-
Ask a question and get free supportUnlock new privileges and see hidden discussionsWin prizes and earn reputation
-
Question of the day ~ How often do you braai?
-
Afristay giveaway.Win a 2-night stay for two people at an establishment of your choice with R1,000 in spending money. Enter here.
Sign up with GoogleCarteBlanche
- Thread starter DoubleOne
- Start date
Dear Rabbi,
As a former Telkom "person" you are echoing the sentiments of those middle managers whose only job is to return a higher revenue to the company.
I agree, companies should have as one of the top 3 reasons for being in business to have a profit and a good one at that not only for shareholders but to grow business and to incentivise employees.
As Telkom is a monopoly and the govt does everything to keep it that way I bellieve Telkom doesn't have the right to refuse services at a reasonable rate. Note I wrote reasonable. A freemarket economy is driven on the principle that the best cost/service/product relationship thrives. As there is currently no competition, I feel a stranglehold is placed not only on the consumer but also on the increase in business and employment that a deregulated and non monopolised telco industry will bring.
Also realise that the increased profits is not spent on bettering working conditions of Telkom personnel or to increase the service levels of the company.
No, it is shipped off to places like Malaysia, the coffers of the SA govt. to buy unneccessary presidentail jets.
Count yourself lucky that you have access to a leased line, it is a great tool. But also realise that what you are paying for that service is considered gross overcharging by intl standards. And also go and look up your logs for line failures, and then read your SLA. 99% uptime is gauranteed but hardly ever attained. In the real world companies get sued for failure to comply but not here because there is no threat of the customer taking the business elsewhere.
As a rule myadsl.co.za is a consumer forum ( we pay more than twice intl standard costs for a service and we do not get the advantage of intl trends or cost service / performance)
As a semi govt institution Telkom should be held responsible to SA and the forced consumers of its services.
To that end i am willing to keep on questioning everything Telkom does or intends to do. not a personal crusade, more a realistic expectation from an unrealistic company.
As a former Telkom "person" you are echoing the sentiments of those middle managers whose only job is to return a higher revenue to the company.
I agree, companies should have as one of the top 3 reasons for being in business to have a profit and a good one at that not only for shareholders but to grow business and to incentivise employees.
As Telkom is a monopoly and the govt does everything to keep it that way I bellieve Telkom doesn't have the right to refuse services at a reasonable rate. Note I wrote reasonable. A freemarket economy is driven on the principle that the best cost/service/product relationship thrives. As there is currently no competition, I feel a stranglehold is placed not only on the consumer but also on the increase in business and employment that a deregulated and non monopolised telco industry will bring.
Also realise that the increased profits is not spent on bettering working conditions of Telkom personnel or to increase the service levels of the company.
No, it is shipped off to places like Malaysia, the coffers of the SA govt. to buy unneccessary presidentail jets.
Count yourself lucky that you have access to a leased line, it is a great tool. But also realise that what you are paying for that service is considered gross overcharging by intl standards. And also go and look up your logs for line failures, and then read your SLA. 99% uptime is gauranteed but hardly ever attained. In the real world companies get sued for failure to comply but not here because there is no threat of the customer taking the business elsewhere.
As a rule myadsl.co.za is a consumer forum ( we pay more than twice intl standard costs for a service and we do not get the advantage of intl trends or cost service / performance)
As a semi govt institution Telkom should be held responsible to SA and the forced consumers of its services.
To that end i am willing to keep on questioning everything Telkom does or intends to do. not a personal crusade, more a realistic expectation from an unrealistic company.
ckleynhans
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2003
- Messages
- 96
Hi Herbs,
That was beautiful man. Passionately beautiful! I am unfortunately also one of those that believe that there are more to this issue than just to ADSL or not to ADSL. I believe Telkom must clear up their act and we must make sure they do. They are playing dirty on many levels or fronts and they are not always try to hide the fact either!
-----------------------
| Christiaan |
------------------------
That was beautiful man. Passionately beautiful! I am unfortunately also one of those that believe that there are more to this issue than just to ADSL or not to ADSL. I believe Telkom must clear up their act and we must make sure they do. They are playing dirty on many levels or fronts and they are not always try to hide the fact either!
