service.

5.9 We reserve the right to manage our network in order to optimize its efficiency for the benefit of all our subscribers, including, without limitation,


5.8 We will manage bandwidth usage to the best of our ability during peak periods, however, it remains a best effort service.


5.9 We reserve the right to manage our network in order to optimize its efficiency for the benefit of all our subscribers, including, without limitation, by way of the following: rate limiting (speed), rejection or removal of spam or otherwise unsolicited bulk e-mail, anti-virus mechanisms, protocol filtering and imposing restrictions on your use. We may take any other action we deem appropriate in order to help ensure the integrity of the network experience for all subscribers, including limiting your data traffic by controlling your network and/or bandwidth usage.

[Fudzy]

I'm currently downloading about 110-120gb per month on my current 512kbps uncapped, will 8 times this be considered abuse? :D

[bullfrog]

AFAIK the lucky 1000 purely get a R299 discount on the first months subscription - i.e. you would pay R300 for the first month not the normal R599 - thereafter the normal R599 applies.

That's how I also understood it.

Email:

You're one of the lucky 1000 FTW SA fans who've qualified for a month of Uncapped ADSL from MWEB in April. It's valued at R299 for the 512k service, but if you have a 4Mb line, we'll give you the R299 discount! Someone from our team will be contacting you in the next week to give you all the info.

Enjoy your new limitless Internet and thank you, one again, for joining our movement to free the web.

The MWEB Connect Team

[Fantastic1]

I signed up and online immediately so much for 24th March Billing is pro-rata this Month and then 1st of April normal payment. Service both friendly and prompt. Line speed downloading from RS at 40+ kb/s

maybe you the 1st few clients only - like to monitor this in 30 days time :)

[Ryansta]

If you get a closer package there is not instelation costs, then when the line is in get self install dsl also no instelation costs

thats good news i didnt know you could install a dsl line yourself:) awesome:)

[BrokenLink]

MWEB Uncapped
I signed up and online immediately so much for 24th March Billing is pro-rata this Month and then 1st of April normal payment. Service both friendly and prompt. Line speed downloading from RS at 40+ kb/s

Did you sing up via their call center? or how?

[Zyzzyva]

On www.mweb.co.za it says this:



Unlimited sport

Don't get cut off from your sport!

Uncapped ADSL gives you
unlimited access.

Click here


It points to the uncapped page, is there more to this?

[scot.cowley]

MWEB, why aren't you answering these questions?

even a "I don't have acurate answers at this time, but ill get back to you by xxxx." would be sufficient,

but don't just plain out ignore/avoid these questions.They not exactly gonna say 'yes use torrents'. Because then it will seem like they supporting piracy in some way. They will also not give you a specific value that you can download. It all depends on network usage. If there are 100 people then 1000GB per person would be fine. But if it's 1000 people then 100GB might be fine. They can't come out and say a specific value because then thousands of people sign up and that value would drop.

I agree uncapped and abuse shouldn't be used in the same sentence but we just have to deal with it.

[Nefertiti]

budget issues prevent me from getting the uncapped version for now (I am getting 4mb, but purely becuase of the speed I need for doing my online work). I was hoping you would have a decent size cap, are you going to increase it from max 3 gig to something better? Compared to other ISP's buying extra gigs from you are excessive as well. If you can supply uncapped for R540 I am sure you can increase the caps on the other products?

[MWEB]

Enough beating around the bush .. what I want to know is ... if I download at full 4Mb line speed FTP + Torrents, every day, after hours (22.00 - 06.00) ... would that be considered abuse?Hi bmchunu,

Again, I cannot provide a guarenteed no.

Depending on the priority traffic load on the network at the time, the shaping may not allow one to get full line speed, however it is highly probable that there will be excess network capacity to use during the times you mentioned.

Following on, it is also highly probable that high-capacity downloads during these off-peak periods will have no negative impact on the user base (priority traffic) as a whole, so there shouldn't be any issue.

MWB.

[BlackJack1301]

What's the difference between uncapped and uncapped all inclusive? Does the latter include line rental?

I don't mind shaping during office hours, it makes sense, but by how much will it be shaped? Slowed down so much that nothing comes through, or that you still get ok speeds during office hours?

[Optimal01]

So this service is month to month. No chance of doing a good ol once off purchase to try it out instead of having to sign papers etc

[Kora]

@Scot.cowley

I never said anything about Piracy. I could redownload all my game patches and that will hit somewhere in the 200gig mark.. (Yes lots of games so little time) and then ill have abused the uncapped for that month. Its a simple question that could be answered but it wont because it will hurt the fact of this new product

[BrokenLink]

What's the difference between uncapped and uncapped all inclusive? Does the latter include line rental?

I don't mind shaping during office hours, it makes sense, but by how much will it be shaped? Slowed down so much that nothing comes through, or that you still get ok speeds during office hours?

Yes that includes the ADSL line rental, not the analog telephone one though. (Its +-R120 i think)

[Aqua_lung]

This is tempting.. no catches yet?

[rorz0r]

The price was around R3000.

R3000 down to R899 is a huge drop. I'm sure it will drop further in 2 years, but for now i think we should be happy.

That's like saying I was getting raped but at least now they're using really good lube! I think most of the jaws dropping is not SO much the price but the face that it's coming from Mweb. Axxess 4mb uncapped is 999 so about 1500 with line rental. Its slow during the day but at night you can go wild and download 800gb/mo.

[tudorc]

wow. signed up for 4mb uncapped residential @539/month. so far: EXCELLENT!!!! 2.6mb/.27 down/up to/from UK and US!! decent latency (100ms local, 300ms international). prorated the first month. my vpns work fine, apparently not shaped. so far, so amazing. voip works (single channel).
we'll see how this proceeds as the take on more customers but to Mweb: wow, you totally made my month!

[Garyvdh]

Dear Mr. Mweb person.

Several years ago Mweb began to cut off the accounts of some ADSL users who were accused of abusing the service by downloading too much. See here. http://mybroadband.co.za/news/ADSL/7580.html

Can you tell us if that might happen again with this product... and what is the level of usage that will be considered abuse before users are cut off and their accounts suspended?

Or is "uncapped" really uncapped and they can download as much as they want of whatever is freely available on the internet?

Thank you.

[Pr⊕phet]

would be nice to know what region of usage abuse is ear marked at...

...100gig, 200gig, 300gig, 400gig, 500gig ?

for a service like this i would at least use around 100 to 150 p/m at peak otherwise 50-100.

[graytg]

@MWEB I received the email regarding the free April fee from freetheweb, I already signed up for the uncapped service without "using" the discount. When will we be able to use it and will I still be able to get the discount after I already signed up?

Thanks

[jvk]

ok i'm getting this :D can someone please recommend a good router for me (cheap one please)
and were can i get them from (no oline shops please) or should i just get the mweb one for R599 ?

