Fibre internet in Gauteng on Openserve (Telkom) network

[Blubiree]

My intermittent connection issue appears to have fixed itself not long after my previous post, but unfortunately I was met with another surprise this morning at 3am when the LOS connection dropped. And it hasn't been able to re-establish a connection since.

And because I signed up for the 2 month promotional trial with Telkom, I never received the Bxxxxx reference number that identifies the line (nor is it linked to my existing Telkom account). So I'm unable to report the fault. Arghhh

Getting a taste of fibre speeds, only to have to revert back to 3G as a backup solution sure is sobering

 

[jcheek]

Ah!!! I got a reply from Openserve regarding the expected ETA to complete in our area. I am quite flabbergasted/elated. Bit too late for the Ghost Recon Wildlands download, but at least it is (tentatively) there.

View attachment 413698

Good that they came back to you!
So is it 24.01.2017; or 14 March 2017, I wonder ?

 

[jcheek]

My intermittent connection issue appears to have fixed itself not long after my previous post, but unfortunately I was met with another surprise this morning at 3am when the LOS connection dropped. And it hasn't been able to re-establish a connection since.

Ugggh!
(I just saw ebendl wince !)

And because I signed up for the 2 month promotional trial with Telkom ...

Those trials ... man, are they a hassle. And at the end of it all, you have go through all that pain again to get a permanent connection.
Been there, got that T-shirt ...

..., I never received the Bxxxxx reference number that identifies the line (nor is it linked to my existing Telkom account). So I'm unable to report the fault. Arghhh

Check your fibre termination box (if you haven't already) - usually the Openserve installation team/guy will label - or at least write - the B-number on the socket:



If you're already registered on the 'My Telkom' self-service portal, you should also be able to see it there:

 

[Blubiree]

Check your fibre termination box (if you haven't already) - usually the Openserve installation team/guy will label - or at least write - the B-number on the socket:

View attachment 413794

Ahhhhh thanks. I discovered the sticker in the router's box earlier this afternoon. They were juggling quite a few things when they were here, so they must have forgotten to slap it onto the termination box. Once I had the number, I was able to log a fault.

 

[Blubiree]

After reporting the fault late last night, one of the Openserve teams rang the bell at 9am this morning. Really impressed by the turnaround time.

Fortunately there was some slack on the cable, so they didn't have to pull a new one through. But they had to resplice (apparently the previous guy messed up the terminal box installation). So far everything seems to be working 100% again.

 

[jcheek]

After reporting the fault late last night, one of the Openserve teams rang the bell at 9am this morning. Really impressed by the turnaround time.

That is impressive!
No doubt you've now recorded the all-important B-number (circuit number) for future use (and verified that it really does belong to your circuit) !?
It's also helpful to record your Telkom Internet (TIN) number in the event that you decide to keep the service.

Fortunately there was some slack on the cable, so they didn't have to pull a new one through. But they had to resplice the cable (apparently the previous guy messed up the terminal box installation). So far everything seems to be working 100% again.

Aah .. that would explain the symptoms nicely.


Are you still in the midst of your 2-month broadband trial ? I assume it's at 100Mbps ?
I had a recent experience with a pal who took the same trial and then decided to continue with it. While the service itself has worked OK, Telkom's customer liaison has been very poor. Watch out for the following :

• Zero follow-up when the service was due to expire, everything initiated from the customer's side.
• You get to fill out virtually the same application forms all over again when you go permanent.
• Telkom rather needlessly changed the PPPoE username/password combination - without informing the customer - when the service switched over. That meant the connection dropped and the router had to be re-configured from scratch. This is where keeping track of all the connection details, B-numbers, TIN numbers, router logins etc comes in very handy.

But all that aside - enjoy your nice fast connection!

 

[Blubiree]

Yeah it's the 100Mbps/"200GB Business Softcap" package (which was also surprising, since the original promotional material said it would be 100gb. Although that was nearly 18 months ago). I'm not 100% sure when the trial technically started - the SMS with the login details was sent three weeks ago, while the line went live last week.

I'll hold onto that circuit number and ISP login for dear life. Thanks for the tip on following up with Telkom, rather than waiting for them to get in touch. Right now, I think another ISP would be the preferred choice (due to the 24 contract stipulation with Telkom).