-----------------------
| Christiaan |
------------------------
I suggest that you have adults like herbs represent your case when dealing with Telkom. You'll get a lot further with constructive criticism and positive input. Have you never heard of the carrot AND the stick??
Leave the rest of the kiddies as home, as nobody likes to be in the company of temper tantrum toddlers. Nobody likes whiners! There are either a lot of kids(or young adults) on this forum as they seem to belive they will achieve positive results with negative input. Just have a look at all of them that made personal comments about me
Do you only tidy your rooms when mommy shouts??
PS. SK33T - I dive a 330i. I, unlike you, am prepared to, and do pay for performance.
Leave the rest of the kiddies as home, as nobody likes to be in the company of temper tantrum toddlers. Nobody likes whiners! There are either a lot of kids(or young adults) on this forum as they seem to belive they will achieve positive results with negative input. Just have a look at all of them that made personal comments about me
Do you only tidy your rooms when mommy shouts?? PS. SK33T - I dive a 330i. I, unlike you, am prepared to, and do pay for performance.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">There are either a lot of kids(or young adults) on this forum as they seem to belive they will achieve positive results with negative input.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
OR what? Seems to me like you lost your train of thought and never completed the "either".
Probaly too busy talking on your cell phone whilst overtaking someone in your BMW [?]
OR what? Seems to me like you lost your train of thought and never completed the "either".
Probaly too busy talking on your cell phone whilst overtaking someone in your BMW [?]
DarkHelmet
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Messages
- 116
DoubleOne - please post the letter u sent to Carte Blanche
ckleynhans
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2003
- Messages
- 96
Who is this TheRabbi guy. Drives a 330i, plays games all day, are willing to pay whatever for ADSL and behaves like a spoiled brat. Why don't you also tell us how you make your money wise guy?
-----------------------
| Christiaan |
------------------------
-----------------------
| Christiaan |
------------------------
Ok guys lets not get to 'flames' here.
Rabbi is entitled to his opinion , so lets not get nasty here...including you Rabbi.
Flaming pro Telkom comments will only make visitors think MyADSL is not willing to listen to any positive remarks regarding Telkom or ADSL.
Constructive counter posting is allowed though []
Rabbi is entitled to his opinion , so lets not get nasty here...including you Rabbi.
Flaming pro Telkom comments will only make visitors think MyADSL is not willing to listen to any positive remarks regarding Telkom or ADSL.
Constructive counter posting is allowed though [
]"I dive a 330i. I, unlike you, am prepared to, and do pay for performance"
I hope you mean drive ? o and while we on the subject of cars, my Jeep Wrangler will piss all over your 330i mate !!!! na naa na na naaa na
Eish Come now lets get back to the subject !!!!!!
I hope you mean drive ? o and while we on the subject of cars, my Jeep Wrangler will piss all over your 330i mate !!!! na naa na na naaa na
Eish Come now lets get back to the subject !!!!!!
I contacted Carte Blanche's Billie O'Hara (researcher) with our ADSL saga (see new topic Demand but no Delivery)and she said our dilemma was not "rich" enough for Carte Blanche. She excused Telkom's poor delivery away with the words "we have to give credit to the fact that we are a developing country and cannot expect the same degree of technology and infrastructure as first world countries".
OH PLEASE!!!!!!![}]
I have a preorder list of 80 companies and individuals desperate for ADSL on the 032 prefix, we are the fastest growing Metro area in the counry but I suspect because we used to be called Stanger, we just don't warrant attention!
Telkom's Hans vd Groenendal said our demand was "unpractical" to meet and offered ISDN instead.
On East Coast Radio today, Andrew Weldrick (Telkom's Media Spokesman) said a feasibility study was being conducted in Ballito and he could not say whether we would qualify (excuse me?) for ADSL or ever get the service.
In a bitter twist of irony, the local Telkom Office in Ballito forwards all ADSL enquiries directly to me.
Oh lord, it just gets more and more ridiculous by the minute and Telkom get away with it over and over and over again.