[NomNom]

This is tempting.. no catches yet?

Calm before the storm..

[BrokenLink]

So now would be a good time to invest in companies that sell hard drives in SA? :)

[BrokenLink]

ok i'm getting this can someone please recommend a good router for me (cheap one please)
and were can i get them from (no oline shops please) or should i just get the mweb one for R599 ?

The R599 isnt that bad, you could save a few bucks if u shop around a bit.

[jvk]

So now would be a good time to invest in companies that sell hard drives in SA? :)

fck it i need a to get a bigger hdd :(

[jvk]

The R599 isnt that bad, you could save a few bucks if u shop around a bit.

would any sort of router work ?

[mikef]

AFAIK the lucky 1000 purely get a R299 discount on the first months subscription - i.e. you would pay R300 for the first month not the normal R599 - thereafter the normal R599 applies.

OK I see I made a mistake - the R599 for the 4Mbps is actually R539 so you only pay R240 for the first month if you qualify for the lucky discount.

[MWEB]

At what speed will torrents be throttled on a 4mb line? 400Kb/s - 300Kb/s - 80Kb/s? Or will it only be throttled during peak hours? Surely there must be a magic number of what constitues abuse? over 100Gb?Hi Giantslayer,

No there are no emperical limits, but you must expect that the protocol priority shaping will throttle down P2P protocols such as torrents during peak hours, priority protocols always get 'first bite at the cherry'. However during off peak times when a large protion of the user base goes dormant there will be excess capacity for non-priority protocols to perform well.

There is another slant to this. As part of its new network rollout, MWEB has deployed a state-of-art content caching system that can cache many P2P protocols as well as standard web browsing/streaming. With one proviso, encrypted content cannot be cached, so one may achieve better proformance if encyprtion is disabled.

MWB.

[MWEB]

Does this mean no torrents or any other downloads.Hi xumwun,

No, this does not refer to torrents or other downloads.

MWB.

[megas_alexandros]

ok i'm getting this :D can someone please recommend a good router for me (cheap one please)
and were can i get them from (no oline shops please) or should i just get the mweb one for R599 ?

no such this as a cheap router get cisco or go home! + i think you want a modem :-P

[MrWireless]

So where do we sign up? Mweb's website just has a "Call Me" link when applying?

[BrokenLink]

would any sort of router work ?

Yes it should. You could probly get a cheap one for around R300, dont think there is really a difference in performace, it just depends whether u need wifi, and howmany lan ports etc

[Giantslayer]

Please explain in detail on how this content caching system will benefit everybody? This all sounds very tasty right now. How long would it take for me to cancel with telkom and move my line over to you guys?


Hi Giantslayer,

No there are no emperical limits, but you must expect that the protocol priority shaping will throttle down P2P protocols such as torrents during peak hours, priority protocols always get 'first bite at the cherry'. However during off peak times when a large protion of the user base goes dormant there will be excess capacity for non-priority protocols to perform well.

There is another slant to this. As part of its new network rollout, MWEB has deployed a state-of-art content caching system that can cache many P2P protocols as well as standard web browsing/streaming. With one proviso, encrypted content cannot be cached, so one may achieve better proformance if encyprtion is disabled.

MWB.

[MWEB]

Is my understanding of this correct namely that you can subscribe to the 512Kbps product at R299 even if you have a 4096Kbps ADSL line from Telkom?Hi mikef,

Yes no problem, however MWEB rate limits its products to their specific rate irrespective of your ADSL line speed, so please dont expect more throughput than the product you bought i.e. 512Kbps product will run at max 512Kbps dl / 256 ul on a 4Mbps line (all the time).

MWB.

[absk300]

whre can i sign up??

[Pr⊕phet]

MWEB.

bit ot, but please can i have more information on when and how mweb went tier 1.

[SirFooK'nG]

Hi MWEB...

I have a business line rental (512 line) and want to transfer to your "all inclusive home and office" (R899) not the business service. And I want to migrate to the 4mb package. Is it possible?

Also how long will the transfer / upgrade take before I could go live?

[WickedMONK3Y]

Hi MWEB

The site specifically lists "gaming" as one of the things these accounts will be good for. So am I then correct in assuming that gaming ports and protocols to local in intl gaming servers will actually be part of the priority protocols for the service ?
Can we then expect a reasonably good gaming experience for, say, World of Warcraft or AION from the service ?

The "Call Me" option fails when you get to submit as well, so can we assume as well that from next week it will change to a Sign Up button instead ?

[RuneFire]

@ Mweb

pick any the following which would constitute abuse:

a) 50GB
b) 75GB
c) 100GB
d) 125GB
e) 150GB
f) 175GB
g) 200GB
h) higher.


it's a fairly simple question. you avoiding it is simply making ppl doubt your intentions.
personally, i'll just rape the account silly (and i mean in the 400GB range) ... and if you guys whine about it, i'll show you the finger "i didnt know"

[Fishzn]

Hi Mweb

I'm one of the 1000 that has gotten one of the free accounts..when will that be given to me? Does that mean I don't have to sign up normally like everyone else? Or can I sign up now and then just apply the discount to the account I applied for?

And if I want to continue\cancel the service after the free month, must I inform Mweb about it.

[Azgard]

As Mweb have said, they can't give a GB amount for what constitutes abuse..

It all depends on the time, the network status and users, etc..

I'm a fairly heavy downloader and I don't see my downloading habits being a problem with this account, nothing I do is done
all the time. Some months I will download 50GB, other months I can do 500GB if I find something of interest.

As long as I don't get penalized for high usage amounts every once in a while I'm happy :)

[Tharaxis]

Look guys, you're being stupid in wanting absolutes on the amount of GB, because that's not the model that Mweb uses when it comes to their uncapped accounts, you're trying to compare apples and oranges here because you've been brought up on the mindset that everything works on the number of GB's.

They've already answered the question (twice by my account) as to why they cannot give an absolute number like that.

If Mweb has bought lets say 500mbits, and all their users are torrenting 24/7 for the entire month, YET THEIR OVERALL USAGE NEVER EXCEEDS 500MBITS, then Mweb DOES NOT CARE about the usage of those users, because any bandwidth *not* used on those links is wasted money, it only becomes important to them when their users are EXCEEDING 500MBITS and ONLY if that exceeding 500mbits is causing poor performance for those they consider "legitimate" users (ie. browsing, mail, etc.). When that happens they will then start wielding the abuse stick and either rate limit the problem traffic so that they're back within normal levels, upgrade their bandwidth if they feel the increased usage is legit, or start targeting those they've identified as the "high users" ie. those with excessive bandwidth being dedicated to news, p2p, etc.