 

[jcheek]

Yeah it's the 100Mbps/"200GB Business Softcap" package (which was also surprising, since the original promotional material said it would be 100gb. Although that was nearly 18 months ago).

Yeah, as of about mid-2016, Telkom - and many other fibre ISPs - started with a round of "Double your data" promotions (see from about here). Most double allocations are still in effect, although much of Telkom's promotional material still states the original sizes. Even the brochure Telkom sent me was a PDF with the original package sizes and prices manually altered to reflect the doubling.

I'm not 100% sure when the trial technically started - the SMS with the login details was sent three weeks ago, while the line went live last week.

Deja vu - similar experience. Even Telkom itself didn't seem really sure of the dates when we phoned!
The application for continuation was submitted on the day of expiry (mid December 2016) but only processed about a month later. In the end my pal 'scored' about one extra month of free 100Mbps internet .. at the expense of bad liaison and a dropped connection.
The customer experience is very vague.

 

[KingBel]

Spoke to Telkom consultant yesterday. Said it would probably be a few months before fibre is available in my area (Equestria) :/

 

[Genisys]

Ah!!! I got a reply from Openserve regarding the expected ETA to complete in our area. I am quite flabbergasted/elated. Bit too late for the Ghost Recon Wildlands download, but at least it is (tentatively) there.

View attachment 413698

What is the email address you sent an email to?

 

[Jean-Luc Picard]

Since this is the most relevant Openserve thread, I have a quick question.

Some background:

Openserve is in my estate, and I got a telkom package, Telkom sent openserve to connect from the street to the house, the fibre goes into a smaller white box, then into a larger router-like device, and then from that device an ethernet cable into my router. In my router I put in the account details in sort of like PPPOE, but I have to select "WAN Ethernet" interface and then enter your typical telkom account details.

It all works perfectly, no problem. I've had full line speed any time of the day and haven't seen my line disconnect once.

But say I want to get another package, say Web Africa. Is this possible? Web Africa is available in my area they offer it on openserve. Would I just need to enter my WA details into the router, just like I have to with telkom details? I don't need WA to send installers or anything, since openserve already did this when I got telkom.

I heard that some providers "lock" you in like fibrehoods so this isn't as easy to just switch ISPs, but is this the case with openserve? I even tested WA's free 1 GB account and it connects on my fibre, I entered into my router the same place I do for telkom, and I get my expected speed, so I assume this has to be the case that openserve doesn't lock you in and passes your auth over?

 

[jcheek]

Since this is the most relevant Openserve thread, I have a quick question.

Questions - hopefully with occasional answers! - is what we do here.
Welcome to the thread!

Openserve is in my estate, and I got a telkom package ...

Out of interest, which estate ?
Edit : Seems like Simbithi down in KZN ?

Technically you are a "Gated Community" or "Lifestyle Community" and the service offering within the estate is one of those offered by Telkom's "Gated Community Services" (GCS) division.
Gated Community residents can usually choose between "line only" packages provided by Openserve (= Telkom Wholesale) and full-service "line + data" packages offered by Telkom Retail. Sounds like you have the latter.

Telkom sent openserve to connect from the street to the house, the fibre goes into a smaller white box, then into a larger router-like device, and then from that device an ethernet cable into my router. In my router I put in the account details in sort of like PPPOE, but I have to select "WAN Ethernet" interface and then enter your typical telkom account details.
It all works perfectly, no problem. I've had full line speed any time of the day and haven't seen my line disconnect once.

That's all pretty standard, yes (see here for comparison).
Sounds like you might have the ZyXEL SBG-3300-N000 fibre-ready router ?

But say I want to get another package, say Web Africa. Is this possible? Web Africa is available in my area they offer it on openserve.

Technically it is possible, yes - absolutely. Contractually you'd need to see what options your estate has negotiated with Openserve/Telkom, but it should also be possible, yes.
If you wanted to exit from your full-service (line+data) agreement with Openserve/Telkom, and enter into a "line-only" contract with them, that may be regarded as a contract downgrade and there may be some form of early-exit penalty.

