Do Broadband requirements

[waterprism]

Hi,

There's something I'd like to find out about Telkom's Do Broadband offering.

I contacted their new services department and the consultant told me that the complete charge for Do Broadband Level 1 is R199. I'm a bit confused about this because I always thought that to have ADSL one must have a special ADSL line installed and then you pay Telkom for that line which is more than a typical landline and then you pay your broadband provider a fee for access. I said all I have is a typical landline which I use for normal dial-up access and she said all I require is Telkom's 4 port router and then I can have Do Broadband access. Is this correct? My fee for the landline will remain exactly as it is and then the only difference will be that I will be charged R199 for Do Broadband instead of the R79 or so that I get charged for normal Telkom dial-up?

I just wanted to find out about that because I was always under the impression that a special line had to be installed and the charge for that line was a lot higher than a typical voice landline.

Thank you very much.

Best,

waterprism

 

[hashbrown99]

"I just wanted to find out about that because I was always under the impression that a special line had to be installed and the charge for that line was a lot higher than a typical voice landline."

Can't advise about the charges but one thing's for sure; you're going to need an ADSL line and they aren't cheap. Also your ISP charges are in addition to line rental

 

[Syndyre]

Hi,

There's something I'd like to find out about Telkom's Do Broadband offering.

I contacted their new services department and the consultant told me that the complete charge for Do Broadband Level 1 is R199. I'm a bit confused about this because I always thought that to have ADSL one must have a special ADSL line installed and then you pay Telkom for that line which is more than a typical landline and then you pay your broadband provider a fee for access. I said all I have is a typical landline which I use for normal dial-up access and she said all I require is Telkom's 4 port router and then I can have Do Broadband access. Is this correct? My fee for the landline will remain exactly as it is and then the only difference will be that I will be charged R199 for Do Broadband instead of the R79 or so that I get charged for normal Telkom dial-up?

I just wanted to find out about that because I was always under the impression that a special line had to be installed and the charge for that line was a lot higher than a typical voice landline.

Thank you very much.

Best,

waterprism

Do Broadband is basically a bundle that includes both the ADSL line and a 1GB account, so for once Telkom's right. You'll be charged the R199 on top of the landline charge so the total'll be just over R300.

 

[ic]

@waterprism, the very same 2 copper wires used for an ordinary analogue line, that people still use for dialup, are used for an "ADSL line" - it is really just a copper wire line that attaches to a [searchforum]DSLAM port card[/searchforum] that is housed either at the local exchange, or in a [searchforum]roadside distribution box[/searchforum] on the other side of the [searchforum]DSLAM[/searchforum] is fibre optic.

After applying for ADSL, Telkodemonopolies needs to connect the copper wires of your existing copper telephone line, to an ADSL DSLAM, your copper line itself is not replaced with any magical space-age ADSL transmission material, although Telkodemonopolies likes its hostages to believe that to be the case.

 

[michaelreef]

The R199 deal includes 384kb/s adsl line rental and 1gB of usage.
The R199 will be in addition to your normal voice line rental price.

 

[MrH]

This line rental always confuses things, so if you already have a phone line the line rental is already been paid for every month along with your phone charges.

That been said the TOTAL EXTRA would only be the R199 as said by Syndyre as both the ADSL and the phone use the same line and can both be used at the same time.

You only have to add the extra line rental IF you do NOT already have a phone line.

 

[waterprism]

Thank you all very much for that. I appreciate it.

@ic & MrH, what you said is totally true. I know a lot of people - myself included until a moment ago - who believe that a huge special process has to be carried out to change a voice/data line into an "ADSL line" and that there is a specific and added line charge for ADSL.

Thank you all for clearing that up.

Okay, now that I'm clearer and know that I'm able to proceed I'd just like to find out one or two other things.

I remember reading somewhere along the line that one can install the ADSL router, etc. oneself. Is that a mission, does it basically just involve what ic said? (thanks for the links, btw)

And also, if I do the installation, etc. can I use someone else then instead of Do Broadband. It's also something that confuses slightly. I had an idea when I spoke to the consultant that the R199 included everything but when I said "and if I want another gig?" she said that's another R199 added which made me think it's more the gig you're paying for. I then remembered reading somewhere that Do Broadband is (supposedly) the cheapest broadband in the world and thought that there must be cheaper gigs out there than R199. If I set up the router, etc. myself and then use another service provider will that alter anything? I mean, I'm sure I've seen one or two ISP's on the web that charge less than R199 per gig so again, it's slightly confusing and it makes one kind of feel the other shoe's gonna drop. Even if I use another ISP for broadband access will my line rental remain exactly the same as it is now?

Thanks again for everything.

waterprism

 

[ObeyTheDiode]

Have you considered other ISP's like Cybersmart - they're also cheap, and more importantly not Telkom

 

[ic]

Thank you all very much for that. I appreciate it.