[Garyvdh]

haha... I'm getting that ignored feeling here! :D

[Reaver.ZA]

I have a 384k line from another ISP and qualified for a month of Uncapped ADSL from MWEB in April :D

Since you only mention the 512k service and above in the email will my line speed be increased to 512k for the month or will it stay 384k?

[d4zza]

wow. signed up for 4mb uncapped residential @539/month. so far: EXCELLENT!!!! 2.6mb/.27 down/up to/from UK and US!! decent latency (100ms local, 300ms international). prorated the first month. my vpns work fine, apparently not shaped. so far, so amazing. voip works (single channel).
we'll see how this proceeds as the take on more customers but to Mweb: wow, you totally made my month!

how much did you may in pro-rata rates?

[Tjoker]

it will stay at 384k

[MWEB]

@MWEB
Alot of people want a solid number for what abuse is. Is it 100gigs, 200gigs, 300gigs, or is it something else.Hi Kora,

As I've indicated in other posts, there are no defined thresholds ... unfortunately this is the nature of the beast (shared broadband service provision).


I was very keen on this account but due to the spins and the half speech im getting worried.. I dont want a Uncapped that isnt really uncapped.. Thing is, we are providing our Uncapped ADSL offerings in a very low risk manner with no lock in ... give it a try, the most its going to cost you is 1 month's fees (assuming it doesnt suit your needs).


Plus i would like to know how will mweb be monitoring my account usage, will it be in the form of traffic or will you peer into the information to see whats being transferedNo MWEB will not be watching usage on specifc user account, but will will be closely monitoring the health of the network/service as a whole.

MWB.

[Xenophon]

Yes that includes the ADSL line rental, not the analog telephone one though. (Its +-R120 i think)

Do you have to pay for the analog telephone if you don't want it?

[Asy1um8]

Doubt you will get a figure that could be used as an indicator of abuse. The amount you download is not the issue, the effect of downloading that amount on other users is where the abuse would come in.
To play the devil's advocate, could it be those querying how much constitutes abuse, are possibly those planning "abuse" (or at least feel their behaviour may be interpreted as such)?

[Aqua_lung]

lol this is hilarious... mweb has for such a long time had a negative image among the mybb community because of expensive bandwidth and that has all been forgiven with this single announcement, great stuff!

I look forward to more!

[Asy1um8]

That's like saying I was getting raped but at least now they're using really good lube!

No it is not. Playing games, browsing the web, downloading whatever is not like rape at all!

[FragMePleaz]

@Mweb
Will traffic to and from you newssurver be shaped say if i have a 4mb adsl line will i get 400kb in peak time from chach items on the newssurver?
Regards
FragMePleaz

[Aqua_lung]

So is signup done over the phone?

[Tharaxis]

lol this is hilarious... mweb has for such a long time had a negative image among the mybb community because of expensive bandwidth and that has all been forgiven with this single announcement, great stuff!

Agreed, it's so stupid. So many people go on hating about XYZ ISP but the second they come out with something good it's like "ALL IS FORGIVEN!", talk about fickle. Personally I think go with the deal that is best for you, but don't go on hating the ISP just because they don't ALWAYS meet your needs.

Time the members of this form forum got off their high horse and got over their sense of entitlement.

[scot.cowley]

@Scot.cowley

I never said anything about Piracy. I could redownload all my game patches and that will hit somewhere in the 200gig mark.. (Yes lots of games so little time) and then ill have abused the uncapped for that month. Its a simple question that could be answered but it wont because it will hurt the fact of this new productYeah it probably should've been answered, and I realise you weren't talking about piracy.

Torrents were mentioned and well I assumed piracy. Not many places have torrents for game patches (why when there are so many free ftp's for them!

Sorry for assuming :D

[FragMePleaz]

@Aqua_lung

Dud signup open the 23d of March

Regards
FragMePleaz

[Renier]

The T&C mentions it's for personal use only, but the http://www.mweb.co.za/adsl/ calls it "Home & Office". Are you allowed to use the cheaper option for an office (just for web-browsing and emailing, not hosting servers etc)?

[Aqua_lung]

@Aqua_lung

Dud signup open the 23d of March

Regards
FragMePleaz

K thanks... now do i cancel the 30GB special from WA and go for this..... I don't want to lose it if this mweb account turns sour. Think I'll wait for a few months.

[MWEB]

What's the difference between uncapped and uncapped all inclusive? Does the latter include line rental?

Hi BlackJack1301,

Yes, All-inclusive includes the ADSL line rental (you still have to pay for the telephone line rental though). MWEB is pushing hard to have this situation changed i.e. ADSL without telephone service.


I don't mind shaping during office hours, it makes sense, but by how much will it be shaped? Slowed down so much that nothing comes through, or that you still get ok speeds during office hours?MWEB's shaping is there to ensure that priority (popular) protocols never degrade to an unusable level at any time.

MWB.

[TheGuy]

Hi Mweb

We recently signed a contract with MWeb on the 4MB Business package. Will we be able to get the lower rate it's running at now?

[cavedog]

@Aqua_lung

Dud signup open the 23d of March

Regards
FragMePleaz

Uhm where did you hear this? I already have a uncapped account. You just call them and it gets activated over the phone.

[Aqua_lung]

Uhm where did you hear this? I already have a uncapped account. You just call them and it gets activated over the phone.

So it's only done over the phone then? do they accept direct deposit?

[cavedog]

So it's only done over the phone then? do they accept direct deposit?

You can sign up via the website but then they will just call you. So its the same thing.

[Vegeta]

Agreed, it's so stupid. So many people go on hating about XYZ ISP but the second they come out with something good it's like "ALL IS FORGIVEN!", talk about fickle. Personally I think go with the deal that is best for you, but don't go on hating the ISP just because they don't ALWAYS meet your needs.

Time the members of this form forum got off their high horse and got over their sense of entitlement.
Dude its all relevant... think about it. Your ex-stripper, train-wrecked fat girlfriend who doesn't ALWAYS want to put out when you need it most wakes up one morning hotter than Adriana Lima sweet as hell, intellegent and ALWAYS eager as a beaver for you!! Wouldn't all be forgiven in a heart beat??

Use your brain for one second dude seriously :p that sheat is possible!! With Mweb offering this i guess anything is possible, pigs are surely flying outside my window!

[lucifir]

ok ... 1 really important question in terms of the 'abuse' policy ... I would like to use the news server, which I think mweb has.
If I take one of these accounts and use the news server 24/7, will that be considered abuse??
basically how close are u gonna be monitoring these accounts??

[Tharaxis]

Rotfl, well when you put it that way. ;)

[Light]

I don't quite understand why shaping is required (or even ethical) on an account with a stated contention ratio.

Surely if I have a 4mbps account and the contention ratio is 1:20, I am entitled to a minimum of ~200kbps (assuming 19 other users) and a maximum of 4mbps (assuming I'm the only user).

200kbps might not be fast, but I wouldn't called it unusable for most protocols.

