MyDraadloos
Expert Member
Not sure if this had been sighted before ........
http://www.homecomingrevolution.co.za/index.php?page=2&category_id=93&related_id=1684
Taking on Telkom
Sourced from www.fin24.co.za
Johannesburg - When lecturer Rudolph Muller started chatting to friends about the problems he was having with his newly installed ADSL line he had no idea that the online forum they set up would evolve into South Africa's broadband activism hub.
With his mild manner and friendly nature, Muller doesn't strike you as a standard-bearer for the cause. However, his unmistakable passion for broadband issues shines through as soon as he opens his mouth on the topic.
From being a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, a position he still holds, Muller has become the voice of the broadband user in SA.
Hardly a report appears without some comment from Muller, and while those who have felt the anger of the MyADSL community will whisper criticisms of him, it's almost impossible to find someone willing to publicly question the work he does for no financial gain.
Muller - together with the other passionate "broadbanders" - has nurtured a community of people united by two things: their dislike of the way Telkom does business and their desire for high speed data connections.
Telkom bashing
In a country whose national sport is Telkom bashing, Muller and his followers represent a group of South African telecoms users who aren't sitting back and simply accepting the Telkom company line and those of other broadband providers.
Through online communities such as www.MyADSL.co.za (otherwise known as www.mybroadband.co.za) they're making a stand and trying to change the status quo and remain informed as to the true state of telecoms in SA.
Though Muller may be the country's original broadband activist, he isn't the only one. The newly formed Telecoms Action Group (TAG), headed by Richard Frank, was founded after a report bemoaning the inability of Telkom to transfer a single telephone and ADSL line 800m down the road after three months of waiting garnered messages of support from people in similar positions.
A plan was hatched to place an advert in a newspaper trashing the snail's pace of progress in SA's telecoms sector.
From a single report on a small open source community website (www.tectonic.co.za) TAG was able to raise more than the R50 000 in donations to place an ad within 48 hours, showing how consumers were both unhappy with the level of service from Telkom and their willingness to stand up and be counted.
Not just about Telkom
"This isn't just about Telkom," says Frank. "We're trying to raise awareness concerning the poor state of telecoms in SA as a whole and responsibility for that can be levelled not just at the telecoms operators, but more accurately at the politicians and at telecoms regulator Icasa.
Muller is clearly frustrated with the seeming unwillingness of Telkom to interact with the community in a constructive manner. He says that even after Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane gave assurances that Telkom would assign someone to monitor the forums in a dedicated fashion, that has yet to happen.
On the other hand, cellular operators Vodacom and MTN now have dedicated personnel answering questions and providing information to users concerning the MyADSL forums.
Vodacom COO Pieter Uys says that having a dedicated representative on MyADSL allows the company to become part of the online culture itself rather than just responding to questions posted, call-desk style.
In the broadband fraternity, www.myadsl.co.za has evolved from a simple discussion forum focused on Telkom's ADSL service to a site servicing one of SA's most active online communities.
Telkom much more constructive
Reading the MyADSL forums will provide the clearest view of how deep the anti-Telkom feeling goes in the broadband community. Many regular contributors have signatures at the bottom of their comments, which slate Telkom on a number of issues.
In fact, when Telkom approached MyADSL to advertise on the site, members of the community voted not to accept the ad, says Muller.
However, research house World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says that while the community has a strong bias against Telkom, its public face has adopted a much more constructive attitude, choosing to engage with Telkom on issues.
"It's that constructive engagement that's established the credibility of the forum."
'Customers core' for Telkom
Finweek asked for an interview with Telkom to address issues concerning its dealings with consumer activist organisations and how it feels it has had to adjust its strategy in order to meet the increasing demands of its customers. The following response was received.
"Telkom endeavours to place its customers at the core of its business and therefore strives to take cognisance of consumer sentiment from all quarters.
"While some of the criticism against the company may be unwarranted, Telkom consistently strives to assist customers who have legitimate problems and complaints.
