adsl dobroadband

[chsiang719]

hi...
i would like to enquire,
i am thinking of upgrading my line to 4mb, which i have signed up for it...
but i was doing some research.

on the dob/band website, on do3, it has 4mb with 5gb account.
http://www.do.co.za/broadband/index.html (shows R554)

but i have checked the pricelist on 4mb and the 5gb account.
http://www.telkom.co.za/common/pricelist/prices/local/adsl.html
(4mb line for R413)
and for the same 5GB
c Fastest DSL with TIPA Advanced 5GB Shaped 85.96 98.00
d Fastest DSL with TIPA Premium 5GB Shaped 103.51 118.00
If i add 413 + 98. i get R510... Which is way cheaper than their package?

Is that true or am i missing something here...

I would like to know, i know to convert from 384 to 4mb line is for free.
But i wanna to know whether if i wanna downgrade in the future. will there
be any cost involved?

Thanks

 

[Tegnik]

Hello there.

I downgraded from 4mb to 384 and it was free. The chap I spoke to told me that when you are bound in a contract with Telkom, you will pay a penalty for downgrading. When you just rent the line and use another ISP, you will be able to downgrade and upgrade as many times as you want... free

 

[InTheCube]

Just make sure you don't sign any contracts. Speaking of upgrades and downgrades, I am planning to downgrade my 512kbps line to 384kbps, and then transfer my line to either SAOL or Cybersmart, so that I can get 384kk uncapped including line rental at R499 or R512 respectively.

I recommend that you don't take any of the Telkom DO packages, as you will then be using TelkomInternet as your ISP. They are not dropping prices, and are still charging ridiculous prices for bandwidth. Please rather support ISPs that are making a difference, like Afrihost, DigiChilli, Screamer, SAOL, Cybersmart, and the others. They are making a difference, and (most of them) offer great support, and great services, at great prices. They need more of our support. But do your research first...

Stay away from TelkomInternet!

 

[Fiekus]

hi...
i would like to enquire,
i am thinking of upgrading my line to 4mb, which i have signed up for it...
but i was doing some research.

on the dob/band website, on do3, it has 4mb with 5gb account.
http://www.do.co.za/broadband/index.html (shows R554)

but i have checked the pricelist on 4mb and the 5gb account.
http://www.telkom.co.za/common/pricelist/prices/local/adsl.html
(4mb line for R413)
and for the same 5GB
c Fastest DSL with TIPA Advanced 5GB Shaped 85.96 98.00
d Fastest DSL with TIPA Premium 5GB Shaped 103.51 118.00
If i add 413 + 98. i get R510... Which is way cheaper than their package?

Is that true or am i missing something here...

I would like to know, i know to convert from 384 to 4mb line is for free.
But i wanna to know whether if i wanna downgrade in the future. will there
be any cost involved?

Thanks

where do you get that info? Please provide a link.... the link you provided only shows the R413 which is correct for your line rental.
On another page it shows the DSL tarriffs which is:
http://www.telkom.co.za/products_services/dsl/cost_dsl_cost.html

Select your ISP of choice or TelkomInternetAllAccess ADSL accounts
1 GB TelkomInternet- AllAccess - - 69.30 79.00
1 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess Advanced - - 86.84 99.00
3 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess - - 130.70 149.00
5 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess Advanced - - 209.65 239.00
5 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess Premium - - 227.19 259.00
5 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess Business - - 249.12 284.00
4 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess Advanced Unshaped - - 428.95 489.00
4 GB TelkomInternet-AllAccess Premium Unshaped - - 455.26 519.00

So if you do the sums, the Do3 package is cheaper... but I could be wrong depending on where you got those prices above....

 

[psichron]

I recommend that you don't take any of the Telkom DO packages, as you will then be using TelkomInternet as your ISP. They are not dropping prices, and are still charging ridiculous prices for bandwidth. Please rather support ISPs that are making a difference, like Afrihost,...