<hr noshade size="1">
OH PLEASE!!!!!!![}
]I have a preorder list of 80 companies and individuals desperate for ADSL on the 032 prefix, we are the fastest growing Metro area in the counry but I suspect because we used to be called Stanger, we just don't warrant attention!
Telkom's Hans vd Groenendal said our demand was "unpractical" to meet and offered ISDN instead.
On East Coast Radio today, Andrew Weldrick (Telkom's Media Spokesman) said a feasibility study was being conducted in Ballito and he could not say whether we would qualify (excuse me?) for ADSL or ever get the service.
In a bitter twist of irony, the local Telkom Office in Ballito forwards all ADSL enquiries directly to me.
Oh lord, it just gets more and more ridiculous by the minute and Telkom get away with it over and over and over again.
<hr noshade size="1">
OKay, some more - check out these stats from third world countries..... I just dumped all my carte blanche emails into this page so forgive the verbosity - it makes interesting reading at any rate[]
<hr noshade size="1">
Hi Billie
I was concerned that you viewed our situation in South Africa restrictive as we are a developing nation. A quick troll on the net and 30 minutes of research spat out the following information I thought might sway your position. All this research deals with ADSL implementation and cost – the two biggest accusations levelled at Telkom. If China and Russia can get it right, then Telkom really don’t have a leg to stand on.
All the best
Philippa
CHINA
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200302/09/eng20030209_111396.shtml
Alcatel Shanghai Bell Co. Ltd. produced and sold equipment that accommodates one million asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL) last year.
http://www.chinanex.com/service/adsl.htm
According to the latest information, ADSL service in major cities offers four monthly plans for residential customers: 60 yuan ($7.2) for 45 hours (@512Kbps), 80 yuan ($9.6) 60 hours (512Kbps), 120 yuan ($14.5) for 60 hours (@1Mbps) and 130 yuan ($15.7) for unlimited use. For extra time outside allowance, the charge is .05 yuan a minute or 3 yuan an hour, or .07 a minute or 4.2 yuan an hour for the 120-yuan plan. Access fee for business and residential customers is 900 yuan which includes installation/testing, and modem. There is 400 yuan ($48.2) for access from LAN; 500 yuan ($60) if using a PCMCIA card, and 700 yuan ($84) for USB interface. In March 2002, Railcom began to offer ADSL in Beijing with a flat monthly fee instead of hour-based plans. Its lowest monthly fee is 150 yuan ($18) at 512Kbps; other datarates include 1Mbps and 2Mbps. Cost for ADSL service is falling rapidly; Beijing, for example, has recently slashed installation charge to 300 yuan ($36), and is running a promotion of 50% off regular monthly charges through June 2003. In Shanghai, broadband service has fallen to 180 yuan ($21.7) for installation charges and 100 yuan ($12) for unlimited use.
RUSSIA
http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/bisnis/country/001026VATelecom.htm
The best known ADSL project in Moscow is the Tochka.ru, launched in 2000.
MGTS and its subsidiary, PTT Teleport, chose 100 switches in physical
locations of intensive Internet users and installed ADSL equipment from
Lucent Technologies and Orckit, Israel. Another 150 switches will follow.
The Tochka.ru offers ADSL connections over regular phone lines. The
initial subscription fee is $750 and the monthly user fee is $150 for up to
800 megabytes of incoming data. As of late August 2000, Tochka.ru had 100
subscribers. The company was planning to lower the fees within two months
when its subscriber base grows. The company also announced plans to expand
into content services but provided no details.
Combellga offered ADSL service in May 1999 at a $300 initial subscription
fee and $100 monthly fee for 24.4-128 kbps Internet access. Combellga's
clients are primarily corporate users and ADSL is often bundled with other
services. Golden Line, a part of Sistema-Telecom, also offers ADSL. WEB
Plus, a part of the St. Petersburg-based Telecominvest, markets high-speed
Internet access at $48-240 per month depending on the speed of connection.
It signed 250 subscribers in the first three months after introduction of
the ADSL service in St. Petersburg.