"Apart from complaints, customers have also expressed their satisfaction with assistance rendered by Telkom through consumer forums. Telkom welcomes the opportunity for closer co-operation with all role players that could enhance our service delivery to customers."
http://www.homecomingrevolution.co.za/index.php?page=2&category_id=93&related_id=1684
Taking on Telkom
Sourced from www.fin24.co.za
Johannesburg - When lecturer Rudolph Muller started chatting to friends about the problems he was having with his newly installed ADSL line he had no idea that the online forum they set up would evolve into South Africa's broadband activism hub.
With his mild manner and friendly nature, Muller doesn't strike you as a standard-bearer for the cause. However, his unmistakable passion for broadband issues shines through as soon as he opens his mouth on the topic.
From being a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, a position he still holds, Muller has become the voice of the broadband user in SA.
Hardly a report appears without some comment from Muller, and while those who have felt the anger of the MyADSL community will whisper criticisms of him, it's almost impossible to find someone willing to publicly question the work he does for no financial gain.
Muller - together with the other passionate "broadbanders" - has nurtured a community of people united by two things: their dislike of the way Telkom does business and their desire for high speed data connections.
Telkom bashing
In a country whose national sport is Telkom bashing, Muller and his followers represent a group of South African telecoms users who aren't sitting back and simply accepting the Telkom company line and those of other broadband providers.
Through online communities such as www.MyADSL.co.za (otherwise known as www.mybroadband.co.za) they're making a stand and trying to change the status quo and remain informed as to the true state of telecoms in SA.
Though Muller may be the country's original broadband activist, he isn't the only one. The newly formed Telecoms Action Group (TAG), headed by Richard Frank, was founded after a report bemoaning the inability of Telkom to transfer a single telephone and ADSL line 800m down the road after three months of waiting garnered messages of support from people in similar positions.
A plan was hatched to place an advert in a newspaper trashing the snail's pace of progress in SA's telecoms sector.
From a single report on a small open source community website (www.tectonic.co.za) TAG was able to raise more than the R50 000 in donations to place an ad within 48 hours, showing how consumers were both unhappy with the level of service from Telkom and their willingness to stand up and be counted.
Not just about Telkom
"This isn't just about Telkom," says Frank. "We're trying to raise awareness concerning the poor state of telecoms in SA as a whole and responsibility for that can be levelled not just at the telecoms operators, but more accurately at the politicians and at telecoms regulator Icasa.
Muller is clearly frustrated with the seeming unwillingness of Telkom to interact with the community in a constructive manner. He says that even after Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane gave assurances that Telkom would assign someone to monitor the forums in a dedicated fashion, that has yet to happen.
On the other hand, cellular operators Vodacom and MTN now have dedicated personnel answering questions and providing information to users concerning the MyADSL forums.
Vodacom COO Pieter Uys says that having a dedicated representative on MyADSL allows the company to become part of the online culture itself rather than just responding to questions posted, call-desk style.
In the broadband fraternity, www.myadsl.co.za has evolved from a simple discussion forum focused on Telkom's ADSL service to a site servicing one of SA's most active online communities.
Telkom much more constructive
Reading the MyADSL forums will provide the clearest view of how deep the anti-Telkom feeling goes in the broadband community. Many regular contributors have signatures at the bottom of their comments, which slate Telkom on a number of issues.
In fact, when Telkom approached MyADSL to advertise on the site, members of the community voted not to accept the ad, says Muller.
However, research house World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says that while the community has a strong bias against Telkom, its public face has adopted a much more constructive attitude, choosing to engage with Telkom on issues.
"It's that constructive engagement that's established the credibility of the forum."
'Customers core' for Telkom
Finweek asked for an interview with Telkom to address issues concerning its dealings with consumer activist organisations and how it feels it has had to adjust its strategy in order to meet the increasing demands of its customers. The following response was received.
"Telkom endeavours to place its customers at the core of its business and therefore strives to take cognisance of consumer sentiment from all quarters.
"While some of the criticism against the company may be unwarranted, Telkom consistently strives to assist customers who have legitimate problems and complaints.
"Apart from complaints, customers have also expressed their satisfaction with assistance rendered by Telkom through consumer forums. Telkom welcomes the opportunity for closer co-operation with all role players that could enhance our service delivery to customers."
RPM is well RPM...