At the moment, your line is provided by Openserve and you have a data package from Telkom Retail. Technically, nothing prevents you from having another data package from a different ISP (like WebAfrica).
Within an estate you generally have no choice but to use the line service provider chosen by the estate - Openserve, in your case. But for the data package you are usually free to go with any ISP who offers service over the Openserve fibre network.
Have a look at the various package options in this post (pertaining to GCS in "The Wilds", Pretoria). Your options should be similar.

Would I just need to enter my WA details into the router, just like I have to with telkom details? I don't need WA to send installers or anything, since openserve already did this when I got telkom.

Correct, yes. If you have a WebAfrica data account, you will have a PPPoE login (username+password) with them. You can enter those PPPoE login details as a second WAN entry apart from the Telkom one that's already stored in your router. The only proviso is that you can only connect to one data provider at a time (I think).

I heard that some providers "lock" you in like fibrehoods so this isn't as easy to just switch ISPs, but is this the case with openserve? I even tested WA's free 1 GB account and it connects on my fibre, I entered into my router the same place I do for telkom, and I get my expected speed, so I assume this has to be the case that openserve doesn't lock you in and passes your auth over?

It will work fine, yes. This is by virtue of an Openserve service called IPC (IP Connect) whereby participating ISPs - of which WebAfrica is one - can provide data services to any subscriber who is on one of the Openserve access networks (eg fibre or xDSL). If you can connect to a WA account from your Openserve fibre line then you have already confirmed this for yourself.

 

[Jean-Luc Picard]

Questions - hopefully with occasional answers! - is what we do here.
Welcome to the thread!



Out of interest, which estate ?
Edit : Seems like Simbithi down in KZN ?

Technically you are a "Gated Community" or "Lifestyle Community" and the service offering within the estate is one of those offered by Telkom's "Gated Community Services" (GCS) division.
Gated Community residents can usually choose between "line only" packages provided by Openserve (= Telkom Wholesale) and full-service "line + data" packages offered by Telkom Retail. Sounds like you have the latter.



That's all pretty standard, yes (see here for comparison).
Sounds like you might have the ZyXEL SBG-3300-N000 fibre-ready router ?



Technically it is possible, yes - absolutely. Contractually you'd need to see what options your estate has negotiated with Openserve/Telkom, but it should also be possible, yes.
If you wanted to exit from your full-service (line+data) agreement with Openserve/Telkom, and enter into a "line-only" contract with them, that may be regarded as a contract downgrade and there may be some form of early-exit penalty.

At the moment, your line is provided by Openserve and you have a data package from Telkom Retail. Technically, nothing prevents you from having another data package from a different ISP (like WebAfrica).
Within an estate you generally have no choice but to use the line service provider chosen by the estate - Openserve, in your case. But for the data package you are usually free to go with any ISP who offers service over the Openserve fibre network.
Have a look at the various package options in this post (pertaining to GCS in "The Wilds", Pretoria). Your options should be similar.



Correct, yes. If you have a WebAfrica data account, you will have a PPPoE login (username+password) with them. You can enter those PPPoE login details as a second WAN entry apart from the Telkom one that's already stored in your router. The only proviso is that you can only connect to one data provider at a time (I think).



It will work fine, yes. This is by virtue of an Openserve service called IPC (IP Connect) whereby participating ISPs - of which WebAfrica is one - can provide data services to any subscriber who is on one of the Openserve access networks (eg fibre or xDSL). If you can connect to a WA account from your Openserve fibre line then you have already confirmed this for yourself.

Wow, thank you for your very informative reply, it has helped a lot confirming what I thought (and you're correct about the location). So far my experience with Telkom and openserve has been great and as long as I have the opportunity if I so wish to use an ISP that offers their packages on openserve all is fine.

 

[jcheek]

Getting support on Openserve fibre lines

Relating to this post :

... your best bet is to log the fault in the normal Telkom way, by phoning 10210 or logging the fault online using the 'My Telkom' service portal on the Telkom website. You could also try the Telkom Fibre Help Desk, but I'm not sure if they handle general support issues.
(Edit : they do.)