Now consider that with shaping, if I happen to be using protocols other than those deemed important, I may not even get my 200kbps minimum because it may be allocated to someone else.

So, ignoring any upstream considerations, how is it possible to give a user the promised contention ratio and also have shaping applied?

[Pilgrim]

Hi Fudzy,

No shaping rules do not change, however the traffic load genrated by the priority protocols on the network will change during different times of the day. Non-priorty protocols (such as P2P) will perform much better during off peak times when the network has excess capacity.

MWB.


From: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/adsl/11819.html


Jansen however points out that the service will be completely unshaped during off-peak hours, and that the offering will be totally uncapped.

Hi MWEB, can you please confirm if shaping does indeed stay on all the time as per your quote, or if it is "completely unshaped during off-peak hours" as per your CEO?

[Tharaxis]

Hm, does seem to be a bit of a dissonance there, but CEO's aren't always quite that understanding of the technicalities and tend to oversimplify. Perhaps he was told something along the lines of "shaping won't have any effect during off-peak hours due to the amount of bandwidth that will be available" (remember, shaping only kicks in once the network starts being over-utilized), and he took it to mean "there is no shaping during off-peak hours".

Would be nice to gain some clarification though.

[TheGuy]

I don't quite understand why shaping is required (or even ethical) on an account with a stated contention ratio.

Surely if I have a 4mbps account and the contention ratio is 1:20, I am entitled to a minimum of ~200kbps (assuming 19 other users) and a maximum of 4mbps (assuming I'm the only user).

200kbps might not be fast, but I wouldn't called it unusable for most protocols.



Now consider that with shaping, if I happen to be using protocols other than those deemed important, I may not even get my 200kbps minimum because it may be allocated to someone else.

So, ignoring any upstream considerations, how is it possible to give a user the promised contention ratio and also have shaping applied?

Prioritizing is a good thing if they didn't do that, browsing which is your most interactive form of internet (apart from gaming) would really suck.

[The Philosopher]

i just want to know what a news server is?

[TheGuy]

From: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/adsl/11819.html



Hi MWEB, can you please confirm if shaping does indeed stay on all the time as per your quote, or if it is "completely unshaped during off-peak hours" as per your CEO?

At night when the network is quiet you won't notice the shaping.

[jvk]

noob Q: whats the average download speed on a 384kb line and the same for 512kb

i want to know how much can i download a month from a 384kb line ?

[davemc]

I don't quite understand why shaping is required (or even ethical) on an account with a stated contention ratio.

Surely if I have a 4mbps account and the contention ratio is 1:20, I am entitled to a minimum of ~200kbps (assuming 19 other users) and a maximum of 4mbps (assuming I'm the only user).

200kbps might not be fast, but I wouldn't called it unusable for most protocols.

Now consider that with shaping, if I happen to be using protocols other than those deemed important, I may not even get my 200kbps minimum because it may be allocated to someone else.

So, ignoring any upstream considerations, how is it possible to give a user the promised contention ratio and also have shaping applied?Excellent question.

On my part, I would love to know why on earth HTTP is close to first in the queue where the ONLY flipping protocol that does NOT require the fastest response is HTTP.
Absurdity, all in the name of making the product look good the the manager, who browses.

Luckily, managers are starting to do more things than browse on the internet nowadays.

[MWEB]

Dear Mr. Mweb person.

Several years ago Mweb began to cut off the accounts of some ADSL users who were accused of abusing the service by downloading too much. See here. http://mybroadband.co.za/news/ADSL/7580.htmlHi Garyvdh,

This time around the situation is very different. If you remember at the time of our local uncapped offering MWEB was still a wholesale reseller of Telkom ADSL, and such every extra GB used had a direct cost to us. This situation eventually made it financially unfeasible for us to sustain.

Now that we operate our own network the cost dynamics are very different, and I assure you we have done our homework this time around. That said, usage that is either illegal or has a negative impact on the performance of the entire service/user-base will be addressed.

This is no different from any other provider of uncapped broadband services locally or overseas.

MWB.

[d4zza]

noob Q: whats the average download speed on a 384kb line and the same for 512kb

i want to know how much can i download a month from a 384kb line ?

roughly, 10%
so 384, will get around 32 -34 kb/s
512 around 50kb/s

[Pilgrim]

Hm, does seem to be a bit of a dissonance there, but CEO's aren't always quite that understanding of the technicalities and tend to oversimplify. Perhaps he was told something along the lines of "shaping won't have any effect during off-peak hours due to the amount of bandwidth that will be available" (remember, shaping only kicks in once the network starts being over-utilized), and he took it to mean "there is no shaping during off-peak hours".

Would be nice to gain some clarification though.

Exactly my point. There is a difference between "it should not apply and it will not apply".

Here is why it is important to me:

If you play an online game, and no shaping is happening and the network is under a bit of pressure (lets say tons of people are watching youtube, facebooking, etc) the average latency will go up a bit across the board. If, however, shaping rules kicks in, your online gaming traffic will be the first to be dropped, so instead of having slightly higher pings, you will have dramatic ping spikes.

So, is it "UNshaped", or is it "shaped,-but-you-will-probably-not-notice-it,-we-hope"

[Tharaxis]

MWEB:

What steps have you taken to ensure this doesn't turn into another Verizon/UUNet uncapped situation whereby it starts off great and as time goes on becomes worse and worse performance-wise (keeping in mind you guys are using more powerful hardware and DPI stuff to help manage your network better than they were). I would hate to sign up today and in 2 months time it's turned into an absolute mess and you guys can't sustain the quality/performance.

[FragMePleaz]

@cavedog

Uhm where did you hear this? I already have a uncapped account. You just call them and it gets activated over the phone.


Uhm where did you hear this? I already have a uncapped account. You just call them and it gets activated over the phone.


Officially the new MWEB Uncapped products are avaliable from Tue 23rd from our call centre or online.

MWB.

Say No More Of this

Regards
FragMePleaz

[Azgard]

From a 384K line you should get max download speed of about 384/8=48K.

You won't get exactly that due to network overheads, so say around 80% of that.

Just divide the line speed by 8, then multiply by 0.8.

[rsd]

Excellent question.

On my part, I would love to know why on earth HTTP is close to first in the queue where the ONLY flipping protocol that does NOT require the fastest response is HTTP.
Absurdity, all in the name of making the product look good the the manager, who browses.

Luckily, managers are starting to do more things than browse on the internet nowadays.

What are you talking about? HTTP does need to be prioritised. When you load a web page your browser is probably sending get requests for 50 individual resources - css stylesheets, javascripts, adverts, images. If HTTP is not prioritised there will be serious latency associated with each of these requests meaning page loads would be insanely slow. Browsing would becoming extremely frustrating.

I don't know how you can assert that HTTP does not need a fast response. I don't want to recreate the dial-up browsing experience on my ADSL line.