NEW ZEALAND
After paying a connection fee of $80, customers can choose either Internet access only, at a cost of $69 a month, or both Internet access and the First Choice TV (movies, cartoons) package for $75 a month. A third option has no installation fee and offers First Choice only for $14.99 per month.
CZECK REPUBLIC
general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar
KOREA
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cach....doc+"adsl"+"world+statistics"&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
BULGARIA
http://www.heracles.com/bulgaria_audit/#te
EGYPT
http://www.menanet.net/
-----Original Message-----
From: Billie O'Hara [mailto:Billie@carteblanche.co.za]
Sent: 03 June 2003 16:37
To: philippa davis
Cc: Ashleigh Hamilton (E-mail)
Subject: RE: Attention Billie O'Hara
Hi Phillipa -
Thank you for taking the time to write. Having given this thought and discussed
it with colleagues, we consider what must be borne in mind in issues
of this nature is that South Africa is a developing country with much yet to
be provided by way of essential infrastructures.
Countries like the UK, Europe and the USA have had such structures in
place over many years and have reached a point where, having
borne the initial costs, the services are now viable and affordable to the
general public.
In this context, we do not intend pursuing this further.
Billie O'Hara
Programme Liaison - Carte Blanche
Tel. +27 11 886 8899
Fax +27 11 886 4424
- Have you checked our website?
http://www.carteblanche.co.za
- Subscribe to the free, weekly Carte Blanche Newsletter-
http://www.mnet.co.za/MNet/Global/Registration.asp?GlobalSiteID=10
-----Original Message-----
From: philippa davis [mailtohilippa.davis@mweb.co.za]
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 10:44 AM
To: contact@carteblanche.co.za
Subject: Attention Billie O'Hara
Importance: High
Dear Billie
I spoke with Ashley this morning who suggested I write to you for feedback on what I think is a viable and newsworthy expose of Telkom.
Without getting into all the hoohah that preceded this, in a nutshell, Telkom are exploiting the SA public on a scale that approaches the ludicrous.
ADSL is copper on hormones and according to Telkom’s Dr Sharon Horton (Gov & Regulatory Affairs) is the best thing since sliced bread. In the rest of the civilised world, ADSL is standard infrastructure delivered as part of government initiatives to bring the internet to as many people as cheaply and as quickly as possible. In most countries, the only charge to consumers is an ISP handling charge; in the UK & Europe around £30 as a maximum, and in the US, around $30. There is no cap on the service, there are no restrictions whatsoever.
In South Africa, ADSL is rolled out at a pace that suits Telkom. The service is charged at R680 for the service, R79 for a line rental (what line, it uses an exchange line) and R2500 for an ADSL modem. On top of that, it is capped at 3GB a month, and this is so Telkom can charge “heavy” users for each GB of extra data they transmit or receive each month.
That’s just the start of it. When I contacted ICASA, I was informed that as telkom are a monopoly, they can do what they like. When competition comes in, they will have to change their tune. But this is where things get interesting because Telkom do have competition for high speed internet connectivity, from SENTECH. Unfortunately SENTECH cannot deliver their solution, WI FI (Wireless Connection via satellite) cost effectively, because……..Telkom will not rent the fibre optic cabling required to SENTECH at wholesale prices. Again the mantra is wait for competition. All competition is going to be reliant to some degree or another on Telkom’s infrastructure, so left unchecked, Telkom will always have the upper hand and be able to exploit their market.
I know this sounds terribly crunchy and dry for TV, but there must be an angle that allows exposure of Telkom’s activities that is not only understandable to the general public, but that draws national attention to what is going on.
I find it astounding that Telkom as a public company still enjoy the protection they did as a parastatal. Surely they have an obligation as a public company to come clean and justify their business practice?
ADSL was not designed as a luxury tool to be pitched at an upper end market – which is what Telkom seem to think it is, and market it as such. The technology is not new, it is not complex and it is amazingly cheap to enable. A DSLAM upgrade in the exchange is nothing more than a flick of a switch.
Please could you come back to me on this one? If Carte Blanche can’t do anything with it, perhaps you could help me by pointing me at people who could expose this exploitation more widely.
