ADSL 4 Mbps versus HSDPA

In my case I get 52kB max (multi-threaded, local,intl etc) on my newly upgraded 4M ADSL. Telkom 'dont know why'......
Idiots:mad:
Ian
 
The report should reflect the experience an average internet user could expect.

The average internet user is not interested in download accelarators, download managers, multi-threaded whatevers or anything similar.

Mr Average is interested in how fast a web page will open, if he could view YouTube without hiccups, and if he can send and download mail without having more than one coffee during the wait.
 
I was getting around 1Mbps on my Verizon account. This comparison is a lil flawed - try another service provider on the copper - Telkom Sucks. And what about VOIP and latency?

In a head to head contest involving all components of a broadband service – including download speed, upload speed, latency, stability and reliability – ADSL will still come out tops.
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kaspaas said:
The report should reflect the experience an average internet user could expect.

The average internet user is not interested in download accelarators, download managers, multi-threaded whatevers or anything similar.

Mr Average is interested in how fast a web page will open, if he could view YouTube without hiccups, and if he can send and download mail without having more than one coffee during the wait.
Click to expand...

IOW 4mbps is not for the average user, as is HSDPA not?

I agree with the gist of it - Telkom 4Mbps ADSL is not what it's cracked up to be. Verizon is a better service for top end users... alas we still have to share the TK junk tho.
 
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kaspaas said:
The average internet user is not interested in download accelarators, download managers, multi-threaded whatevers or anything similar.
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The average internet user does not visit MyADSL much either. Otherwise they would know to use themselves a download manager. :rolleyes:

Pandering to the lowest common denominator is why SA broadband is so backwards.

The report could quite easily mention that a download manager is essential to get the most out of your 4Mbps Telkom connection. The Orbit Downloader, for example, blitzes YouTube videos to your screen .

The report should also mention how much it will cost if you want to use that high speed connection for more than just browsing and email. 5Gigs, 10 Gigs, 30 Gigs.

MyADSL can inform, not just report.
 
Te latency is very few times mentioned in these performance comparisons!

I think mentioning this shortcoming is important, latecy has many factors in browsing, Higher latency could cause download errors, pages load slowly and general experience when using certain VIOP, P2P products degrade on high latency systems.

Take for instance the uncapped services from IS, with latency as high as 1000ms internationally. 3G HSDPA 500 to 700 with allot of packet loss!
 
the single thread issue has been the most irritating thing about my 4meg line. I still love it though.
 
I can put my little comment forward at last.
Ever since getting a VC SIM card and then connecting to the Net, I always go .. eish R2, R4 ,R6, R8 ... eish have to disconnect. eish,, this is expensive..
Compared to ADSL it is still a crap price to pay if you dont want to lock yourself into a contract
 
Anthropoid said:
I can put my little comment forward at last.
Ever since getting a VC SIM card and then connecting to the Net, I always go .. eish R2, R4 ,R6, R8 ... eish have to disconnect. eish,, this is expensive..
Compared to ADSL it is still a crap price to pay if you dont want to lock yourself into a contract
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It sounds like you do not use pre-paid data bundles, best to read the following article:
Cellular Data Bundles – who offers the best deal?...
 
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I don't see how you can compare a 4Mbps line to a 1.8Mbps line but anyhow :) Different uses too since the ones a land line and the OTA
(I feel for the gamers since comparing the line speed, which is more than twice that of an OTA product is saying something)

MTN’s HSDPA service produced an average download speed of 585 Kbps Ummm, yeah maybe in a hurricane and you're 10 miles from the tower! My avg speed is a hell of lot higher than that! :D

I do think a fairer comparison would be MTN/Vodacom 3.6Mbps HSDPA :D
 
gpe said:
I don't see how you can compare a 4Mbps line to a 1.8Mbps line but anyhow :) Different uses too since the ones a land line and the OTA
(I feel for the gamers since comparing the line speed, which is more than twice that of an OTA product is saying something)

MTN’s HSDPA service produced an average download speed of 585 Kbps Ummm, yeah maybe in a hurricane and you're 10 miles from the tower! My avg speed is a hell of lot higher than that! :D

I do think a fairer comparison would be MTN/Vodacom 3.6Mbps HSDPA :D
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Good point, where is this available? Or is the coverage so small that it's not in the equasion?
 