I was pleasantly surprised this morning by the AWESOME support I got from the Telkom/Openserve Fibre Help Desk (at 080-000-7268).
This relates to my looooong battle to get the upload speed on my WebAfrica/Openserve line up from 20% (40Mbps down, 8Mbps up) to 50% (40Mbps down, 20Mbps up).
(50% is now the de facto standard for new connections, and existing customers should all have been upgraded along with new ones, but my connection's been 'stuck' at 20%, which is where it's been since the line was commissioned back in August 2015.)

Previously I've reported other (unrelated) fibre issues to the "general" Telkom support line (10210), and although the operators there accept such reports, the response typically hasn't been good. They also battle to log faults/issues if you aren't a direct Telkom Retail customer, eg if your fibre connection is managed by a non-Telkom ISP and you have no copper landline for them to pin the report to.
Whilst the Fibre Help Desk has been a bit better at handling fibre-related issues, historically they've also been reluctant to assist you if you're not a direct Telkom Retail customer.

I'm happy to report that things on the Telkom/Openserve Fibre Help Desk seem to be working better these days. Although this specific issue (low upload speed) was logged with Openserve on my behalf by WebAfrica, Openserve made contact with me directly to get it resolved.
I was also able to pick up the same issue via the Fibre Help Desk and get good feedback on who had been assigned to handle it. The lady operator I spoke to knew all about fibre lines operating via non-Telkom ISPs. She understood the relationship between the various parties and the fact that a fibre customer often has zero profile on Telkom's systems, even though there is Openserve terminal equipment on the customer's premises. (This in itself was something of a first!)
If you're contracted via a non-Telkom ISP, they do now recognise you as a customer, albeit an indirect one. Yay!

Later the same day, a gentleman from Openserve called me and after explaining the problem (low upload speed), it was resolved by means of a re-config / reboot at the "exchange" side a few minutes later.
( Always amazing how quickly things can be resolved ... IF you can just get to the right person! )

So, if you need support with a fibre service that works over an Openserve line, I'd suggest using the following procedure(s):

If you're a direct Telkom Retail customer (ie you contract with Telkom Retail for both fibre line and data services), report the issue to the Telkom Fibre Help Desk at 080-000-7268, get a ticket number and follow the issue through directly with them until you get a resolution.

If you're an indirect Telkom/Openserve customer (ie you contract with a non-Telkom ISP to manage an Openserve fibre line on your behalf and provide you with data services), use the following approach:

• Log the issue with your ISP and get a ticket number from them. Use this number to follow up with the ISP directly.
• If the issue relates to the Openserve line itself (eg your ONT is dead, or flashing red lights), insist that the issue be logged with the Telkom Fibre Help Desk and insist on getting the relevant ticket number (mine was of the form 93BTK300117, where the last 6 digits represent the ticket date, and the first 2 (apparently) indicate the ticket number on that date).
• After a while, phone the Telkom Fibre Help Desk (080-000-7268), make sure that ticket number you've been given by your ISP exists, and that it's been assigned to someone.
• Follow up actively with both your ISP and Openserve until you get resolution.

Edit : Getting the "right" kind of reference number ("nnBTKddmmyy" format) seems to be really important. I've had cases where a fibre issue somehow got logged under what later turned out to be a "Sales" reference number (wtf!?) of the form "nnn nnn nnnA" - apparently the "A" denotes Sales. Dafuq !?

Postscript : In my specific case (nominal 40/20Mbps line), happiness how prevails :

Before:

After:

 

[biena]

Questions - hopefully with occasional answers! - is what we do here.
Welcome to the thread!

Correct, yes. If you have a WebAfrica data account, you will have a PPPoE login (username+password) with them. You can enter those PPPoE login details as a second WAN entry apart from the Telkom one that's already stored in your router. The only proviso is that you can only connect to one data provider at a time (I think).

using a Mikrotik router I have had 4 data providers active at one time (Yes I was playing around,) Ran out of test accounts so do not know what the actual limit is.

Congratualtions on winning your speed battle.

 

[jcheek]

Congratulations on winning your speed battle.

Thanks! Good to hear from you on the thread again!

Using a Mikrotik router I have had 4 data providers active at one time (Yes I was playing around). Ran out of test accounts so do not know what the actual limit is.

Interesting!! Thanks for sharing.
Slightly off-topic, but how - in a nutshell - does Mikrotik RouterOS decide which of the defined PPPoE accounts to use ? What algorithm(s) does it support to distribute data usage between the available accounts ? Or do you indicate manually which you want to use at any given time?