On enquiring why KwaDukuza would not have ADSL until May 2005, I was told by the head of customer services that demand is tracked in a database somewhere, and if KwaDukuza (Stanger, Ballito, Salt Rock, Tongaat) didn’t want to join the Durban Metro, we can’t complain we have no infrastructure. Despite repeated requests for rollout criteria and the demographics that drove Telkom’s rollout plan, I have been largely ignored. There’s a list of over 80 businesses here that desperately need the service. Telkom have advised us that they find our request for the service “unpractical” to meet.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
]<hr noshade size="1">
Hi Billie
I was concerned that you viewed our situation in South Africa restrictive as we are a developing nation. A quick troll on the net and 30 minutes of research spat out the following information I thought might sway your position. All this research deals with ADSL implementation and cost – the two biggest accusations levelled at Telkom. If China and Russia can get it right, then Telkom really don’t have a leg to stand on.
All the best
Philippa
CHINA
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200302/09/eng20030209_111396.shtml
Alcatel Shanghai Bell Co. Ltd. produced and sold equipment that accommodates one million asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL) last year.
http://www.chinanex.com/service/adsl.htm
According to the latest information, ADSL service in major cities offers four monthly plans for residential customers: 60 yuan ($7.2) for 45 hours (@512Kbps), 80 yuan ($9.6) 60 hours (512Kbps), 120 yuan ($14.5) for 60 hours (@1Mbps) and 130 yuan ($15.7) for unlimited use. For extra time outside allowance, the charge is .05 yuan a minute or 3 yuan an hour, or .07 a minute or 4.2 yuan an hour for the 120-yuan plan. Access fee for business and residential customers is 900 yuan which includes installation/testing, and modem. There is 400 yuan ($48.2) for access from LAN; 500 yuan ($60) if using a PCMCIA card, and 700 yuan ($84) for USB interface. In March 2002, Railcom began to offer ADSL in Beijing with a flat monthly fee instead of hour-based plans. Its lowest monthly fee is 150 yuan ($18) at 512Kbps; other datarates include 1Mbps and 2Mbps. Cost for ADSL service is falling rapidly; Beijing, for example, has recently slashed installation charge to 300 yuan ($36), and is running a promotion of 50% off regular monthly charges through June 2003. In Shanghai, broadband service has fallen to 180 yuan ($21.7) for installation charges and 100 yuan ($12) for unlimited use.
RUSSIA
http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/bisnis/country/001026VATelecom.htm
The best known ADSL project in Moscow is the Tochka.ru, launched in 2000.
MGTS and its subsidiary, PTT Teleport, chose 100 switches in physical
locations of intensive Internet users and installed ADSL equipment from
Lucent Technologies and Orckit, Israel. Another 150 switches will follow.
The Tochka.ru offers ADSL connections over regular phone lines. The
initial subscription fee is $750 and the monthly user fee is $150 for up to
800 megabytes of incoming data. As of late August 2000, Tochka.ru had 100
subscribers. The company was planning to lower the fees within two months
when its subscriber base grows. The company also announced plans to expand
into content services but provided no details.
Combellga offered ADSL service in May 1999 at a $300 initial subscription
fee and $100 monthly fee for 24.4-128 kbps Internet access. Combellga's
clients are primarily corporate users and ADSL is often bundled with other
services. Golden Line, a part of Sistema-Telecom, also offers ADSL. WEB
Plus, a part of the St. Petersburg-based Telecominvest, markets high-speed
Internet access at $48-240 per month depending on the speed of connection.
It signed 250 subscribers in the first three months after introduction of
the ADSL service in St. Petersburg.
NEW ZEALAND
After paying a connection fee of $80, customers can choose either Internet access only, at a cost of $69 a month, or both Internet access and the First Choice TV (movies, cartoons) package for $75 a month. A third option has no installation fee and offers First Choice only for $14.99 per month.
