The DSL specific prepaid price topic seems to be changing rather fast in SA, could we make this a sticky topic on the DSL forum that is updated each week to list the best priced Prepaid Suppliers for that particular week?
I have been using Afrihost, prepaid great all round, no complaints besides - I think that they temp. cap their users when the line gets very heavy traffic over a short period (aka - Large downloads - 2.5 gb av. in one shot), maybe it could be something else though, like the download supplier or Telkom, but I rather doubt it.
Who else is out there that supplies good prepaid offers much like Afrihost, but with a few more options? I think that this market in particular is being thrown into the mixing bowl as these prices, even packages at some of the suppliers seem to change almost each fortnight (specials) let alone each month.
My honest view at this point in time would be to loan a few mil from ABSA and create a new ISP that is extremely competitive, as in just above cost + a little branding + low overheads = Large Market Share. Why do I say this, well make no mistake, these boys are making a killing off us, as in (Example: buy new brands / offices and pay a few hundred thousand for a logo etc... etc... etc... have you seen those cars!!! cough cough), killing us, these prices should be rock rock rock bottom, but “NO! this is ESSAY Mate, everything is expensive”, as the amount of ADSL users (let alone other network systems) is growing almost daily, imagine how much money would be collected if you were charging for example R10 per GB, if your cost was say, my guess R5 per GB, and you had lets say 100,000 users using 5 GB per month...., I am just guessing here... but the system would be unshaped for its users, the system is upgraded with the income etc etc etc, many options here, but make it easier for the client to get value for their rand.
SA's Information requirement is growing fast and people are signing up with these ISPs faster than mice to cheese, we are starting to talk millions of SA users. The best technology business plan for SA at this very moment relating to ADSL, would be to become the cheapest, well now this could motivate a few people to either start a new company that would make the rest of them look silly and with their large overheads unable to compete or have these ISPs drop a little price and win over the bulk of the market share, much like what Afrihost has done with their Prepaid R29 per GB (GREAT DEAL!!!!), but make it even cheaper and win the bulk market share hands down.... Remember, large companies have large overheads, large overheads that do not necessarily need to be there.
Talking to a few guys from the US on this topic specific (price/speed), SA's companies do not want to build brand loyalty, they want get rich quick systems, which only helps one or two of them get to the top until they wobble off with their mid market share because the market is so fragmented. Mweb has secured their place in SA ISP History relating to brand loyalty, so lets exclude them from this line, but their prices are still either too high or they do not have enough purchase options for their clients prepaid.
My thoughts for the evening, hope this got a bit of grey matter moving, I, like everyone else am sick of poor service and high charges in SA. None of this represents any facts, this is just what I pulled up tonight while looking for new Prepaid packages for the new month.
I have been using Afrihost, prepaid great all round, no complaints besides - I think that they temp. cap their users when the line gets very heavy traffic over a short period (aka - Large downloads - 2.5 gb av. in one shot), maybe it could be something else though, like the download supplier or Telkom, but I rather doubt it.
Who else is out there that supplies good prepaid offers much like Afrihost, but with a few more options? I think that this market in particular is being thrown into the mixing bowl as these prices, even packages at some of the suppliers seem to change almost each fortnight (specials) let alone each month.
My honest view at this point in time would be to loan a few mil from ABSA and create a new ISP that is extremely competitive, as in just above cost + a little branding + low overheads = Large Market Share. Why do I say this, well make no mistake, these boys are making a killing off us, as in (Example: buy new brands / offices and pay a few hundred thousand for a logo etc... etc... etc... have you seen those cars!!! cough cough), killing us, these prices should be rock rock rock bottom, but “NO! this is ESSAY Mate, everything is expensive”, as the amount of ADSL users (let alone other network systems) is growing almost daily, imagine how much money would be collected if you were charging for example R10 per GB, if your cost was say, my guess R5 per GB, and you had lets say 100,000 users using 5 GB per month...., I am just guessing here... but the system would be unshaped for its users, the system is upgraded with the income etc etc etc, many options here, but make it easier for the client to get value for their rand.
SA's Information requirement is growing fast and people are signing up with these ISPs faster than mice to cheese, we are starting to talk millions of SA users. The best technology business plan for SA at this very moment relating to ADSL, would be to become the cheapest, well now this could motivate a few people to either start a new company that would make the rest of them look silly and with their large overheads unable to compete or have these ISPs drop a little price and win over the bulk of the market share, much like what Afrihost has done with their Prepaid R29 per GB (GREAT DEAL!!!!), but make it even cheaper and win the bulk market share hands down.... Remember, large companies have large overheads, large overheads that do not necessarily need to be there.
Talking to a few guys from the US on this topic specific (price/speed), SA's companies do not want to build brand loyalty, they want get rich quick systems, which only helps one or two of them get to the top until they wobble off with their mid market share because the market is so fragmented. Mweb has secured their place in SA ISP History relating to brand loyalty, so lets exclude them from this line, but their prices are still either too high or they do not have enough purchase options for their clients prepaid.
My thoughts for the evening, hope this got a bit of grey matter moving, I, like everyone else am sick of poor service and high charges in SA. None of this represents any facts, this is just what I pulled up tonight while looking for new Prepaid packages for the new month.
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