It's fine to recommend people support customer-friendly ISPs, but it's not OK to outright lie...
You say "The DO packages are still charging ridiculous prices for bandwidth.". This is not true, Do broadband is still one of the cheapest options available: Do3 = R554 for 4mbps + 5GB international + 30GB local.
Since a 4mbps line costs R413, that means you get 5GB intl + 30GB local for R141 or R28.2 per international GB, cheaper than Afrihost and Afrihost doesn't give you 30GB local either.
If you leave out the newly arrived "uncapped" packages from the likes of digichilli and SAOL, Do broadband is still the cheapest and best value for money.

 

[bierman]

the reason there is 2 diffrent prices , is begause the DO BROADBAND for R554 is inclusive of some data bundle and stuff, the other price of R413 is just for the adsl rental no data included

 

[InTheCube]

It's fine to recommend people support customer-friendly ISPs, but it's not OK to outright lie...
You say "The DO packages are still charging ridiculous prices for bandwidth.". This is not true, Do broadband is still one of the cheapest options available: Do3 = R554 for 4mbps + 5GB international + 30GB local.
Since a 4mbps line costs R413, that means you get 5GB intl + 30GB local for R141 or R28.2 per international GB, cheaper than Afrihost and Afrihost doesn't give you 30GB local either.
If you leave out the newly arrived "uncapped" packages from the likes of digichilli and SAOL, Do broadband is still the cheapest and best value for money.

Outright lie?? Dude, I think you woke up face down this morning. Please go read my post again for any outright lies. What, do you work for Telkom?

How much will it cost you to top up with TelkomInternet? What if you need more than a 3GB or 5GB package? It seems you're another monkey who has been brainwashed into thinking that 30GB "free" local bandwidth is actually worth something. It's stupid people like you that keep the fat cats at Telkom smiling away, raking in money as they con the messes. For the rest of us who don't have time to stuff around with router settings every few minutes, 30GB local is completely useless

And remember, TelkomInternet's ADSL prices are cross-subsidised with other services Telkom offers, including ADSL line rental, voice line rental, voice packages, and many other services. That is why they are able to offer better prices than other ISPs. If the playing field is leveled for all the ISPs, TelkomInternet will not survive. But other ISPs are still able to compete even when Telkom is scewing them over with cross-subsidisation, and selling wholesale capacity to it's own ISP cheaper than it is selling to other ISPs.

But yet other ISPs are still able to offer a better service, with better billing and customer support, and alot of the time, better prices as well. I'd rather support Afrihost at R29 per GB, than Telkom internet's cross-subsidised, competitively unfair, R28.20 per GB (which only applies to in-bundle data costs).

Oh, and to get a fair picture, compare apples with apples. Leave out the bundled ADSL line rental, and then compare TelkomInternet's prices with the rest of the ISPs.

If you leave out the newly arrived "uncapped" packages from the likes of digichilli and SAOL, Do broadband is still the cheapest and best value for money.

Very convenient for you to want to leave uncapped packages out of the argument, yet still call me an outright liar. Telkom doesn't even know what uncapped means. I bet their billing and admin systems can't even cater for it.

And TelkomInternet is yet to respond to the price drops in the local ADSL market, which has been happening on a big scale for the last 3 months already.

 

[psichron]

See my previous post that explains how you are being untruthful. I'm not saying support Telkom, I'm just saying I don't like it when people like you spread false information.

"Leave out the bundled ADSL line rental, and then compare TelkomInternet's prices with the rest of the ISPs."
Why leave it out? line rental is mandatory and a big part of our monthly internet bills. Makes more sense to take it into account.

Btw, you say "compare apples to apples" and then get angry when I want to leave uncapped deals out of the picture. How do you want to compare capped internet to uncapped?

I can't help but notice that in your first post you say "DoBroadband is still charging ridiculous prices" and in your previous post you say "DoBroadband is cheaper than the rest because they get cross subsidised".