@ic & MrH, what you said is totally true. I know a lot of people - myself included until a moment ago - who believe that a huge special process has to be carried out to change a voice/data line into an "ADSL line" and that there is a specific and added line charge for ADSL.

Thank you all for clearing that up.

Okay, now that I'm clearer and know that I'm able to proceed I'd just like to find out one or two other things.

I remember reading somewhere along the line that one can install the ADSL router, etc. oneself. Is that a mission, does it basically just involve what ic said? (thanks for the links, btw)

And also, if I do the installation, etc. can I use someone else then instead of Do Broadband. It's also something that confuses slightly. I had an idea when I spoke to the consultant that the R199 included everything but when I said "and if I want another gig?" she said that's another R199 added which made me think it's more the gig you're paying for. I then remembered reading somewhere that Do Broadband is (supposedly) the cheapest broadband in the world and thought that there must be cheaper gigs out there than R199. If I set up the router, etc. myself and then use another service provider will that alter anything? I mean, I'm sure I've seen one or two ISP's on the web that charge less than R199 per gig so again, it's slightly confusing and it makes one kind of feel the other shoe's gonna drop. Even if I use another ISP for broadband access will my line rental remain exactly the same as it is now?

Thanks again for everything.

waterprism

I'm strongly biased against Telkodemonopolies and its Dodo Broadband and the ISP TelkodemonopoliesHindernet, so I will naturally advise against the monopolistic beast as your ADSL ISP.

Obviously there are many ADSL ISPs that you can choose from, and I recommend that when you place your order for ADSL, you choose the [searchforum]"Self Install Option"[/searchforum].

A lot of ADSL ISPs also offer a combined price service where the monthly ADSL Access|Connectivity rental fee, is bundled together with the data allowance ['bandwidth' cap] of your choice, you are also able to choose a non-combined pricing model if you want.

I prefer not to publicly post which ADSL ISP I use since I don't want to adversely affect other ADSL ISPs from competing effectively, I will p.m. you some links in a bit, that might help you understand the pricing structures that most of the ADSL ISPs offer.

Also, note that Telkodemonopolies' monthly copper line fee of ZAR119.90 for residential, or ZAR148.68 for businesses, still gets charged in addition to all the ADSL related fees [access|connectivity + data allowance].

<added>

More info to read before placing an order for ADSL:

ADSL Price Comparison...
Bread, Milk and Bandwidth...
The best and worst ADSL ISPs...
Problems with Telkom ADSL Resell remain...
TelkomInternet losing ground in ADSL market...
The Biggest ADSL ISPs...​

</added>

 

[MrH]

@waterprism, if you decide to go the DO package route and need more bandwidth you can always buy an Axxess voucher for R70 per GB, this voucher bandwidth carries over for a year so you do not lose any unused bandwidth.

The self install (to my knowledge) ended when TI stopped handing out free modems/routers, but if you decide to go with the DO package take it on a month 2 month basis, always avoid contracts with any ISP including TI (telkom).

I have the DO 3 package myself and so far quite happy with it and use axxess vouchers when/if I get capped internationally.

If you go with another ISP you also have to pay telkom for the line rental as well as the ISP for their package. (some ISPs bundle the telkom line rental with their package so that you only need to pay them)

I'm sure IC would have sent you a PM with extra info, so check it all out and then decide which route you want to take.

 

[ic]

The self install (to my knowledge) ended when TI stopped handing out free modems/routers,

AFAIK ADSL SIO is still available - just that one wouldn't get an ADSL modem|router for 'free' from Telkodemonopolies for choosing ADSL SIO.

One problem, not so much with SIO, but rather Telkodemonopolies' call centre agents, is that they tell people that "the ADSL SIO is not available in your area", which is absolute BS, and they do it to try and get commission on the installation where a techie is dispatched.

@waterprism, when deciding on an ADSL device, make sure it is ethernet - don't even bother with the USB models and make sure it is a router and not a plain old ADSL modem, you might want bridged mode support in future so make sure that whatever you get supports bridged mode [allows more than one ADSL ISP account to be used with the same router simultaneously].

but if you decide to go with the DO package take it on a month 2 month basis, always avoid contracts with any ISP including TI (telkom).

Yep, cannot stress that enough - do not get tied into a lengthy contract - month2month is the best way to go and quite decent ADSL routers are not too expensive - budget for ZAR500 - lots of computer shops sell ADSL routers.

Also, there is one sticky point about using TelkodemonopoliesHindernet|DodoBroadband as your ADSL ISP - if you want to cancel - even on month2month, you will find that it takes months and many calls to the beast to get cancelled - there are many posts about this in this forum.

If you go with another ISP you also have to pay telkom for the line rental as well as the ISP for their package. (some ISPs bundle the telkom line rental with their package so that you only need to pay them)

AFAIK none of the ADSL ISPs are allowed to bill their customers for the analogue | copper line rental fee.

I'm sure IC would have sent you a PM with extra info, so check it all out and then decide which route you want to take.

