Burgundy Estate FTTH

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Arnoldsly99

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Jan 30, 2011
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Stefan! said:
I spoke to him last week - he is relocating to Eastern Cape this week. The process is out of Marite/Apexeon's hands at this point. Vodacom is supposedly still going to install the satellite uplink, but only after completing another installation somewhere else. I am sure this process will take another 6 Months or so.

If we get internet via that Satellite Uplink we will prob be locked in with Vodacom with their ridiculous prices.
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Yeah I just wish I knew which moron from Apexeon or Marite is responsible for giving the tender to Vodacom. I would love to **** on his lawn.
 
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Stefan!

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Well that would be Apexeon. Marite actually has nothing to do with the Fibre at all. The developer hired Apexeon (without informing Marite) as a management company (They install within complex) and then they sold to Vodacom. Apparently they have to sell to whoever wants to buy first. He said Frogfoot wasn't interested or wanted some other area.

So I guess you need to go to Apexeon's lawn - It seems like a quick buck situation. I just love how all this happens without a single line of communication to people within the Complex - no choice at all.
 
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TheRaceCube

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Is it safe to assume none of you okes in Ruby are gonna go with Vodacom then? I'm definitely not. If none of us do - where does that leave Vodacom? Forced to change the package options or re-sell again to another company? Hoping for the latter, so that Frogfoot or Afrihost can take it...
 
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savage

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TheRaceCube said:
Is it safe to assume none of you okes in Ruby are gonna go with Vodacom then? I'm definitely not. If none of us do - where does that leave Vodacom? Forced to change the package options or re-sell again to another company? Hoping for the latter, so that Frogfoot or Afrihost can take it...
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Honestly, Vodacom is big enough to just not care... It's not like they need the revenue - this is small change for them. I don't think they will give a damn in terms of who signs and who doesn't. This is a fight the HOA would need to fight I think, and depending on contracts I doubt that they'll get anywhere. I can see Vodacom (and others) dragging this out for many, many years. You can try the ISPA, but I'm not sure on what grounds they will intervene, as even the ISPA's code of conduct, does not have any provisions in terms of infrastructure, only services. The FTTH Council of South Africa may have something to say, but it is not a legal body with any authority either, so they can't force anything onto anyone either.

ECNS license holders, are for a lack of a better word, free to do as they please. That's the biggest problem here. They are doing exactly what we've accused Telkom of doing for many, many years. We just happen to turn a blind eye to it because we're so happy that it's not Telkom doing it. That, doesn't make it right. Think about Local Loop Unbundling, and how we're STILL no where near it? Ironic, how it all just went quiet, and swept under the carpet? These same companies that faught Telkom on LLU, are now doing precisely the same thing.

We need regulations to force LLU on the FTTx game (or any infrastructure for that matter), it's the only way. FTTx providers are installing the Local Loop (fiber) and doing absolutely everything in their power, to refuse anyone access to the actual Local Loop. They resell access to the local loop in a very, very similar way to what Telkom is reselling IPC. Sure, cheaper perhaps, but it's fundamentally the exact same model (and that's now IF you can get them to sell you the access). They are operating no differently to what Telkom is, and was, 5, 10, 20 years ago. We are here, and we're not allowing any one else to enter our "turf."

Just look at the old SADV, in Century City for example (and other estates that they have and/or had), even before the FTTx boom. They would even back in the day refuse the likes of Telkom to just install a DSL line in a building where they had "exclusivity" (search this very forum, multiple posts about SADV nightmares).

I'm not sure what the industry is going to do about this as a whole, but regulation is needed if this is how the "big boys" are playing (again, ISPA and/or Competition Commission perhaps, is a good start). Stories like this is very quickly going to give the entire industry a bad name I'm afraid - it breaks down confidence in the technologies used, it breaks down trust in allowing operators to install private infrastructure, and it scares customers and HOAs away from entering into agreements... Even Municipalities, needs to start realizing what is happening here, and wake up in terms of conditions imposed on wayleaves. CoCT told me personally in so many words, they just can not and don't know how, to get these guys to S-H-A-R-E.

I know of at least 5 trustees on various HOAs, reading this very thread, to be honest.
 
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Stefan!