 

[ebendl]

Up to now I've just configured the routes via scripts. This is useful to force a connection for example at off peak times. Not sure how or if it is possible to set up distributed connections.

Congrats on your battle, jcheek. I gather WebAfrica was really not much help in this regard...

How many fibre desks are there? My experience with Telkom is that you sometimes find that brilliant person who can solve everything, but you are typically never able to find them again. Usually because you end up reaching the wrong call centre (Durban /PE / Joburg).

 

[jcheek]

Warning : Slightly O/T :

Up to now I've just configured the routes via scripts. This is useful to force a connection for example at off peak times. Not sure how or if it is possible to set up distributed connections.

Ah, OK.
I should really make the time to sit down and play with RouterOS sometime.
Which is not a hint ... I love my Peplink!

 

[jcheek]

Congrats on your battle, jcheek. I gather WebAfrica was really not much help in this regard...

Thanks! Feels like a slightly hollow victory, though. I worry about how things will go when (not if) I have a real problem one day!

To WebAfrica's 'credit', it did seem like they eventually extracted digit from sphincter and leaned on Openserve to get results, as they should have done in the first place. Today I was called by not one but two senior Openserve people to check if the issue was resolved! Pity it took 4 months to get there.
In the end I had to do it the same way as I got WebAfrica to install my connection in the first place - by giving an ultimatum and threatening to pull the business if they didn't meet it. Does this look familiar ?

... precisely 11 weeks after placing my order with WebAfrica, I gave them an ultimatum to either get me commitment on an installation date by that Friday (31/7/15), or I move the order elsewhere. I got a call from a sales manager at WebAfrica a few hours later promising that they would move heaven and earth to make something happen.
<snip>
Bright and early on Saturday morning, two Telkom technicians pitched up (completely unannounced) on my doorstep, all fired up and ready to install. They couldn't, of course (I wasn't ready), but at least we could talk about how they will install.
Talk about 11th-hour stuff. Now why does it take so much kicking and screaming to get there ??

And just like before, somehow WebAfrica pulled it together and got it right literally on the last day, 4 months later.
But who needs this much hassle ?

How many fibre desks are there?

To my knowledge, three :

• 080-000-7268 : the Telkom Fibre Help Desk. This one seems the most useful for issues on Openserve fibre lines, irrespective of whether you're a direct Telkom Retail customer, or if your line is managed by a non-Telkom ISP. Also reachable at ftth@telkom.co.za, but better response by phone.
• 080-011-1250 - the Gated Communities Fibre Help Desk. This one seems to deal specifically with fibre customers inside Gated Communities, and (perhaps) more specifically with those inside 'Lifestyle' communities, ie affluent estates. Also reachable at gcs@telkom.co.za, but better response by phone.
• 10210 - the general Telkom Help Desk. This one's virtually useless for reporting fibre issues. In fact, as of today, the menu options on the IVR system don't even cater for reporting a fibre issue.

My experience with Telkom is that you sometimes find that brilliant person who can solve everything, but you are typically never able to find them again. Usually because you end up reaching the wrong call centre (Durban / PE / Joburg).

I guess I could say the same! lol
I've written before about how - if the Fibre Help desk is overloaded, or unmanned- you seem to get routed to the general Telkom (10210) support desk, which is pretty hopeless for fibre issues.
The trick is just to keep calling the Fibre Help Desk number until you end up at the right desk AND you get somebody with spark.

 

[Blubiree]

Glad to hear you got all your issues sorted jcheek, and thanks for that detailed 'how-to' guide. It's definitely going to save quite a few of us many hours of trial and error.

You mentioned the use of Telkom Retail (as both ISP/line), vs other ISPs. Do you, or anyone else, perhaps know if Telkom offer any month-to-month fibre packages? Browsing their site, I've only seen mention of 24month contracts when it comes to their line/data packages, while all the other ISPs offer month-to-month bundles.

I'd love to stick with Telkom, purely for logistical reasons (although you did mention the help desks now seem more receptive even when you're using another ISP, so maybe my are fears overblown), but not if it means signing a lengthy contract.