[HavocXphere]

Nice. I hope you guys revolutionize the internet market in SA with this.


MWEB has deployed a state-of-art content caching system that can cache many P2P protocols as well as standard web browsing/streaming.
Interesting. Aren't there too many torrents out there to make this work?


K thanks... now do i cancel the 30GB special from WA and go for this..... I don't want to lose it if this mweb account turns sour. Think I'll wait for a few months.
I'm also sticking with the 30gb WA. On a 384 line that is plenty. So next announcement of significance is Telkom pushing up line speeds.


Surely if I have a 4mbps account and the contention ratio is 1:20, I am entitled to a minimum of ~200kbps
The stated contention ratio is at ADSL level. I believe thats what Telkom said & since this is running on Telkom infrastructure mweb can claim this too. Uplink contention ratio is unknown so any calculation based on the 20:1 is pretty useless.

[Tharaxis]

Keeping in mind that prioritization is not only to do with latency, but also with overall % of the bandwidth pool allocated to it, so if they allocate 50% to HTTP (as a baseline) on a 100mbit line, it means that HTTP traffic will always be 50mbits minimum until all the "lower priorty" stuff has been reduced to nonexistant, at which point the HTTP traffic will start dropping too.

It doesn't mean that it makes HTTP the fastest protocol or the one with the lowest latency, it means that HTTP is the LAST one to get penalized by an oversaturated network.

[rave]

On a 4meg line, what is the max attainable upload speed through MWEB?
Is it just line dependent or is it limited by MWEB to "x"Kbps?

[rsd]

Keeping in mind that prioritization is not only to do with latency, but also with overall % of the bandwidth pool allocated to it, so if they allocate 50% to HTTP (as a baseline) on a 100mbit line, it means that HTTP traffic will always be 50mbits minimum until all the "lower priorty" stuff has been reduced to nonexistant, at which point the HTTP traffic will start dropping too.

It doesn't mean that it makes HTTP the fastest protocol or the one with the lowest latency, it means that HTTP is the LAST one to get penalized by an oversaturated network.

Fair enough, but that in turn implies it will be the last one to suffer from latency as a result of an oversaturated network. I get the distinction, but the bottom line is you don't want browsing to suck. Arguing that HTTP is unimportant seems a little crazy.

[Tharaxis]

It wasn't as much a response to your post as it was a supplementary to your response to davemc.

[Pr⊕phet]

MWEB.

bit ot, but please can i have more information on when and how mweb went tier 1.

[phoneJunky]

Viparo 3/18/2010 1:15:04 PM
Just got off the phone with Mweb. Fair use policy is more than 100Gb per month. No 10/20Gb per 10 day window period either. Torrents and p2p NOT BLOCKED, but is subject to network throttling should the network become congested. All in all, a great deal, and no catch.


This is a comment from news24

[rsd]

Viparo 3/18/2010 1:15:04 PM
Just got off the phone with Mweb. Fair use policy is more than 100Gb per month. No 10/20Gb per 10 day window period either. Torrents and p2p NOT BLOCKED, but is subject to network throttling should the network become congested. All in all, a great deal, and no catch.

There you go - the people who lack the imagination to sign up for the service, use it as they wish and see if they get an abuse notice can move on now and stop asking the same question over and over.

[MWEB]

Please explain in detail on how this content caching system will benefit everybody?

Hi Giantslayer,

Basically, the benefit to you is if content has been previously viewed, there is a good chance it will be avaliable at full speed as there is no restriction to how fast one can pull content from the cache (within the limits of your line speed/product).

MWB.

[Garyvdh]

Hi Garyvdh,

This time around the situation is very different. If you remember at the time of our local uncapped offering MWEB was still a wholesale reseller of Telkom ADSL, and such every extra GB used had a direct cost to us. This situation eventually made it financially unfeasible for us to sustain.

Now that we operate our own network the cost dynamics are very different, and I assure you we have done our homework this time around. That said, usage that is either illegal or has a negative impact on the performance of the entire service/user-base will be addressed.

This is no different from any other provider of uncapped broadband services locally or overseas.

MWB.

Great! Thanks! That sounds good. Esp. to hear you guys say you have done your homework this time around. :)

[trancehead]

Basically, the benefit to you is if content has been previously viewed, there is a good chance it will be avaliable at full speed as there is no restriction to how fast one can pull content from the cache (within the limits of your line speed/product).

If the stuff from the cache is coming through at full line speed does that mean local is at full line speed or is it also throttled to the "paid for" speed?

[MWEB]

Hi MWEB...

I have a business line rental (512 line) and want to transfer to your "all inclusive home and office" (R899) not the business service. And I want to migrate to the 4mb package. Is it possible?

Also how long will the transfer / upgrade take before I could go live?Hi IRG,

If you can PM me your particulars (any identifier) I can get one of the Business account managers to contact you to guide you through the process.

MWB.

[phoneJunky]

If the stuff from the cache is coming through at full line speed does that mean local is at full line speed or is it also throttled to the "paid for" speed?

I think if you are on their fibre network in JHB or CT it will probably be full speed, but if you go through others it will not, not even the stuff form the cache can be full speed if they run it over telkom I would think.

[Armgame]

I dont know if this has been asked? Does this slow down your gaming? Like lets say BC2 or css?(btw bc2= Bad Company 2, css= counter strike source) WIll it affect my download speed when downloading something from a site or a ftp?
And MWEB, will your capped prices drop? And will you keep your bigger packages?

[Armgame]

Oh ya, and steam, will you also make its ports slower? Cause steam has an ingame store where you can buy a game and download it, sometimes up to the size of over 15 GIG. How much people can connect at the same time?

[PsyWulf]

Couldn't find this specifically stated black and white

Will the Business 4mbps solution require the Cisco router ( free on 12month contract ) or will any consumer hardware do. We're using a custom Load Balancer/Redundancy system and would hate to have anothe box to stick into the rack :)

[MWEB]

@Mweb
Will traffic to and from you newssurver be shaped say if i have a 4mb adsl line will i get 400kb in peak time from chach items on the newssurver?
Regards
FragMePleazHi FragMePleaz,

Yes, no speed restriction to MWEB's news servers, but it also depends on their load ... the server cluster is big, but does not have infinate performance.

MWB.

[janee]

I'd love to see some independent download stats when this is up and running after the first month

[mcclod]

How will MWEB's uncapped service compare to the poor performance experienced from other uncapped players in the market. What have you done that will set you apart?

[MWEB]

Hi Mweb

We recently signed a contract with MWeb on the 4MB Business package. Will we be able to get the lower rate it's running at now?Hi TheGuy,

Yes, you will be migrated to the new Business 4Mbps Unshaped package at the new price R1999 p/m.

While I'm at it, let me re-itterate the benefits of the Business packages over the consumer ones (i.e. why you're paying more) ...


