100Mbps Cape broadband plans

[Nerfherder]

Ok. A good start, I sincerely hope that they follow this through.

Also please be reasonable and leave kayelitsha last, they should still be fine with telkom's super awesome 4mbit connections until the people who know how to use it has proper broadband.

Why ? The need it the most... Hardly seems fair to trial this in the more affluent areas that already have everything. Also this will help uplift these areas and that is a great thing.

 

[stevenv]

wireless last mile access to provide broadband services to communities.

I see a future where every street will have a line of Wireless-N routers.

 

[zeely]

They have been "trialling" 20mbs for ages and did the same for 10mbs... very few people have it. 4mbs was launched 6 years ago and still isn't the standard, most people can't even sync at 1mbs.

In 8 years time I doubt that Telkom will be anywhere near having 20 mbs as a standard, nevermind being able to offer 50 mbs.

Also 8 years is the full roll out, if you read nicely you will see that they will start relatively soon. This means that there will be people with access to this long before 8 years

no they havent.. they announced the trial around september last year.

There are huge obstacles to getting 100mbs province wide. If it was really that easy, I'm sure the ISP's would have done it ages ago. Secondly, since when is government an expert in broadband deployment?

as the old mybb saying goes IBIWISI....

 

[abandonallhope]

Why ? The need it the most... Hardly seems fair to trial this in the more affluent areas that already have everything. Also this will help uplift these areas and that is a great thing.

Please take a moment and think about this.

...

Rolling out 100mbps internet connections in Kayelitsha, because they need it the most ? They don't even have computers, much less do they actually know what to use the internet for. It definitely sounds quite noble as an idea, but it simply is not in touch with reality. It would be a gigantic waste of resources.

They need to start rolling it out in business districts first, and to residential areas that already max out their available capacity.

 

[Nerfherder]

no they havent.. they announced the trial around september last year.

They haven't what ?

There are huge obstacles to getting 100mbs province wide. If it was really that easy, I'm sure the ISP's would have done it ages ago. Secondly, since when is government an expert in broadband deployment?

as the old mybb saying goes IBIWISI....

Sure... well that is why its going to take 8 years to roll out. The backhaul is there... loads of fibre has been laid, a new international undersea cable is being laid every year, the capacity there, its growing exponentially... the only real barrier to 100mbs is the local loop, and this project is going to bypass it.

The government doesn't need to be experts, they are copying other models, they are just backing it.

 

[Nerfherder]

Please take a moment and think about this.

...

Rolling out 100mbps internet connections in Kayelitsha, because they need it the most ? They don't even have computers, much less do they actually know what to use the internet for. It definitely sounds quite noble as an idea, but it simply is not in touch with reality. It would be a gigantic waste of resources.

They need to start rolling it out in business districts first, and to residential areas that already max out their available capacity.

wow... such arrogance.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

And wireless, I hate wireless...

 

[abandonallhope]

wow... such arrogance.

If I'm arrogant, you're naive.

 

[Nerfherder]

If I'm arrogant, you're naive.

Sorry... have you even been to a township before ?

I have a friend that works for a WISP in the North and they install to clients in Dunoon daily. Dunoon is just a bunch of shacks... but in those shacks are people with DSTV and connections to the internet, people with cellphones and computers.

Kayelitsha is far more developed then Dunoon.

How do we expect these areas to be uplifted if we don't provide services. There are schools, NPO's and startups that WILL use those services.

Yes, sure the CBD and other business areas also need 100mbs, but lets face it... a slow rollout in the beginning is a much better strategy. Unleashing 100mbs on 1000's of rich schoolkids is not exactly a bright idea.

 

[blaaislaai]

Cape Town is so behind. We are getting free internet in Stellenbosch.

Doubt anyone will get near 100mbps in stellenbosch

 

[Bern]

So I guess every Tom, Dick & Harry will be their own ISP soon......

After they pay for their ECNS license... Not a small chunk of change for anyone...

Ok. A good start, I sincerely hope that they follow this through.

Also please be reasonable and leave kayelitsha last, they should still be fine with telkom's super awesome 4mbit connections until the people who know how to use it has proper broadband.

