I'm signing in today for the first time since DJ was banned.
I'm not exactly sure what makes XtremeTTH different from a FTTH rollout. Perhaps there's some possibility that it's related to Google's Gigabit Wi-Fi rollout that they've been trialling for a while, or perhaps that's the Phase 3 announcement waiting in the wings. I know Google's been experimenting with Wi-Fi on street lights and telephone poles to expand coverage rapidly, and the way this press release is worded, especially the 5kmsq requirement hints that this is that same technology.
Because, lets face it: trenching takes a long time to approve and actually do. And then there's testing on top of that. And you have to be in one of the big cities to benefit right now.
Getting something like this to happen in Jeffreys Bay might be difficult, but not impossible (I'd appreciate it if CW Management could comment on this thread how feasible an area like C-Place is). Having the requirement for subscribers to use CW accounts over DSL first instead of registering non-binding interest makes it more difficult because, like others in this thread have noted, unless someone is offering the chance to get fiber within the next few weeks, they're not interested because there's no guarantee that it'll become available.
Even I'm not naive about the possibility of Jeffreys Bay seeing a fiber rollout, although I'll definitely do my part to try make it happen. It would be easier to do with a guarantee in place of when installation would happen if the sign up criteria could be met, instead of the current method of meeting the signup quota, and ONLY THEN doing feasibility studies and identifying when, if ever, rolling out fiber to an area is possible.
If, however, you're able to roll out XTTH wherever there is a Telkom DSL coverage, with at least 40 signups, then that's as good a guarantee as any. The only thing I'd need then is an indication of how far along in the queue my area that I've championed is.
On the subject of this, though:
In addition, it means complete remote management and support of your devices on-site with auto-provisioning and the elimination of often insecure usernames and passwords that as we recently discovered the hard way, often not even you can control when multiple parties are involved in provisioning and management of internet and associated services.
This sounds like, to me, the same model as Comcast fiber, or US-based network installations where you get given a router that you have little control over, or no choice in using your own without going through hoops to get a customer service rep to allow it to authenticate with your details. So, where does the control lie? How much choice and control does the user have over the routers that connect to the network?
What this XTTH rollout sounds like is CW and others working together to roll out a network that's separate from Telkom. Who ultimately controls this new network that's now going to be competing against Telkom? Is it a consortium of ISPs? Is there a board for ISPs to sit on, with a CEO taking orders?
Furthermore, let's dig into a future problem - IPV6 rollouts. I know someone at CW has thought about this, so its worth discussing now. If I have devices that connect to my local LAN and go out through IPV6, do I have to provision them with my ISP's network? Would I have to do this for every IoT device that makes its way into my household? Now might be a good time to address future problems that may rear their heads in a year or two relating to IPV6 support.