It is a fully managed service – if something goes wrong, MWEB’s support engineers will remotely log on to fix a router or send an engineer on-site at no additional charge, and also liaise with Telkom on your behalf.
The business product is unshaped.
The contention ratio on our business product is lower than our consumer product.
MWEB includes use of a business-grade Cisco router worth R3 999 in the contract, the cost of which has to be recouped.
The product comes with 5 fixed IP addresses, which offer business benefits such as the capability to host and deploy a VPN connection.
MWEB runs a dedicated business call centre staffed by consultants with an understanding of our business environment
The product comes with reports including line utilisation graphing, with proactive line failure customer notification (email & SMS).


MWB.

[Inevitable]

Wonder how many people they have signed up already?

[j@w]

So easy to spot dumb people.

You all go ranting about "ABUSE".... just so that you can bitch & moan at the end of the day.

M-Web already gave an answer to abuse by saying the contention ratio is 20:1 , aka take a 512 kb/s package.. 20 people on a ratio of 1 package. There is no way that you can really ABUSE it.

LOGIC LOGIC LOGIC

[SirFooK'nG]

I want 2 X 4mb lines... but it takes up to 21 days to transfer...

[phoneJunky]

Well, we know it is more than a thousand as that people said that they didn't make it into the first 1000 anymore. But I think this will become allot more if people give positive feedback

[Schwartz]

@MWEB:
In the other thread people are reporting that sales people are confirming that if you use more than 20GB in the first 10 days you get half your speed... is this true?

[xrapidx]

Can I suggest that the first post is updated with questions & answers? Instead of having to trawl the thread for questions that might have been asked?

[j@w]

@ M-web

How much per month per block/single static ip?
Why can't I use my own JUNIPER / CISCO / MIKROTIK Router?
How much is router rental per month ? and for which model? "business-grade" doesn't say much. because CISCO = business grade.
Whats the contention ratio on business packages ?
Uptime Guarantees or SLA available?

[Smooth Criminal]

@MWEB:
In the other thread people are reporting that sales people are confirming that if you use more than 20GB in the first 10 days you get half your speed... is this true?
MWEB can you please provide more information on being throttled. There does not appear to be any mention of a throttle in any of the articles.

[MWEB]

Hi MWEB, can you please confirm if shaping does indeed stay on all the time as per your quote, or if it is "completely unshaped during off-peak hours" as per your CEO?Hi Pilgrim,

Essentially were saying the same thing.

Technically the shaping rules are active at all times, but due to the reduced demand for priority protocols in off-peak hours, all excess capacity will be made avaliable to non-priority protocols and the service will behave in a completely unshaped manner. In other words the rules are always active but only effective when demand exceeds supply (for priority bandwidth).

MWB.

[DarkStreet]

Can I suggest that the first post is updated with questions & answers? Instead of having to trawl the thread for questions that might have been asked?

Ideally an FAQ should have been in affect before the breaking of this story. The same can be said for ODM. Instead, we have to trawl pages upon pages of posts to find what we are looking for.

[xrapidx]

Ideally an FAQ should have been in affect before the breaking of this story. The same can be said for ODM. Instead, we have to trawl pages upon pages of posts to find what we are looking for.

Maybe they weren't expecting this sort of response - after all - its only bandwidth ;)

[Aqua_lung]

MWEB can you please provide more information on being throttled. There does not appear to be any mention of a throttle in any of the articles.

I agree the thread OP should have a list of FAQs

[DarkStreet]

Maybe they weren't expecting this sort of response - after all - its only bandwidth ;)

For South Africa... it's pretty huge!

[MWEB]

Hi MWEB

The site specifically lists "gaming" as one of the things these accounts will be good for. So am I then correct in assuming that gaming ports and protocols to local in intl gaming servers will actually be part of the priority protocols for the service ?Hi WickedMONK3Y,

Yes we believe our Uncapped ADSL offerings are well suited to gaming by virtue of the design & capacity of our new network, but gaming protocols are not specifcally prioritised. Outside of business hours we do not forsee a problem, but if you wish absolute all-hrs guarantees for low latency, we will shortly be releasing some new consumer unshaped offerings.


Can we then expect a reasonably good gaming experience for, say, World of Warcraft or AION from the service ?As they say 'your milage may vary'. MWEB can only control its own network, however we do endevour to ensure to our upstream interconnects are of the lowest latency possible.


The "Call Me" option fails when you get to submit as well, so can we assume as well that from next week it will change to a Sign Up button instead ?Will have to check on that, but yes the new products are avaliable from Tue 23rd.

MWB.

[Pilgrim]

Hi Pilgrim,

Essentially were saying the same thing.

Technically the shaping rules are active at all times, but due to the reduced demand for priority protocols in off-peak hours, all excess capacity will be made avaliable to non-priority protocols and the service will behave in a completely unshaped manner. In other words the rules are always active but only effective when demand exceeds supply (for priority bandwidth).

MWB.

Thanks for the reply, but please see my other post as to why this is important to me:


Exactly my point. There is a difference between "it should not apply and it will not apply".

Here is why it is important to me:

If you play an online game, and no shaping is happening and the network is under a bit of pressure (lets say tons of people are watching youtube, facebooking, etc) the average latency will go up a bit across the board. If, however, shaping rules kicks in, your online gaming traffic will be the first to be dropped, so instead of having slightly higher pings, you will have dramatic ping spikes.

So, is it "UNshaped", or is it "shaped,-but-you-will-probably-not-notice-it,-we-hope"

There is a reason gamers want unshaped accounts. No matter how busy the network gets, they will have the same priority as everyone else. I fully understand what you mean when you say that after hours the shaped account "should" be exactly the same as an unshaped account, but the truth is that it will not be. If there is a bit too much load after hours, you will still shape gaming traffic. That means that gamers will more regularly feel the effects of strain on your network.

It is easy to say that this will not be the case, but how sure are you that your network will be so idle after hours (and weekends) that shaping will never happen, and as such, all traffic will seem unshaped?

I am very excited about this product, and I am not trying to bash you, but please be very, very careful when your CEO claims unshaped while in reality it is shaped. ;)

Up till now if you wanted the best of both worlds, unshaped for gaming and cheap for downloading/browsing, you had to buy two accounts and switch between them. The idea of having an uncapped account that is also unshaped after hours is very, very appealing.

[IdlePhaedrus]

Hi MWEB,

On the face of it you have done an extraordinary thing, may you reap the benefits of the whirlwind whatever those may be. I would like to ask some specific questions.

I am a freelance developer, I run a web service for clients to test new releases of web-based software, a mail server for my own personal web-site (which I also host) and an FTP server for the few clients that I have to update files on the test environments. I do not run any gaming related sites or bulletin boards or any sorts of software that might generate a lot of traffic, however, your terms and conditions expressly forbid the use of server software and un-attended use for the "consumer" account, and your "business" account is simply out of reach financially, I am just a small operator.

