Time for some cut-to-the-bone honesty.
Some of our clients have been asking me:
"What's going on Gian, why is Afrihost so quiet? Why haven't you guys done anything awesome lately? Are you retired and sipping cocktails on an island? Have you lost your Mojo?"
No question that we have been quiet.
But there's been a good reason for the silence:
Before we could launch any other industry-busting, game-changing products there was something else even more important that we had to do first.
And we have been working feverishly behind the scenes to get this done.
Before I tell you what this is let me give you some back-story:
Over the last while our DSL network has not been performing at the highest level that our clients have fallen in love with over the years.
Don't get me wrong:
The DSL network has been running OK overall (with the occasional big problem here and there that we have worked through)
It's been getting the job done.
But is 'OK' really good enough?
Is getting the 'job done' really enough to stir the blood?
'Mediocre' has never been something that's inspired us. 'Good Enough' has never filled us with excitement.
And it never ever will.
So our FIRST non-negotiable priority - BEFORE launching any other incredible products - was to make sure that our DSL network was consistently performing at the insanely high level we set for ourselves.
So, although it may seem that we have been quiet, we have been passionately working in the background, building the best possible DSL network that we could.
Here's what we did:
We looked at the key things we needed in a network to ensure that we could consistently provide fast, reliable and stable internet. The kind of internet that stirs your blood. The kind of internet that makes you smile uncontrollably.
So what was on our list?
We needed the network to be rock-solid and robust
We needed to be in complete control of every aspect of our client's experience. This meant we needed to have direct and complete control over all the traffic management hardware and software that enabled us to control the traffic flow of all of our clients.
We needed to be able to be in control of exactly when we upgraded the overall capacity of our network with Telkom. It was critical that we could easily and quickly upgrade Telkom's IPC as soon as we saw our network was reaching congestion.
We needed to be able to connect easily to the many open access fibre companies so that we could offer data to our clients who had fibre lines.
We needed reliable, redundant and fast international connectivity.
We needed to be able to peer with all the major content providers in South Africa and internationally.
Once we had our checklist we went out and relentlessly pursued our goals.
And we custom built our new network.
From scratch.
And we made sure we ticked all our boxes.
We partnered with some of the best tech companies (Thanks Echo and Three6Five!) in South Africa who advised, guided and helped us setup and build the best core network possible.
We bought the best, latest and most expensive machines that Sandvine - a Canadian company whose products are used by the biggest ISPs in the world - are selling. We made sure we had the absolute best traffic management software and hardware.
Sandvine engineers from Canada flew here and spent weeks with us, helping us make sure we were getting the best out of our new machines.
And then we invited clients to come and make use of our new test network.
Over the last few months well over 5,000 of our clients have put us through our paces.
We tested every scenario we could think of. Lots of capacity. Complete overload. Outages and breakdowns.
We made thousands and thousands of tweaks and changes to ensure the network would give the best experience for our clients.
And now we are ready.
It is time.
Throughout the course of this month we are going to be moving all of our clients over to our brand new network.
We've carefully crafted this network with passion, love and care. Blood, sweat and tears. And we're proud of what we have waiting for you.
I am so excited to get all of our DSL clients over to the new network because I know what it means.
Both for you and for us.
I'm sure you have questions so here's some that I could think of:
"What about MTN and their DSL network?"
- As I'm sure you know MTN are shareholders in Afrihost and moving our DSL away from them and onto a brand new network would not be possible without their complete buy-in and backing - So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support.
We've had a few key moments in Afrihost history. Moving to the MTN network in 2012 was one of them. It was a massive leap forward for us. It gave us greater insight into our DSL network and helped us be more in control of our clients' Internet experience.
There have been some bumps in the road (there always are in IT!) but all things considered, I think our team and MTN have done incredibly well. MTN were the perfect partner to guide us through that phase of our growth, and offer the support and resources to carry us to the next step of our growth.
Right now we feel that we’re ready to take the next giant leap forward.
"When exactly will I be on the new network?"
- We are moving various DSL realms over at different times throughout the month. We will let you know via email the day before you are moved and we will also send through a confirmation once you are on the new network.
"What do I have to do"
- Nothing.
Your settings will stay exactly the same - your username and password will remain unchanged.
We are doing all the work in the background for you.
'Will my connection to the internet be disrupted to broken?'
- No.
The plan is that your ADSL should work all the time and the switchover should be seamless.
"What if I can't connect when you move me?"
- If you find you are not able to download anything once you have been moved, switch off your router or modem for a few minutes and turn it on again - this will enable your router/modem to log you onto our new network and should fix the problem.
'What exactly changes for me'
- Nothing (other than your ADSL connection hopefully improves)
You still contact us in exactly the same way if you have any problems in the future
'Will there be teething problems?'
- I hope and pray not!
We have done everything we can to ensure it all goes as smoothly as possible. However, as you probably know, computers and anything tech-related can be unpredictable so if there are any unforeseen problems be assured we have our best technicians ready to leap into action if necessary.
'I have a website hosted with you. Will this be affected by the move to the new network?'
- We are NOT moving our websites or web servers we host.
Nothing is changing to our hosting infrastructure or any of our hosting products.
This new network is specifically created for ADSL users so we will only be moving our ADSL clients.
'Will the prices be going up on the new network?'
- No
'I have Mobile Data with you - Will anything change for me?'
- Nothing will change if you have Mobile Data with us. All mobile data will still be delivered via MTN's network as usual.
'I have other questions you haven't covered here - Who can I ask?'
Post your questions in the comments section and we'll answer them for you ASAP.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
We do not (and never will!) take you and your trust in us for granted.
Thank you
Gian
CEO, Afrihost
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