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I know of at least 5 trustees on various HOAs, reading this very thread, to be honest.
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Unfortunately in Ruby Estate we don't have a HOA, only a board of trustees. We will most likely only form a HOA within a year or two - If I understood correctly.

I agree that there is most likely not much we can do about Vodacom.

Is it safe to assume none of you okes in Ruby are gonna go with Vodacom then? I'm definitely not. If none of us do - where does that leave Vodacom? Forced to change the package options or re-sell again to another company? Hoping for the latter, so that Frogfoot or Afrihost can take it...
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Perhaps all the Ruby Estate people interested in Fibre should get together for a meeting. Once we have a decent size group, we can ask Marite, the developer and Apexeon to join us for a sit down. I have contact details one of the Vodacom people dealing with this (I have provided it to Marite and they are waiting for feedback from them).

If we can at least get some sort of timeline/deadline/date from Vodacom it would be nice. Maybe savage can confirm this, but I am sure there are some deadlines that need to be met in the contract.

If anyone is interested, pm your email addy. If you know some residents that would be interested, please get their emails as well.
 
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Marno502

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I am new here,i am also interested in real fibre. I see they installed the satilite thing today. I don't get what they are doing, are they gonna try and sell wireless Internet as "fibre".
 
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savage

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It's more than likely a microwave link, instead of a fiber link for the back haul traffic.
 
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Arnoldsly99

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Stefan! said:
Unfortunately in Ruby Estate we don't have a HOA, only a board of trustees. We will most likely only form a HOA within a year or two - If I understood correctly.

I agree that there is most likely not much we can do about Vodacom.



Perhaps all the Ruby Estate people interested in Fibre should get together for a meeting. Once we have a decent size group, we can ask Marite, the developer and Apexeon to join us for a sit down. I have contact details one of the Vodacom people dealing with this (I have provided it to Marite and they are waiting for feedback from them).

If we can at least get some sort of timeline/deadline/date from Vodacom it would be nice. Maybe savage can confirm this, but I am sure there are some deadlines that need to be met in the contract.

If anyone is interested, pm your email addy. If you know some residents that would be interested, please get their emails as well.
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There's no way in hell Vodacom is making a single buck from me just ordered my DSL.

Also PM sent.
 
d0b33

d0b33

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I keep getting VOX FTTH brochures, but their website states no availability. :mad:
 
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Arnoldsly99

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So Vodacom Fibre singups are from 15:00-18:00 today at front gate of Ruby Esate. The deals on the leaflet they gave the residents seemed to be reasonable so I enquired from Emile the Area Sales Manager that attached his contact card and he emailed me this morning " Oh sorry that's an old leaflet we used those packages are not available anymore". Wow..... anyways here is a dropbox download link for the FTTH Vodacom application form Emille sent me with the true packages on it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ao3nehfq...ation v15_19 June2017 GK_updated TCs.pdf?dl=0
 
d0b33

d0b33

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Webafrica called me stating Fibre is now available and If I'm still interested... I will think about it...
 
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recre8

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Jan 14, 2010
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Booo my complex is still red on frogfoot's coverage map. But at least it's on there.

Can anyone who already has fibre installed post a photo of the equipment that gets installed. If you could get a photo of the model number of the model number of the ONT too that will be great. I wish there was a Frogfoot representative on this thread.
 
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imaginary_friend

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recre8 said:
Booo my complex is still red on frogfoot's coverage map. But at least it's on there.

Can anyone who already has fibre installed post a photo of the equipment that gets installed. If you could get a photo of the model number of the model number of the ONT too that will be great. I wish there was a Frogfoot representative on this thread.
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Hi all, I finally got the vodacom fibre in last week after many roadblocks (I'm in Crystal in Ruby Estate). I took the 10mb uncapped for R799 (month to month), its expensive but I'm gonna jump ship as soon as another ISP comes along. I'm at work right now but I'll post pics when I'm home of the equipment and setup.

Performance wise, its fibre so it does what it says on the tin. I'm streaming DSTV now and thats been doing fine in HD without timeouts and loading.
 
d0b33

d0b33

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I've given up on waiting and moved on to LTE-A, signed up with Webafrica. Very happy so far.
 
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