My questions are, given the environment explained, and using a "consumer" account rather than a "business" account:

Are any incoming ports completely blocked, i.e. will my mail, ftp and web server stop working if I switch to your "consumer" account from my SAIX account?

Will the the use of server software be allowed if the usage is low and does not contravene your "abuse" TOS terms or cause hassles on your network?

I thought that disconnecting an ADSL account was against the law as per the terms of the most recent Telecommunications act (not that that document is of much consequence). A 24/7/31 connection should be exactly that; if you disconnect a user and re-assign IP addresses just because of inactivity, surely that contravenes that act?

Kind Regards
Phaedrus

[Aqua_lung]

This is a good move, but telkom's prices for ADSL and line rental is still ripoff, R550 for only 4mbs? 1st world prices for 3rd world service. 384 is a joke today and not classed as broadband anymore.

[JvanD]

Here is my question on the 4096 uncapped offering will your downloads only kick in full speed @ nite and finish the next morning or is this true uncapped for the advertised amount?

[MWEB]

MWEB:

What steps have you taken to ensure this doesn't turn into another Verizon/UUNet uncapped situation whereby it starts off great and as time goes on becomes worse and worse performance-wise (keeping in mind you guys are using more powerful hardware and DPI stuff to help manage your network better than they were). I would hate to sign up today and in 2 months time it's turned into an absolute mess and you guys can't sustain the quality/performance.Hi Tharaxis,

Well were staking the reputation of our company/brand on it. Unlike our previous local uncapped offering, which was clearly positioned as a trial, this is the real deal.

MWB.

[craig1196]

MWEB : Sorry if you answered this question already, but what are you guys deeming fair usage and where is the limit before speed cut etc? and also is it the same as AXXESS with 1 concurrent connection?

[Roamer]

Hi there,

All ready to sign up ... but the question on the previous page. Some users have been reporting your support staff saying that if they exceed 20GB in the 1st two weeks they will be throttled.
I understand your contention ratio, but 20GB is a very fixed, and not very uncapped number being thrown around.
If this is true can you state out the policy here.

I upload content and could use 20GB in the 1st two weeks, and then 5GB for the rest of the month, depending on my work load.

[MWEB]

Will the Business 4mbps solution require the Cisco router ( free on 12month contract )Hi PsyWulf,

Yes the MWEB Business Uncapped products do require (and are bundled with) a Cisco router. Some of the reasons include;


Provide the ability to have static IPs (5)
Greater robustness in harsh environments
Allow for the various failover options
Better remote supportibility
Enables throughput graphing


Should not be too difficult to load-balancing traffic between the Ethernet interaces of 2 or more of the bundled Cisco routers. Alternatively if you contact MWEB Business we can provide you with a proper ADSL bonded solution using a single router.

MWB.

[Madman88]

Hi Mweb

Please can you answer a few questions...


Q: What constitutes abuse, according to MWEB?

Where the activities of any one user have a detrimental impact on the user-base as a whole.

1.
This is a very vague answer. Please can you define the activities you deem to be detrimental.
IMO an uncapped account would not be attractive to anyone but so called "heavy" users.

2.

Is there a contract period for this service?

3.

Please can you clarify all the questions around whether or not the service will be throttled after a certain amount of usage.

Thanks

Madman88

[MWEB]

How will MWEB's uncapped service compare to the poor performance experienced from other uncapped players in the market. What have you done that will set you apart?Hi mcclod,

All I can say we've done it properly ... best-of-breed equipment & systems, best-practice design principals & thorough capacity planning.

MWB.

[Light]

From the replies I've read in this thread on the topic of "abuse", it seems that whether specific use is "abuse" or not is based on the current state of the MWEB network.

How is a user supposed to know what the state of the network is?

Does MWEB make available live statistics regarding the current state of their network to enable a user to ascertain whether an action taken by them would be seen as "abuse"?

[techead]

Sorry if this has been asked already, but is this FIBRE or SATELLITE ? many thanks mweb

[Garyvdh]

Sorry if this has been asked already, but is this FIBRE or SATELLITE ? many thanks mweb

Fibre.

[purejimcn]

I somehow have a feeling that Afrihost wont be capable of competing with this and still survive... would love to be proven wrong though... @MWEB if all feedback is positive then i think i will switch, as long as your definition of abuse is not something like 50gigs...

[Ilitirit]

I find the incessant "abuse" questions rather stupid and annoying given the original statement.

All you need to know is that if the total network usage increases beyond a certain threshold at any given moment (eg. a critical link goes down and total available bandwidth is significantly decreased), then Mweb might consider cutting off connectivity to people who breach the guidelines specified in the TOS. It's that simple. People asking for exact figures are being stupid. The only way you can get anything close to a definite answer is if they said something like "If at any moment the total available bandwidth drops to below X%, we will consider cutting off connectivity to people who have used over Y gigs in a period of Z days". And even that won't be useful to anyone because X can fluctuate for any reason, and MWEB certainly isn't likely to reveal their infrastructure to the public.

Just understand that the more bandwidth you use, the more likely you are to be cut-off in the event that network resource become scarce. It's that simple.

[IdlePhaedrus]

+1

[Vegeta]

I find the incessant "abuse" questions rather stupid and annoying given the original statement.

Yes FARK people *** **** dammit... stop die nagging jirre man. The product hasn't even launched yet. Mweb is 'n moerse player man hulle weet waarvoor hulle hulself in laat.

[herbertk]

come on okes abuse does not equal x megs.....

If you are running a download service from you pc at home and people are pulling files from you 24/7 mabey someone will complain... its not a threshold but a way of doing things.....

[Gatecrasher]

The terms and conditions are no more onerous than any other ISP (ie Axxess Express). But these are legacy T&Cs from previous products. They have already said they will look to update them to bring it more in line with their new uncapped offering.

[Franna]

Dear MWeb,

1) Will the client have full admin access to the router supplied in the Uncapped Business deal?

2) Why the need for shaping on the capped accounts. The account is already restricted by bandwidth allowance, so why the need to restrict how the client uses his bandwidth? Think about it - it just does not make sense!

3) Are any bigger packages going to be available (eg 5GB, 10GB) for the capped accounts?

[gdiza]

If I take the account out on the 24th/25th (after cancelling my TelkomSA 5GB package) and start using it, how will I be billed?
I'll be going month to month (residential)

[Helghast]

Ok difference between: MWEB connect, All Inclusive and All-inclusive??

[Gatecrasher]

If I move my 4mb line rental from Telkom to Mweb, how long does it take? Will the all-in-one account be up and running by the start of April?

[hambone]

If I move my 4mb line rental from Telkom to Mweb, how long does it take? Will the all-in-one account be up and running by the start of April?

