ADSL, should I...

[Arcane9]

Hi

I am considering upgrading my home connection to a DSL connection. However is it maybe better to wait a couple of months before i do so?
Do u think there will be drastic price cuts in the near future, in particular with regards to the roll-out of the Second Network Operator and the debates sorrounding telkoms new pricing scheme?
Does anyone have any idea of when SNO will be launched?

Thanks

 

[sunsoffun]

noooooooooooooooooo, dont do it!!!!.

Depends on what you spend on a monthly basis now. I was spending +/- R550.00 a month on ISDN. I went over to DSL (when there were 30 gb caps,and all was good in Telskum country), now my line is shaped to the n'th degree, I am called an abuser if I do anything other than browsing websites and getting my email, and have "24/7, maximum 12 hour connection" as long as I don't reach my cap.

If you cool with that, then go ahead. For me personally, if things don't improve, I am canceling my adsl, taking that money that I would have spent on Telkom... and going to Hong Kong

 

[thedoc!]

now my line is shaped to the n'th degree, I am called an abuser if I do anything other than browsing websites and getting my email, and have "24/7, maximum 12 hour connection" as long as I don't reach my cap.

Can you please explain more - Who calls you an abuser, how e-mail phone call? Whos is your ISP??

/doc

 

[bwana]

In my case I was spending r3000+ per month on my isdn so as ludicrous as the ADSL prices are it still saves me some coin. Its still a half-@ssed service mind you.

 

[kilo39]

Can you please explain more - Who calls you an abuser, how e-mail phone call? Whos is your ISP??

Who is this person [thedoc?] Seems telscum supporters are everywhere on this forum -

I myself saw the interview on etv a little while ago - where the telscum 'director of technology' or somesuch called video, gaming, etc... "fancy services" ie, read - if you are not doing email and websurfing you are abusing the system -

catch a wakeup 'thedoc' - don't you read this forum?

 

[sunsoffun]

Who is this person [thedoc?] Seems telscum supporters are everywhere on this forum -

I myself saw the interview on etv a little while ago - where the telscum 'director of technology' or somesuch called video, gaming, etc... "fancy services" ie, read - if you are not doing email and websurfing you are abusing the system -

catch a wakeup 'thedoc' - don't you read this forum?

Thank you.

 

[pimal3]

I myself saw the interview on etv a little while ago - where the telscum 'director of technology' or somesuch called video, gaming, etc... "fancy services" ie, read - if you are not doing email and websurfing you are abusing the system -

Can't etv have an interview with rpm as well to supply the other side of the so-called abuser saga

 

[thedoc!]

Who is this person [thedoc?] Seems telscum supporters are everywhere on this forum -

I myself saw the interview on etv a little while ago - where the telscum 'director of technology' or somesuch called video, gaming, etc... "fancy services" ie, read - if you are not doing email and websurfing you are abusing the system -

catch a wakeup 'thedoc' - don't you read this forum?

Seems this forum has become soo petty that a straight forward question seems to upset people.

Reason why I asked the question is because I have recently (less than a month) signed up for ADSL in this country and represent a very large satellite ISP in africa and europe.

Perhaps we should use this forum for what its intended for, rather than passing personal remarks at legitimate questions.

/doc

 

[thedoc!]

Thank you.

Now read my previous post and answer my question before prematurely thanking people.

/doc

 

[doobiwan]

Ahem, back to the point . .

Arcane, it's a personal call. I consider myself an average user, a bit of gaming, some downloading etc.

With the rest of the world moving to broadband, you can't even download a game demo on dial up these days, it takes too long and will probably crash.

My value call was when my phonebill was hitting about R400-500 a month, mainly internet. Not from being on so long, but having to dial 3 calls to make a connection! The extra speed / always on is how the internet is supposed to be.

 

[kilo39]

Seems this forum has become soo petty that a straight forward question seems to upset people.

None of this is petty - telkom is messing with people's livelihoods and means of survival. I decided to subscribe to dsl a year ago - because I was sure in that year the price would come down - and just maybe it would be affordable - I am spending money on my phone bill (connectivity bill) that is sorely needed in other areas of my life - like my retirement, a new car, or looking after my old mum. It sucks and I cannot afford it... and as I need my connection to bring in work - if I give it up I will have no work - and it certainly isn't about going back to dialup - so where does this leave me? Leaving the country for some place in the world where a connection does cost a decent fee.

As to the abuse issue: I did see a very short interview some time ago on etv with some luminary from telkom (he was the 'tech officer' or similar) - and his whole conversation was completely clueless - completely out of touch with the reality of the internet and the issues of broadband. He basically said - if we are using 'fancy services' then we can pay for it - as we really shouldn't be using the internet for these things.

And in writing the above: how else do telkom justify their caps and line rentals - duh, we are stopping abuse of the system.

Reason why I asked the question is because I have recently (less than a month) signed up for ADSL in this country and represent a very large satellite ISP in africa and europe.

Perhaps we should use this forum for what its intended for, rather than passing personal remarks at legitimate questions.

Didn't realise you were a newbie from a foreign country - if you had spent any time here you would realise that telkom don't phone you and say, 'you are an abuser' - rather they stick you with punitive measures (cutting your bandwidth, even your connectivity) - My weekly email 'reminder' from telkom is a subtle reference - don't abuse the system, consider yourself lucky to still be connected. - From telkom: "Should you reach the 3.00GB cap on the combined total, you will be redirected to a throttled international service." Talk about having a person by the scrotum - and read, "if you abuse the system (by going over your 3 gigs) we apply punitive measures" - because you are an abuser. Who is abusing whom?

and represent a very large satellite ISP in africa and europe

You wouldn't be a representative of the polish satellite company would you? If I put one of your dishes in my garden - I would be called an abuser by telkom, it would be illegal.

It all sucks - and I want out - nothing is going to change.

 

[sunsoffun]

Now read my previous post and answer my question before prematurely thanking people.

/doc

doc... I think you need to prescribe yourself some Prozac (and don't be shy with the quantity), because things look like its not "happy"ning for you.

 

[kilo39]

Just found this on itweb:

http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2005/0511241410.asp?A=BSR&S=BestRead&O=FPIN

Telkom defends ADSL billing

[Johannesburg, 24 November 2005] - Telkom Wholesale marketing executive John Joseph has no doubt Internet service providers (ISPs) will benefit from the company's ADSL usage-based pricing model.

Joseph was speaking at a media briefing in Centurion this week, where Telkom executives sought to “provide the facts to the debate about usage capping”.

...

Joseph said that while Telkom was aware of what the “abusive” ISPs were doing, an internal decision was taken not to take measures, as plans were already afoot to restructure the pricing model.

He noted that those ISPs are now having a hard time delivering the 30GB product at the same price they used to, as it would invariably cost them more, and Telkom makes a good scapegoat.

--> boohooo - poor telkom (the poor scapegoat)

 

[krycor]

If they did it to pass the buck, they got it wrong, now more than ever EVERYBODY knows now that the international bandwidth is subject to telkom mark up via saix. Another thing is will all info leaks, we can clearly see where all costs are coming in, ie cost wholesale price(saix) vs isp charge. ie. we now quantitively can the huge mark they are making and now they need to justify it.

 

[thedoc!]

fair enough, this is the explanation needed, instead of "Who is this person [thedoc?] Seems telscum supporters are everywhere on this forum"

and no the satellite company i represent is not polish.

/doc