Evotel "Open Access" questions?

[SC2019]

Main questions
1. Do ADSL accounts work with Evotel?
@cavedog
@ScottulusMaximus
said: with OpenServe Fibre, you can connect using normal ADSL accounts.
OpenServe is not available to me... but Evotel is.

Since Evotel describes themselves as an "Open Access Fibre network" Does this mean you can also connect to ADSL accounts with an Evotel line?
I can tell you for example that when you connect to a Vodacom home fibre account with an evotel line, the PPPoE username going to the ONT looks like [email protected]

I just tested an Axxess free 1GB ADSL account on an Evotel ONT (but there's no fibre subscription or line rental being paid on it, but it does show the connection light)
But got this error: "Remote message: AR07: Failed USUM_AUTHORIZATION password and/or user name do not match Authorization failure"

2. Is it possible to pay Evotel a line rental and then use any ISP ad-hoc or is it required that "move the line" to some random ISP?

Evotel lists WebAfrica on their site.
A WebAfrica support consultant said that he has never heard of the term "Open access fibre". He said "ADSL accounts do not work on any fibre lines, they're different technologies. You must move the line to us ...etc"
(I do take the above with a pinch of salt, don't worry, but the last part does make me a little concerned)

I've not done much research yet, but ISP's seem to want you to commit to a activation/cancellation fee to get connected when all they actually have to do is sell you data. There need not be any big deal to start or stop services with an ISP if Evotel is truly "Open Access" (similar to having an ADSL line with Telkom where you can connect to any ISP)

3. Basically my objective is to remain free and independent. I don't want to get locked into any ISP's for 6 or 12 months or have to pay activation and cancellation charges if I can avoid it. I don't want their routers etc. I just want to pay line rental as necessary, and the freedom to pay ISPs for data and only data without long-term commitment.

4. Is it possible to get a Static IP on Evotel?

Any recommendations to achieve the above would be amazing?

@websquadza
@PBCool
@AfriFella
@RocketNet-Rep
@Imaginet
@The Axxess Lady
@WebAfrica Helper
@AcceleritZa
@WIRUlink

 

[cobusv]

Hi There, to quickly answer your question regarding using adsl accounts as on openserve, the answer would be no you cant. you need to signup with an isp who in terns needs to get evotel to associate your ONT to the specific isp that you have chosen. The term open acccess means that you as the consumer can choose any isp of your licking, that said your are bound to the said isp for a month until you change to the next isp. so only 1 isp at a time is allowed per ont. This is based on the same 'model' vumatel uses on their network. Openserve is the only network that you are allowed multiple isp's and connect them all at the same time.

 

[websquadza]

As mentioned above, Evotel is open access - you can pick any ISP on their network to receive internet services. That is the core definition of open access.

How different operators design their networks determines what you can and can't do on their network. There are pros and cons to either network design.

Evotel's network design is Layer 2, which means your ONU is assigned to service provider's network so that you can establish a PPPoE session (or receive a DHCP address) to your ISP and receive internet. In this case, the fibre operator acts as a tunnel between you and the ISP. Openserve operate a very different network architecture to almost all other FNOs, with their own PPPOE authentication servers and complicated VRFs - this is due to the complex nature of their network and that it extends into many towns where it would no be feasible to get an ISP handover L2 - it's also very expensive to implement, and for Openserve, remained because of the need to unify their legacy ADSL and new fibre networks.

Vumatel have two network topologies; one pure L2 (Vuma Aerial) and one a hybrid with L3 and VRFs while still being ISP locked.

With Openserve, you can spin up any PPPoE account that authenticates against an Openserve registered realm (eg. [email protected]) and you should get internet because Openserve does not distinguish between the line owner and service - but you will still need to pay a specific ISP for data and line rental (usually bundled - I don't know of any ISP just providing line rental, but stand to be corrected). If we were to go by your definition of open access, you would need to be able to pay Openserve directly for your line (aka. old Telkom ADSL days) and then pick an ISP.

On Evotel, you need to request an activation of your ONU and perhaps even a router, which incurs a real cost to the ISP (the FNOs charge for activations)- this is why most ISPs who cover this have some sort of claw back.

 

[SC2019]

Thank you @cobusv
@websquadza wow, thank you for that detailed info. I've been really impressed with you guys so far. Unfortunately I already signed up with Axxess, but perhaps in 6 months but I'm prepared to pay their early cancellation fee to be free of them if they continue to make me suffer so much.

I emailed evotel last night and they replied saying that they've sold all of their Cape Town networks to Vodacom. For anyone who's interested, nice to be aware of that. That's why Evotel doesn't show up in any ISP's coverage maps, even if you've got Evotel coverage, because if you do, that's evotel (Vodacom) network and Vodacom ISP.