Mweb dude says up to 21 days for transfer (pending your Closer option getting decoupled from the ADSL portion, which you have to do yourself).

[Gatecrasher]

Mweb dude says up to 21 days for transfer (pending your Closer option getting decoupled from the ADSL portion, which you have to do yourself).

Thanks. So what should one do? Apply for the R539 option to start on April 1, but then upgrade it to the R899 option with effect from the date of transfer? Seems a bit cumbersome.

[Helghast]

Where can I read this TOS?

[Aqua_lung]

Mweb accepts debit order right? how quick was signup and what was needed from you? those who signed up?

[craig1196]

Aqua guys are saying 5minutes and you online

[Smooth Criminal]

Is that 5 minutes if you order via credit card or debit order?

[OtakuD]

The first post of this thread should really be updated with a list of all the Qs and As so its not asked multiple times... In the Ts & Cs I read a lot about "Base Cap" - "3.4.2 Where you reach or exceed your Base Cap, you will only be able to use the ADSL Service to access Local-only Data up to your Free Local-only Access limit." what exactly is this? With Axxess I pull 750gigs+ pm does this exceed the "Base Cap" and if so, how much can I get per month without doing so?

[hambone]

Thanks. So what should one do? Apply for the R539 option to start on April 1, but then upgrade it to the R899 option with effect from the date of transfer? Seems a bit cumbersome.

Thats exactly what I intend on doing. Cumbersome it may seem but in comparison to my current setup, i'd be getting 4Mbps for roughly R30 more per month as opposed to the current (and essentially useless) 384k.

[Gr1m969]

Hello Ppl just got a call from MWEB Asking me if i what the 4mB Uncapped service see that i am a costumer for the last 2 years .......................... just this morning i find out about it and it is real 4MB uncapped = R539p/m.
So this is real speeds is good will post more info soon.

Gr1m969

[Helghast]

Where can I read the T & C's?

[Armgame]

WHY CANT I USE MY INGAME BROWSER OR CONNECT TO LEGO UNIVERSE SERVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!
EDIT:Nvm, internet explorer was on a proxy. Lego universe i had to update

[craig1196]

Can people connect to steam using these accounts before i decide to go through with it.

[Pooky]

What are the payment options?

[dd1313]

Ok MWEB

Lets do it this way then.Suppose I did 500 GB for the past 3 months while on your uncapped solution.Are you going to take action against me ?

DD

[BrianB]

I'm not sure if it's an Astraweb problem or if MWEB is now heavily shaping news servers but I'm getting 60KB/s max with 20 connections to Astraweb using SSL and port 443, I can get 420KB/s off speedtest.net.

[Fudzy]

Where can I read the T & C's?

http://www.mweb.co.za/legalpolicies/ProductsServices/ADSLTerms2010/tabid/1918/Default.aspx

Don't think they've been updated though.

[Gatecrasher]

I'm not sure if it's an Astraweb problem or if MWEB is now heavily shaping news servers but I'm getting 60KB/s max with 20 connections to Astraweb using SSL and port 443, I can get 420KB/s off speedtest.net.

Have you tried both Astrweb General and Astraweb Euro servers? Have you tried it without SSL?
BTW: You should rather post this in the Feedback thread.

[BrianB]

Have you tried both Astrweb General and Astraweb Euro servers? Have you tried it without SSL?
BTW: You should rather post this in the Feedback thread.
Tried both servers, with and without SSL and with different ports. I was getting 420KB/s this morning.

[Adrenalin]

Good grief

I might not be as 'clever' as some on these pages but R899 for an uncapped 4mb line?!!

WTF, MWEB, i to hope you reap the benefits of your genius work for the South African Market...

You are now leading, and others are going to have to follow if they want their companies to survive, let's face it everyone is going to switch, including me!

I have to email my ISP and ask them if theyae going to counter act this, and if not, well then.... cut and dry hey?Yeah

Noob question : R899 for a 4mb uncapped service, not to worried about throttling because i understand emails and http need to take preference etc. Does the R899 include line rental? What if i don't have a line at all at the moment? Router i can get no worries...

To all the moaners about usage, stay on your ISP then and pay whatever it is you paying. Let MWEB at least shake up the industry for us so that other ISP's follow in their footsteps and eventually try and BEAT them. Wouldn't that be fantastic? 20mbuncapped for R500 sounds good to me :P

[MongooseMan]

Signed up for an account and got given my username (graeme0811@mweb.co.za) and my default password, which I immediately changed on the mweb website. But now if I put those into my router I keep getting an Mweb error page stating that my username or password is incorrect. How can this be if I am able to log onto their website?
Apologies if I'm missing something obvious, does it take some time for my account to become "live"?

Thoughts/suggestions?

[cavedog]

Signed up for an account and got given my username (graeme0811@mweb.co.za) and my default password, which I immediately changed on the mweb website. But now if I put those into my router I keep getting an Mweb error page stating that my username or password is incorrect. How can this be if I am able to log onto their website?
Apologies if I'm missing something obvious, does it take some time for my account to become "live"?

Thoughts/suggestions?

Nope. You should call support. The real username is like m9696lk@dslmweb.co.za

I know you can log in at the website but just call support and ask they should give you the connect username.

[gdiza]

WebAfrica is probably going... "How the frack..."

[MongooseMan]

Nope. You should call support. The real username is like m9696lk@dslmweb.co.za

I know you can log in at the website but just call support and ask they should give you the connect username.

So your username is the same for both the mweb website and the router? Or not?
And same for the password?

Or are they completely different animals?

[Armgame]

So your username is the same for both the mweb website and the router? Or not?
And same for the password?

Or are they completely different animals?

Look mweb work slike this, for dsl accounts for modem its alway ......@dslmweb.co.za .To login we use the .....@mweb.co.za

[cavedog]

So your username is the same for both the mweb website and the router? Or not?
And same for the password?

Or are they completely different animals?

My username on the website is. eugene8@mweb.co.za

But I connect with a username that is m2626pl8@dslmweb.co.za

Password for the site and connection is the same.

So just call support and ask for the username you need to put in your router. tell them that you get the landing page if you connect with the username. They will give the connection username to you. The sales person was supposed to give it to you.

[MongooseMan]

Hi

Thanks guys, sorted it. The problem was that I changed my password online, to a 9 character password. Of course, they only want it to be a maximum of 8 characters, but they don't tell you something's wrong if you don't obey. So I had to use just the first 8 characters of that password and voila, it all works.

Thanks to the tech support guys, they sorted me out quickly.

[sspurious]

If I signup for MWEB uncapped DATA ONLY, does MWEB just give me a login and password that I enter into my router (in other words, not affect my Telkom line)? I am petrified I will switch ISP providers (currently Afrihost.co.za) and have to go 10 rounds with Telkom again.