Bradbowlllama said:
Good point, where is this available? Or is the coverage so small that it's not in the equasion?
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Well in my area, 4Mbits/s ADSL is not available from Telkodemonopolies, neither is 512kbits/s ADSL, and considering that most of Telkodemonopolies' ADSL customers are on 384kbits/s, I guess there is a major coverage footprint problem when it comes to 4Mbits/s ADSL.
 
ic said:
Well in my area, 4Mbits/s ADSL is not available from Telkodemonopolies, neither is 512kbits/s ADSL, and considering that most of Telkodemonopolies' ADSL customers are on 384kbits/s, I guess there is a major coverage footprint problem when it comes to 4Mbits/s ADSL.
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Possibly, I wouldn't know - I've been covered for quite a few years in an average suburb in a small town...
HSDPA may be here somewhere...
 
Bradbowlllama said:
Possibly, I wouldn't know - I've been covered for quite a few years in an average suburb in a small town...
HSDPA may be here somewhere...
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I do not understand - you appear to be saying that your average suburb in a small [South African ???] town has been covered with 4Mbits/s ADSL for quite a few years already :confused:

Please update your forum Location field - a few forumites would like to know where to emigrate to.
 
If I remember correctly it was the same when hsdpa was launched. Back then though it was attributed to 1Mbps adsl and Telkom's local performed even more dismal and sometimes slower than hsdpa. So now they are still somewhat on par besides being more than twice the connection speed. Explains why they're not charging more for it.
baumie said:
Hi
Has anyone got a latency figure for the hsdpa services. I'm using the 4Mbps ADSL and the latency international latency is around 220m/s using IS's optic connection
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Generally it's not much different despite how everyone keeps ragging on wireless. The non-shaping may have something to do with it. Sometimes though it can easily take 30 secs if you even get a response. Don't know if this is only in certain areas but it seems to be mostly international that has the hiccups. Vodacom really has to shape up and give a consistent service considering the premium they are charging not just compared to adsl but also to other countries. Haven't used adsl, ever, so don't know if it has similar problems.
risingtide said:
As there is only one undersea cable how do MTN and Vodacom make provisions for better international performance? What do they do differently to Telkom?
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Actually there's more than one. SAT-3 and SAFE are actually two cables which came into being in 2002. Before that and before adsl there were only SAT-1 and SAT-2 from 1993. That's about the time we got internet, SAT-1 can only handle 360 telephone calls. Then there's also leased circuits through other countries which may be provided on the same cables or on different ones.
mercurial said:
these figures are flawed. there's no way that you can tell me that a person with 4096kbps line is only getting 393kbps. that's absolute rubbish. ADSL is faster than HSDPA at the moment, cos Vodacom can only accomodate 1.8Mbps at the moment. Until then, Telkom reigns supreme.



that's absolute rubbish. where do these flawed statistics come from? get your facts straight myadsl or wherever you got the info from.
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The report says where it comes from:
"The latest broadband survey requested broadband subscribers to do international and local speed tests, giving a basic idea of the actual performance of these services."
So it comes from actual users. The most accurate statistics which you'll get and what many of us have been saying about Telkom sub-standard adsl all the time. But I guess it is still true that once someone has made up their mind nothing will convince them otherwise.
 
ic said:
I do not understand - you appear to be saying that your average suburb in a small [South African ???] town has been covered with 4Mbits/s ADSL for quite a few years already :confused:

Please update your forum Location field - a few forumites would like to know where to emigrate to.
Click to expand...

What I am saying is that I have always had the fastest available line... not 4Mbps. I.e. when Telkom provided 4Mbps, many East London exchanges were upgraded at the same time as the rest of the country (relatively the same time). I haven't always had HSDPA, we're usually the last for anything outside of Telkom. Check iburst, etc.

What I have noticed is that Telkom are slower to upgrade exchanges in business areas - prolly cos of the highter Diginet density.
 
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