 

[InTheCube]

I can't help but notice that in your first post you say "DoBroadband is still charging ridiculous prices" and in your previous post you say "DoBroadband is cheaper than the rest because they get cross subsidised".

Maybe I wasn't clear enough on Telkom's prices the first time around. Have you ever tried topping up on Do Broadband? Do you know what the costs are? Are you still brainwashed by Telkom's marketing engine into thinking that 3GB is "broadband"? Sure the in-bundle data costs come out to the same price as Afrihost, only after all the cross-subsidisation and unfair advantage. But Afrihost does this straight up. And besides Afrihost, there are ISPs selling bandwidth at R20 per GB (myISP) and R23 per GB (Screamer)

Btw, you say "compare apples to apples" and then get angry when I want to leave uncapped deals out of the picture. How do you want to compare capped internet to uncapped?

When I say compare apples to applies, I'm saying compare ISP to ISP. TelkomInternet is an ISP. As an ISP, TelkomInternet doesn't offer uncapped, and it doesn't look like they will be doing so anytime in the near future, while alot of other ISPs are offering uncapped. Heck, even iBurst has said they are going to bring us uncapped soon.

I refer you to http://www.telkomsa.net/products/all_access.html to see the TelkomInternet's capped ADSL costs, excluding ADSL line rental (click on the PRICING link). Now compare this to Afrihost - http://www.afrihost.co.za/adsl-broadband-internet.php and http://www.afrihost.co.za/adsl-power-high-bandwidth.php.

Telkom only offers packages up to 5GB, and this is regarded as high-usage. Again, if you believe this, then you've been brainwashed. Anything more than 5GB, you have to top up at R64.76 per GB for shaped, and R113.34 per GB for unshaped. This is atrocious

Afrihost is selling bandwidth at R29 per GB, accross the board, irrespective of whether ir is in-bundle, or if you are topping up (which works out to less than half the price).

I've mainly used Afrihost to compare with TelkomInternet, but there are other ISPs offering better deals as well, which includes ADSL line rental (Cybersmart). If you want me to go down that path and rip your argument for Telkom/TelkomInternet's prices to pieces, then let me know. Otherwise save your breath, and stop defending Telkom, unless you're a Telkom employee, at which I would say, get the @#$% back to work and bring us better service!

 

[psichron]

Sure the in-bundle data costs come out to the same price as Afrihost, only after all the cross-subsidisation and unfair advantage. But Afrihost does this straight up.

So you're saying Afrihost using their marketing budget to deliver adsl at under wholesale cost is not cross-subsidisation?

As stated in both my previous posts, I'm not defending Telkom, I'm just challenging your original statement that DoBroadband is ridiculously expensive compared to other ISPs. I bet I hate them just as much as you.

 

[InTheCube]

So you're saying Afrihost using their marketing budget to deliver adsl at under wholesale cost is not cross-subsidisation?

No it's not. Read here for more - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_subsidization

Cross subsidization is the practice of charging higher prices to one group of consumers in order to subsidize lower prices for another group.

Read here for even more.

Higher prices are charged to - other ADSL ISPs for SAIX bandwidth or IPC, consumers who are not direct customers of Telkoms ISP - for voice Line Rental and ADSL line rental.

Lower prices are charged to - TelkomInternet for SAIX bandwidth, TelkomInternet's customers for ADSL line rental, Voice Line Rental and bandwidth (all in one package - DO packages, and DO Closer packages).

I don't see where Afrihost's marketing budget fits into this? How can you call it cross-subsidisation?

Do-broadband IS ridiculously expensive for anything bigger than 5GB. I used to use 3.5gb per month with iBurst, coz I was limited to it by my budget. But now with ADSL and Afrihost, I am spending roughly the same for 10GB. After getting a small taste of what broadband really is, I want more. I could easily use up 20GB per month, and wouldn't mind doing so at R29 per GB. But not at Telkom's topup price of R65 per GB.