Yep, sent the p.m. with a few links, it's always best to check everything out upfront and ask as many questions as one can think of .

 

[MrH]

AFAIK none of the ADSL ISPs are allowed to bill their customers for the analogue | copper line rental fee..

I thought I saw it somewhere, check this link:

http://www.mweb.co.za/productsservi...rnetAccessADSLWhatIsIt/tabid/139/Default.aspx

--------------------------
New customers can buy MWEB’s new ADSL All Inclusive Bundles. This means that you pay MWEB for the data cap subscription as well as for the line rental – all in one convenient bill.
--------------------------

I'm fairly sure that I also saw it on other ISP sites a few months ago.

 

[Syndyre]

I thought I saw it somewhere, check this link:

http://www.mweb.co.za/productsservi...rnetAccessADSLWhatIsIt/tabid/139/Default.aspx

--------------------------
New customers can buy MWEB’s new ADSL All Inclusive Bundles. This means that you pay MWEB for the data cap subscription as well as for the line rental – all in one convenient bill.
--------------------------

I'm fairly sure that I also saw it on other ISP sites a few months ago.

Yeah they bundle the ADSL line fee but not the analogue phone line fee.

 

[ic]

I thought I saw it somewhere, check this link:

http://www.mweb.co.za/productsservi...rnetAccessADSLWhatIsIt/tabid/139/Default.aspx

--------------------------
New customers can buy MWEB’s new ADSL All Inclusive Bundles. This means that you pay MWEB for the data cap subscription as well as for the line rental – all in one convenient bill.
--------------------------

I'm fairly sure that I also saw it on other ISP sites a few months ago.

Nope, not even MWeb charges a single all-inclusive price:
http://www.mweb.co.za/productsservices/InternetAccess/InternetAccessADSLPricing/tabid/142/Default.aspx

You will still be charged by Telkom for normal line rental, voice and fax calls.

@waterprism, like TelkodemonopoliesHindernet, I don't recommend MWeb since MWeb has a history of charging double what other ISPs charge for no additional tangible benefit.

 

[MrH]

@ic, ok I stand corrected but I guess what they mean is if the line was ONLY for the ADSL subscription then you only pay them.

I realize that the actual phone bill that you have would still have to be paid to telkom though.
Still that quote from the mweb site does throw confusion into the mix.

 

[ic]

@ic, ok I stand corrected but I guess what they mean is if the line was ONLY for the ADSL subscription then you only pay them.

I realize that the actual phone bill that you have would still have to be paid to telkom though.
Still that quote from the mweb site does throw confusion into the mix.

The confusion is what Telkodemonopolies thrives on - or rather the money it gets from us hostages, and what it comes down to is that there are still 2 rental fees for the very same 2 pieces of copper wire [analogue + ADSL], there should only be one line rental fee [copper].

 

[CathJ]

Maybe a quick summary would help, here.

There are 3 components to ADSL charges:
1) Analogue line rental
2) ADSL line rental
3) Usage/cap

(1) and (2) are both charged, even though there is only one physical line.

(1) will always be charged by Telkom. This cannot be part of any ADSL bundle.

(2) and (3) might be bundled together (as in DoBroadband), or they might not (it's generally cheaper if bundled). You can get pay (2) to Telkom, and get (3) from another ISP; generally, even if you get (2) and (3) bundled together, you can buy more (3) from a different ISP if you choose.

 

[ic]

Nice summary there Cathryn .

 

[michaelreef]

I remember reading somewhere along the line that one can install the ADSL router, etc. oneself. Is that a mission, does it basically just involve what ic said? (thanks for the links, btw)

And also, if I do the installation, etc. can I use someone else then instead of Do Broadband. It's also something that confuses slightly. I had an idea when I spoke to the consultant that the R199 included everything but when I said "and if I want another gig?" she said that's another R199 added which made me think it's more the gig you're paying for. I then remembered reading somewhere that Do Broadband is (supposedly) the cheapest broadband in the world and thought that there must be cheaper gigs out there than R199. If I set up the router, etc. myself and then use another service provider will that alter anything? I mean, I'm sure I've seen one or two ISP's on the web that charge less than R199 per gig so again, it's slightly confusing and it makes one kind of feel the other shoe's gonna drop. Even if I use another ISP for broadband access will my line rental remain exactly the same as it is now?

Thanks again for everything.

waterprism

Seld install is actually very easy. Pretty much just plug everything in and enter a few settings.

If you need more than 1 gig Telkom offers DO2 for R257 which includes 2gigs. Alternately you can top up your 1 gig account with extra gigs at R69 per gig

 

[waterprism]

Thank you all very much. I've finally got a handle on it and will most likely proceed with ic's good advice.

All of your help is much appreciated. I was getting nowhere with Telkom and the ISPs I'd contacted and all I wanted to know was what the bottom line costs were. You've all helped a lot. Thank you.