[Constructive] Suggestions for Vodacom: Data Packages & Bundles

[pope24]

With HSDPA having a lower latency they should host gaming servers and sell gaming packages which give people a specific number of gaming hours per month and don't count the bandwidth.

 

[MrG]

There needs to be a uncapped offering somewhere, for a fixed amount. I am tired of having x amount for x bandwidth. In the U.S I had a cable connection (4mbit Uncapped for $19.00) that was in 2001. There should be a much larger allowance than 1GB for R499. Sorry but that is not going to help the youth of the country gain access to the internet, and as far as I know Wireless is the best way to reach this sector and rural areas.

Then again I dont think Vodacom could care about the youth. We can see that from prices, its businesses they want. The youth can sit with two plastic cups + string.

 

[ajax]

Keep the current price per MB on HSDPA but drop the price on 3G/EDGE/GPRS by 33%.
This way, the market will grow quicker, and many of the entrants will eventually upgrade to HSPDA.

Give unmetered usage between 23h00 and 05h00 or at least make it 10% of the price.
To prevent abuse, make this available only on 1 GB bundles, or instead of unmetered, make the price per MB extremely low during these hours.

Carry-over of unused megs at the end of the 30 day cycle a must.

 

[ettubrute]

//Sorry to burst the bubbles...

Scrap the metering completely! Sell the connection, and see how the subscriber base soars!

 

[ettubrute]

Well... same idea for all services, i.e. GPRS|EDGE|3G|HSDPA. Prices will obviously be higher for the better connections. BUT, don't call it uncapped! Just call it Real data connections

 

[diabolus]

Well i'd like to see subscription based content for DataCard/PC/Laptop scenario. Similar to what the 3G phones get with Vodafone Live.

I.e. TV Streams and other media. Not sure how the tech behind it would work. But for example i'd like a "package" option like this:

1. 500 MB Data @ [whatever subscription price]
2. TV/Media Content @ [whatever subscription price preferably a flat-fee per channel for example]
3. Any other type of content which Vodacom determined to be excluded from bundle usage @ [whatever subscription price]

Based on that, none of the subscriptions should "overlap", for example if you have 500MB and a Media X subscription then when you pull down media X content ON YOUR PC [i.e. via your browser] then it will not be deducted from your bundle. Alternately if you do NOT have a media X subscription to the specific content it [can] go down from your bundle instead.

Thus creating situation where you maybe want to view a streamed event, but do not want to subscribe to it for a month, only a once-off-effect.

This way there would be a reason for me to get HSDPA because i can use it to pay a "flat fee" or "lower fee" to view specific media, yet at the same time not loosing the freedom to use my data the regular way as well.

At the end of the day, Vodacom can then for example keep their data-rates at current levels but bring in various forms of "local" or "specific" content which can be subscribed to at flat-fee type of rates on top of the bundle. This can even include Blackberry type of "unlimited email send/receive via vodacom SMTP/POP" service etc etc.

 

[vodacom3g]

This is going well, thanks guys. Please keep it up.

VMS and Harley79, where are the roll-over requests?

How about data products not normally associated with broadband? Telemetry over GPRS after hours, for example? Any need / use for this?

 

[kaspaas]

I would love to see a much reduced rate for the slower data modes ie. GPRS at lowest, followed by EDGE 3G and HSDPA. eg GPRS is at say 25% of HSDPA.

Also I would love to see different rates according to peak/non-peak hours - whichever they are.

 

[Daveogg]

Can i throw a curved ball in here??

The assumption here is that as HSDPA is "faster" and therefore "better" than preceding techs it should be / will be more expensive.

Surely if Vodacom is the ethical corporate we all know it is, then the question should be what is the cost to vodacom of each technology and what is a resonable profit margin.

Surely as technology improves, the total cost for providing a GB of data to the clients will decrease. IE it should cost Vodacom less to provide a GB of data to me on HSDPA then on GPRS.

 

[Piesang]

Give us a HSDPA connection with a 30GB Cap, Unshaped for R999 per month and Vodacom will have every single internet user for themselves.

 

[stormwalkerza]

(xcuse spelling ) Since GPRS is available EVERYWHERE, with faster options in more isolated areas as you go higher i shall focus on GPRS with the pricing model increasing accordingly.

Issentially, GPRS is equal to dial-up with regards to speed & the idea is to replace dialup with a gprs connection.
I'm not sure if Vodacom can check when one is downloading versus The time (yet) but if it can be done then heres some ideas...

All packages - Uncapped GPRS Access During
All other times - 10-20c odd per meg

Surfmore Weekender:
Weekend Only
From 5pm Fri - 9am Mon
Cost - R100

Surfmore NightCap
Surfmore Weekender Plus:
5pm - 9am access
R150

Surfmore Every Day
24/7 Access
R300

Packages are shaped for non p2p apps (kazaa, emule etc)

Unchaped can be more...

Will think further on other packages ...

Cheers

 

[Inertia]

Give us a HSDPA connection with a 30GB Cap, Unshaped for R999 per month and Vodacom will have every single internet user for themselves.