In any case, on a side note, rumour has it that the R29 per GB bandwidth price from Afrihost is here to stay. Here's the reasoning: Afrihost have built up a huge subscriber base, big enough to achieve cost savings from their upstream provider (IS), plus bandwidth finally filtering down to end-consumers as a result of SEACOM will have an impact on overall costs. I'm pretty sure IS will be reselling SEACOM bandwidth soon, if it isn't already doing so in the queits. Screamer is already selling at R23 per GB, and myISP at R20 per GB. Afrihost will have to keep it's current price of R29 per GB, or drop it further, otherwise they will start losing customers.

People are already hungry for uncapped, and switching from Afrihost to DigiChilli, Screamer, SAOL, and Cybersmart. I wonder what the bigwigs at Telkom/TelkomInternet think of this. They must be K*kking themselves. I am about to move my own connectivity to uncapped at SAOL.

So stop defending Telkom, and its monopolistic tactics of bundling, cross-subsidisation and unfair business practices, and start supporting ISPs that make a difference. Sure we can't get away with paying voice line rental and ADSL line rental to Telkom, because there are no other options. But for choosing an ISP, we can vote with our feet and our money. There is so much better out there than TelkomInternet. I've already moved at least 2 companies away fom TelkomInternet to Afrihost, as well as 3 other friends, and they are all very happy, with the internet service, billing, support, and especially the prices. If TelkomInternet won't drop their prices, then we need to hurt them where they will feel it most - their bottom line.

Stay away from TelkomInternet!

 

[MidnightWizard]

VIVA Telkom !

:erm:


Love them hate them join them

I am on "All-Access"

Never have a moments problem

It is handy

It is cheap -- except for top-ups


NOW -- if only they would upgrade the lines and give us something like Twenty Gig ALL IN

Telkom --> remember -- "I'M Watching you"


MW

 

[diabolus]

Well all i can say, Telkom at least

a] Answer their phones
b] Reply to my emails
c] Have a proper website to manage all my stuff [including viewing my usage + paying my bills]

I've signed up to one of the new so called "uncapped" ISPs we're suppose to support now, and they don't do any of the above. Heck they even seem to believe it appropriate to go on holiday in the midst of a massive support backlog [that would include not activating my account most likely]....all for cheap -throttled- uncapped?

So it's clear where they are cutting their costs and i'm not convinced that is where you should be cutting costs. SA is rife with bad service , yet we're encouraged to support the "worst possible service" ? What message does that send? "Oh lets cut the entire support team to lower the per/GB pricing..scoreee!" ?? huh?

I left Neotel for exactly this same reason, zero support, zero account management , zero anything for that matter.

 

[InTheCube]

Well all i can say, Telkom at least

a] Answer their phones - agree
b] Reply to my emails - not sure about this, I don't believe you
c] Have a proper website to manage all my stuff [including viewing my usage + paying my bills] their usage tracker doesn't even tell you what package you on, or how much data you have left. All they show you is how much you've used. Not so great.

Afrihost does all of the above and even better. The Afrihost CEO is even active in these forums, and answers a lot of questions HIMSELF. I've emailed him several times, and each time he has responded promptly. Telkom doesn't even have a representative on these forums. And I am highly doubtful that they even monitor support emails, let alone respond to them. But I guess you would know better.

I've signed up to one of the new so called "uncapped" ISPs we're suppose to support now, and they don't do any of the above. Heck they even seem to believe it appropriate to go on holiday in the midst of a massive support backlog [that would include not activating my account most likely]....all for cheap -throttled- uncapped?

Spill the beans - tell us who the ISP is, so we can avoid them. Don't protect them - tell us. I know Cybersmart and SAOL have great support, billing and general service.

So it's clear where they are cutting their costs and i'm not convinced that is where you should be cutting costs. SA is rife with bad service , yet we're encouraged to support the "worst possible service" ? What message does that send? "Oh lets cut the entire support team to lower the per/GB pricing..scoreee!" ?? huh?

