Broadband data expiration: ISPA considers the CPA issue

[Chevron]

Here's another idea.

If rollover is such a ball ache, why not just refund a person at the end of the month for their unused gigs?

A person is paying for it. To just have it fall away is what I call stealing.

 

[Billy]

Should we not be using Electricity as the comparison?

Eskom can't store electricity (Pumped storage excepted). Has a finite amount to sell. Has peak periods.

BUT if you buy 1000Kwh you get 1000Kwh to use when you want to.

Direct comparison, no car parks were harmed in making this post.

 

[Chevron]

Should we not be using Electricity as the comparison?

Eskom can't store electricity (Pumped storage excepted). Has a finite amount to sell. Has peak periods.

BUT if you buy 1000Kwh you get 1000Kwh to use when you want to.

Direct comparison, no car parks were harmed in making this post.

Plus one million.

 

[ginggs]

Should we not be using Electricity as the comparison?

Eskom can't store electricity (Pumped storage excepted). Has a finite amount to sell. Has peak periods.

Yes, see here.

BUT if you buy 1000Kwh you get 1000Kwh to use when you want to.

It is already included in the cost, i.e. Eskom are already charging us the premium rate for energy bundles that don't expire.
It's a pity Eskom don't have energy bundles that expire after 30 days, and there isn't an alternative energy supplier that we could compare prices against.

Don't forget there is an "availability charge" with electricity, the more amperes you require, the higher the cost.
It would be similar to Vodacom charging different rates for 1.8, 3.6, 7.2, 21.6 and 43.2Mbps connections.

 

[Billy]

No "availability charge" in Centurion, however when installing a supply you will pay more for a 80A supply than a 60A but that is once off when the property is connected.

 

[techead]

I think networks should rather focus on quality of service before how long a bundle lasts... seriously... :wtf:

Who gives a fark if your 100GB bundle lasts 60 years but you cant use it coz you got 40% packet loss and 800ms local ping

 

[_Jakes_]

And what happens if you paid for the month's parking and you park in it for only 20 days? Do you then have the right to park there for any 10 days of your choice anytime in the future? Even if the owner subsequently rented the parking space to a new person?

That's what you're suggesting with rollover. You bought capacity on a network (a data bundle) but you never used it. The capacity was paid for by the network but now, a few months later, you want to use it. This implies the operator must now buy additional capacity to service you but cannot recover the costs.

Just like the parking lot owner must build extra bays in case someone who did not use their parking for all 30 days and now insist those unused days should've rolled over so he can use it whenever.

Good analogy.

At least the parking bay owner with 30 bays does not lease out 600 bays hoping that 270 people don't pitch.

 

[Bern]

Should we not be using Electricity as the comparison?

Eskom can't store electricity (Pumped storage excepted). Has a finite amount to sell. Has peak periods.

BUT if you buy 1000Kwh you get 1000Kwh to use when you want to.

Direct comparison, no car parks were harmed in making this post.

There is a bit of flawed logic here, to be accurate Eskom power is like only buying at OOB rates, or on demand. Prepaid electricity I am sure has some sort of finite lifespan for those very few cases where prepaid is not used up.

If bundles have to last 1yr, the ISPs/operators will adjust cost accordingly, so the price will go up (or will not get reduced as quickly as the normal system). I think it is good to have the OPTION, but making it compulsory is just admin more than anything else- it just changes the cost structure and the consumer price to manage the load. I think operators should play around a bit more (to be fair VC offer an option for data to be valid for longer) with the valid periods, you have to remember they have to pay for national and international links even if you decide not to use them.

MTN have the right idea, but it could be extended to a base access rate (say 256kbps) with a "fast" data bundle which can be topped up. A hybrid style solution which still allows some flexibility - network basic data access is covered (in base rate fee) and additional usage can be better managed with "fast" top-ups. It would also smooth network usage possibly.

 

[system32]

Should we not be using Electricity as the comparison?
Eskom can't store electricity (Pumped storage excepted). Has a finite amount to sell. Has peak periods.
BUT if you buy 1000Kwh you get 1000Kwh to use when you want to.
Direct comparison, no car parks were harmed in making this post.

+1

The Eskom model encourages users to conserve electricity.
Imagine if the pre-paid electricity bundle were like data/airtime and expired?
We would use more kW before it "expired".

Compare the 8.ta 60GB package
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/41055-8ta-60gb60gb-promo-all-the-details.html
1 x 60GB, expiry 12 months

To the old Cell-C 60GB package
12 x 5GB, expiry monthly
The costs are similar, but to me the 8ta package is much more practical and better value.

The Cell-C package forces you to use up as much as possible of you 5GB every month.

The 8ta package allows me to use when I need, and encourages me to save.

Eg. If ADSL use the Eskom model of no expiry, users would actually use less data - resulting in less congestion at the exchanges.

 

[Chevron]

+1

The Eskom model encourages users to conserve electricity.
Imagine if the pre-paid electricity bundle were like data/airtime and expired?
We would use more kW before it "expired".

Compare the 8.ta 60GB package
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/41055-8ta-60gb60gb-promo-all-the-details.html
1 x 60GB, expiry 12 months

To the old Cell-C 60GB package
12 x 5GB, expiry monthly
The costs are similar, but to me the 8ta package is much more practical and better value.

The Cell-C package forces you to use up as much as possible of you 5GB every month.

The 8ta package allows me to use when I need, and encourages me to save.

Eg. If ADSL use the Eskom model of no expiry, users would actually use less data - resulting in less congestion at the exchanges.

Perfectly correct. I wouldn't be forced to download crap on a slow month just to finish my cap.

 

[ginggs]

The Cell-C package forces you to use up as much as possible of you 5GB every month.

You think people are not going to try and use up the remainder of their 60GB at the end of the twelfth month?

The 8ta package allows me to use when I need, and encourages me to save.

Actually, the 8ta package encourages you to blow your 60GB in less than twelve months and buy another.
The Cell-C package forces you to restrict yourself to 5GB per month.