What makes that any different from a IS 3/30g 512/1024 acc (other than international)?

Gimme what you just said at R500-600 and i will start to consider my ADSL alternatives..

 

[Prometheus]

More on the subject of data bundles...
Scrap the 30 day expiry of data bundles and allow the unlimited purchase of bundles i.e. more than one bundle in a month. If you don't it's going to be the same thing that's happening to MTN. People are sitting with 2, 3, or even 4 SIMs in order to buy more bundles, using up all the phone numbers.

Also charge a lower rate than R2 for out-of-bundle data like MTN after the purchase of a data bundle.

As for different rates for different times. I'm not sure how this could work on a data bundle. Will 1MB=1MB after 12am or will 1MB=500kB

 

[diabolus]

As for different rates for different times. I'm not sure how this could work on a data bundle. Will 1MB=1MB after 12am or will 1MB=500kB

No, your tariff per MB is lower. I.e. R2 p/MB during peak hours and R1 p/MB during off peak ours...exactly like cellphone tariffs differs depending which time of day you make your call. In terms of bundles , i assume a system where "less" MBs are subtracted from your bundle than what you actually used would be needed...but in my oppinion the bundle system is very inefficient and problematic [both from customer perspective and from future services and billing systems/mechanisms which will become highly limited if you are stuck with a bundling system]. I don't see why data usage can't work exactly like cellphone minutes [ you pay a rate per minute and that's that, you want to pay lower rates you subscribe to a different contract which obviously have a higher monthly "flat fee" ].

MTN are already pretty close to mentioned system in a way that
(a) each bundle has a different "out-of-bundle" rate. The larger the bundle the lower the out-of-bundle rate. For example: R200 for 350MB bundle AND R1.50 out-of-bundle if you end up using more than the bundle.
>>You can translate that into:
Contract : R200 per month, get 350MB FREE, rate p/MB = R1.50 .

(b) bundles are not based on calendar months, it's pure "30 days from purchase". Which means the rates are also dynamically applied.

 

[Prometheus]

As for different rates for different times. I'm not sure how this could work on a data bundle. Will 1MB=1MB after 12am or will 1MB=500kB

No, your tariff per MB is lower. I.e. R2 p/MB during peak hours and R1 p/MB during off peak ours...

I was referring to data bundles only.

 

[Prometheus]

What about a sliding scale in addition to data bundles. Pay a lower rate for every additional MB transfered.

 

[ajax]

I know I wouldn't go for a data service charged per minute - that's what has in the past drained my bank account on dial-up, one of the biggest advantages of GPRS|EDGE|3G|HSDPA is that you can be connected 24*7 and only be charged for the data you transfer, whereas a per minute charge would be much more expensive unless the per minute charge was next to R0.01.

Like I say, I certainly wouldn't go for a per minute data charge, but there might be perfectly valid circumstances where some consumers would prefer this.

NO per minute charging. That's why there's CSD.

 

[nicovdw]

A great part of the cost must be international bandwidth, peering links etc.

How about a local mirror of software, like IS has (Linux, tucows, openoffice, vmc, etc, etc.) Then make downloads from there free or dirt cheap. Perhaps limit access from one apn or something like that.

Oh, and prepaid data bundles please.

And more competitive rates. ie the R220/350MB that MTN has.

Or even just a Free or R10/month contract to make up for the no data bundles.

 

[ajax]

A great part of the cost must be international bandwidth, peering links etc.How about a local mirror of software, like IS has (Linux, tucows, openoffice, vmc, etc, etc.) Then make downloads from there free or dirt cheap. Perhaps limit access from one apn or something like that.

Ditto absolutely! Vodacom could make these available on the Vlive! APN for example. It would require that we change a setting on the pc and log in again, but this would be an easy way for Voda of making the software available for free without adding complexity to the billing system I would think (hope).

 

[mavx]

I really think this is an important point to bring up. I live in a relatively small town. Thank our lucky stars we have 3G in our area as Telk0m will most likely never bring adsl into the picture. Vodacom's (Any wireless Provider for that matter) 3G & HSDPA coverage is going to have a massive influence on the "broadband" takeup in this country. They can reach people where cable connections will be physically impossible. Surely the price is going to have an equally important influence on the actual number of subscribers. I say this not because of the actual costs but because the demographic of the customer changes, most people fortunate enough to be able to receive ADSL will undoubtedly get connected via ADSL. Second prize these days is 3G, surely this would be a majority of users who are able to receive 3G but not ADSL? 3G tarriffs therefore futher inflame the situation, user A can only get 3G because he lives out of ADSL range but can receive 3G BUT still has to pay more for his connectivity. I understand the rollout of broadband will obviously cover the most densely populated areas because of the need for higher customer take-up, I just hope that this will extend to the areas where it can have a serious affect on the lifes of the people concerned. I think it's a long way to go before High speed internet connectivity becomes a helpful tool rather than a luxury for those than can afford it.