Don't be ridiculous - its the best place to start as there are the most customers who don't have a good alternative in a geographically limited area. The worst thing they could do is try to go for the affluent areas where people are spoilt for choice and the population density is low.

Neotel made that mistake and it cost them dearly - if they had put a few towers in the flats and done a prepaid service they would probably have a million customers there by now with virtually no infrastructure costs (high density, low volume clients). Telkom copper aint safe there, so wireless is a winner.
\

I see a future where every street will have a line of Wireless-N routers.

It would be awesome - also picocells for LTE/HSDPA+/etc. I have eyed those damn lights in Khayalitsha (super tall ones) as sites for Mesh Wifi points for YEARS now...

 

[abandonallhope]

Sorry... have you even been to a township before ?

I have a friend that works for a WISP in the North and they install to clients in Dunoon daily. Dunoon is just a bunch of shacks... but in those shacks are people with DSTV and connections to the internet, people with cellphones and computers.

Kayelitsha is far more developed then Dunoon.

How do we expect these areas to be uplifted if we don't provide services. There are schools, NPO's and startups that WILL use those services.

Yes, sure the CBD and other business areas also need 100mbs, but lets face it... a slow rollout in the beginning is a much better strategy. Unleashing 100mbs on 1000's of rich schoolkids is not exactly a bright idea.

but you just said :

The backhaul is there... loads of fibre has been laid, a new international undersea cable is being laid every year, the capacity there, its growing exponentially... the only real barrier to 100mbs is the local loop, and this project is going to bypass it.

The picture you have in your mind is simply not based on reality, it makes no sense whatsoever to start such a rollout in a township/squatter camp. You know it and I know it, you are just arguing for the sake of arguing you made your biases clear with your "rich school kids", not interested in that.

 

[abandonallhope]

Don't be ridiculous - its the best place to start as there are the most customers who don't have a good alternative in a geographically limited area. The worst thing they could do is try to go for the affluent areas where people are spoilt for choice and the population density is low.

Neotel made that mistake and it cost them dearly - if they had put a few towers in the flats and done a prepaid service they would probably have a million customers there by now with virtually no infrastructure costs (high density, low volume clients). Telkom copper aint safe there, so wireless is a winner.

I'm afraid I'm only being realistic and you are over-reacting.

Which of the squatter camps/townships do not have a telkom exchange ? Or can not receive 3G signal ?

So as it stands they have the same means middle class areas have, therefore it makes no sense rolling out 100mbps pipes to these townships before the middle class, who actually know how to harness that kind of bandwidth.

 

[Bern]

I'm afraid I'm only being realistic and you are over-reacting.

Which of the squatter camps/townships do not have a telkom exchange ? Or can not receive 3G signal ?

So as it stands they have the same means middle class areas have, therefore it makes no sense rolling out 100mbps pipes to these townships before the middle class, who actually know how to harness that kind of bandwidth.

When last were you in any of these townships? Ask Telkom how often the exchanges (and cables) get vandalised or stolen. Mobile operators have to have a pricing model for the whole country, they can't adapt to a "CT price" - WISPs can. I can promise you every operator would happily jump at the opportunity to use the CoCT infrastructure to offer services in the townships, the City are just looking at rather offering an open access type model. I know of companies that have been trying to get access to the Cities physical infrastructure to offer wireless services in the townships since 2006 already.

Its not that they are not going to roll out in the more affluent areas, but that market is saturated already, it makes sense to roll out where the greatest need is and there is not currently a decent service available. CoCT has many clinics, police and other points that could do with a robust connection - probably the biggest reason they would roll out here first (for their internal costing benefit). I know the clinics are forever having Telkom lines stolen/vandalised and often Telkom stops putting them in after a while - this is mission critical for them. 3G is a crappy service that is very unreliable (my VC 3G in the centre of town when I used it as a primary would not give me access for a whole weekend sometimes for example), so they need something better.

Townships also will work best for wireless access due to the very high population density and low level of physical impediments vs a spread out suburb of brick walls. To sum up - access to infrastructure was the only thing that stopped everyone else until now and there is a huge mostly untapped market right there.