Nobody's encouraging you to support the worst possible ISP. That would be stupid. In fact, I encourage you to support the best ISP (which is definitely NOT TelkomInternet). Vote with your money and your feet.

I left Neotel for exactly this same reason, zero support, zero account management , zero anything for that matter.

Yeah Neotel sucks donkey balls... Good riddance.

 

[diabolus]

their usage tracker doesn't even tell you what package you on, or how much data you have left. All they show you is how much you've used. Not so great.

Not entirely correct. Yes, their -real time- tracker does not show you those details, however their scheduled tracker which are emailed to you weekly/daily/monthly [you can define this yourself] does provide this information.

In fact let me quote you mine:

from:[email protected]

A friendly notification that according to our records your online usage as at [2009-12-19 23:59:59] reflected the following:

ADSL usage report

Blended Usage
Total Blended Data Allocated (Default Package) - 3.00GB
Total TopUp Purchased - 0.00GB
Total Blended Data Exceeding Cap - 0Bytes or [0.00GB]
Total Blended Data (Exceeding Cap + TopUp Included) - 3.00GB
Uploaded - 229MB or [0.22GB]
Downloaded - 1.91GB
Combined Total Used - 2.13GB
Percentage Used - 71.30%
Remaining Blended Data - 881.39MB or [0.86GB]
Status - Not Capped

Spill the beans - tell us who the ISP is, so we can avoid them. Don't protect them - tell us. I know Cybersmart and SAOL have great support, billing and general service.

Digichilli. I've contacted them various ways, no response. Fortunately i am on holiday and a little more relaxed about these things. I don't mind if they tell me "it's gonna take 3 days we are swamped", but then do so, don't just ignore my emails and phone calls. They don't even have a "auto-responder" on their support email [i.e. "we have received your request , your ref no is #123, we will get back to you in x-hours" . Instead i get nothing, zilch, but they are happy to inform me about their x-mas office down time though,

Nobody's encouraging you to support the worst possible ISP. That would be stupid. In fact, I encourage you to support the best ISP (which is definitely NOT TelkomInternet). Vote with your money and your feet.

Well Telkom surely isn't the best of the best in ISPs, but if we had to list all the current ISPs , i can bet you, Telkom will be in the top in terms of support. Now that doesn't mean they're good either, it just means the -other- ISPs are -that bad- .

 

[InTheCube]

Fair enough, your points are noted. Thanks for the civilised debate. That changes my perspective on TelkomInternet, if only ever so slightly.

I wish DigiChilli and Screamer would get their act together though, and fast! It seems that SAOL and Cybersmart are the way to go for entry level uncapped packages, for now. Pity they both require you to migrate the line.

I wonder if Telkom will ever launch uncapped packages...

 

[diabolus]

I'd say if you're in the 3GB-5GB user range, Telkom will generally work for you just fine and you'll struggle to find a better solution.

Uncapped as a concept is more a psychological trick imho . The average user, if you really get down to it, might not use more than 10GB a month tops (it is clear uncapped companies also make a similar assumption). If you gave them a CAPPED offering [i.e. 10GB/5GB/3GB] they are going to do their best to use it -all-. If you give them uncapped, suddenly they don't care and their usage might actually drop as they don't feel they "lose" something now. End result? They end up paying more for using less

So yes, Telkom is way too expensive once you look in the 5GB+ [10GB-15GB] usage range. That's the only reason i'm even considering/trying the uncapped options now. I need to download a 5GB file [and still actually need to have bandwidth left for the month], and via Telkom it is gonna cost me an EXTRA R300. Via say DigiChilli it will -also- cost me R300 [on top of my Telkom costs] , but i won't be restricted to 5GB only, even if i do end up only using 5GB. Now Afrihost it will be R150 for 5GB.....so just because something is uncapped does not mean it's cheaper

But i'm still not willing to pay R300 extra every month and having a horrible time trying to use the service. If i top up my Telkom account with 5GB right now, it's gonna work, no problemo...