CZECK REPUBLIC
general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar
KOREA
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cach....doc+"adsl"+"world+statistics"&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
BULGARIA
http://www.heracles.com/bulgaria_audit/#te
EGYPT
http://www.menanet.net/
-----Original Message-----
From: Billie O'Hara [mailto:Billie@carteblanche.co.za]
Sent: 03 June 2003 16:37
To: philippa davis
Cc: Ashleigh Hamilton (E-mail)
Subject: RE: Attention Billie O'Hara
Hi Phillipa -
Thank you for taking the time to write. Having given this thought and discussed
it with colleagues, we consider what must be borne in mind in issues
of this nature is that South Africa is a developing country with much yet to
be provided by way of essential infrastructures.
Countries like the UK, Europe and the USA have had such structures in
place over many years and have reached a point where, having
borne the initial costs, the services are now viable and affordable to the
general public.
In this context, we do not intend pursuing this further.
Billie O'Hara
Programme Liaison - Carte Blanche
Tel. +27 11 886 8899
Fax +27 11 886 4424
- Have you checked our website?
http://www.carteblanche.co.za
- Subscribe to the free, weekly Carte Blanche Newsletter-
http://www.mnet.co.za/MNet/Global/Registration.asp?GlobalSiteID=10
-----Original Message-----
From: philippa davis [mailto
hilippa.davis@mweb.co.za]Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 10:44 AM
To: contact@carteblanche.co.za
Subject: Attention Billie O'Hara
Importance: High
Dear Billie
I spoke with Ashley this morning who suggested I write to you for feedback on what I think is a viable and newsworthy expose of Telkom.
Without getting into all the hoohah that preceded this, in a nutshell, Telkom are exploiting the SA public on a scale that approaches the ludicrous.
ADSL is copper on hormones and according to Telkom’s Dr Sharon Horton (Gov & Regulatory Affairs) is the best thing since sliced bread. In the rest of the civilised world, ADSL is standard infrastructure delivered as part of government initiatives to bring the internet to as many people as cheaply and as quickly as possible. In most countries, the only charge to consumers is an ISP handling charge; in the UK & Europe around £30 as a maximum, and in the US, around $30. There is no cap on the service, there are no restrictions whatsoever.
In South Africa, ADSL is rolled out at a pace that suits Telkom. The service is charged at R680 for the service, R79 for a line rental (what line, it uses an exchange line) and R2500 for an ADSL modem. On top of that, it is capped at 3GB a month, and this is so Telkom can charge “heavy” users for each GB of extra data they transmit or receive each month.
That’s just the start of it. When I contacted ICASA, I was informed that as telkom are a monopoly, they can do what they like. When competition comes in, they will have to change their tune. But this is where things get interesting because Telkom do have competition for high speed internet connectivity, from SENTECH. Unfortunately SENTECH cannot deliver their solution, WI FI (Wireless Connection via satellite) cost effectively, because……..Telkom will not rent the fibre optic cabling required to SENTECH at wholesale prices. Again the mantra is wait for competition. All competition is going to be reliant to some degree or another on Telkom’s infrastructure, so left unchecked, Telkom will always have the upper hand and be able to exploit their market.
I know this sounds terribly crunchy and dry for TV, but there must be an angle that allows exposure of Telkom’s activities that is not only understandable to the general public, but that draws national attention to what is going on.
I find it astounding that Telkom as a public company still enjoy the protection they did as a parastatal. Surely they have an obligation as a public company to come clean and justify their business practice?
ADSL was not designed as a luxury tool to be pitched at an upper end market – which is what Telkom seem to think it is, and market it as such. The technology is not new, it is not complex and it is amazingly cheap to enable. A DSLAM upgrade in the exchange is nothing more than a flick of a switch.
Please could you come back to me on this one? If Carte Blanche can’t do anything with it, perhaps you could help me by pointing me at people who could expose this exploitation more widely.
On enquiring why KwaDukuza would not have ADSL until May 2005, I was told by the head of customer services that demand is tracked in a database somewhere, and if KwaDukuza (Stanger, Ballito, Salt Rock, Tongaat) didn’t want to join the Durban Metro, we can’t complain we have no infrastructure. Despite repeated requests for rollout criteria and the demographics that drove Telkom’s rollout plan, I have been largely ignored. There’s a list of over 80 businesses here that desperately need the service. Telkom have advised us that they find our request for the service “unpractical” to meet.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely