Fibre Network Operators are "killing" Telkom

[cda]

Exactly this. Lots of people cancelled their fixed lines (a lot of which weren't used for broadband) due to the MNOs. Now they're actually gaining fibre customers and will continue to do so. Far from "dying".

They're actually not gaining fibre customers, not at the rate they are losing copper lines. Most of this stems from the layers of legacy bureaucracy and incompetent staff which are difficult to shed.

Even if you really really want to do business with Telkom and use their services it's next to impossible. They lose orders, they have month long internal bickering sessions about who's job it is to install someones fibre, and by that time the consumer lost interest and went with Vuma/CellC/LTE.

 

[Swa]

"For decades Telkom was the only fixed-line provider in South Africa, and over this period the company built an extensive copper and fibre network across the country."

Build exstensive fiber network...... Where?
They where milking the system and never rolled out fiber until after Vumatel rocked up

Love how history keeps being rewritten. Telkom has actually been rolling out fibre privately for a long time. Vumatel didn't beat them to it and neither were they the first to roll out to a residential area. Don't know why everyone keeps on picking Vumatel and giving them undue free publicity when they simply took advantage of a trend.

 

[My_King]

Love how history keeps being rewritten. Telkom has actually been rolling out fibre privately for a long time. Vumatel didn't beat them to it and neither were they the first to roll out to a residential area. Don't know why everyone keeps on picking Vumatel and giving them undue free publicity when they simply took advantage of a trend.

I give Vuma free publicity cause they actually gave me Fibre.

 

[Swa]

They're actually not gaining fibre customers, not at the rate they are losing copper lines. Most of this stems from the layers of legacy bureaucracy and incompetent staff which are difficult to shed.

Even if you really really want to do business with Telkom and use their services it's next to impossible. They lose orders, they have month long internal bickering sessions about who's job it is to install someones fibre, and by that time the consumer lost interest and went with Vuma/CellC/LTE.

I never claimed that. Copper is a legacy technology and with Telkom having millions of lines of course they're losing a lot of those, some to their own LTE. Their fibre network is unrivaled however and they're installing more new lines than any other provider including Vuma. At some point they're going to reach equilibrium. It's amazing how shortsighted people can be about this.

 

[RonSwanson]

Telkom roaming is killing Telkom.

 

[Polymathic]

Time do drop them ADSL

FTFY

 

[Vrotappel]

This is an opinion piece. - @Bradley Prior

Should have had it at the top... I'm not disputing the fact that Telkom is losing customers, but I'm definitely shocked at your lack of insight into the telecoms industry and its history.

Telkom isn't losing customers to fibre, they are letting adsl/ copper lines die like most technologies eventually do. It would be stupid for them not to.

They also had a monopoly on broadband infrastructure for the longest time until they were forced to let go, now they are playing nice.

Geez man open a Google search window and research the subject a bit...

They are not playing nice. They are losing customers because they are utterly, totally incompetent.

 

[CT_Biker]

Do Telkom not have a massive stake in Vumatel?

 

[_TrXtR_]

Remember that time telkom threatened to shut the country down?

 

[CT_Biker]

They are not playing nice. They are losing customers because they are utterly, totally incompetent.

I would not say that they are totally and utterly incompetent - copper degrades, needs to be maintained/replaced, our exchanges were never really upgraded past ADSL(Some obviously did get VDSL), exchange capacity was low, lines were attenuated, and contested as well...but mainly you would be looking and the theft, and degrade of copper services over time.

Telkom's biggest sin, not getting with the effing times when they had the chance.

 

[cda]

Their fibre network is unrivaled however and they're installing more new lines than any other provider including Vuma.

Do you have data to show this?

 

[Blu82]

I recently spoke to some Telkom / Openserve techs that were working on Copper cables close to our complex
( After a copper cable theft in the area )
We have full Telkom ( fixed land line ) infrastructure in the complex as well as Telkom ( buried ) road access infrastructure
ie. All Telkom / Openserve have to do is run the fibre in the already existing works.\
Apparently according to the Techs Telkom are NOT interested.
We would have to get a full complex buy in and then go begging to Telkom to do the install

Clearly Telkom have killed themselves
One wonders if there is not the normal MO of bribery and corruption affecting competition in this industry ?
( Apart from the "normal" construction mafia and other assorted crime and violence factors )

You are not alone our complex has had similar problems, the fiber stops outside our complex but is seems Telkom is not interested in taking it further.

 

[Foxy48]

One of the reasons i am jumping is that Telkom do not offer month-to-month services; all their offers appear to be the old 24 month variety.

 

[rodmur]

Telkom cannot spell customer service. It's jobs for friends institution

 

[yebocan]

Love how history keeps being rewritten. Telkom has actually been rolling out fibre privately for a long time. Vumatel didn't beat them to it and neither were they the first to roll out to a residential area. Don't know why everyone keeps on picking Vumatel and giving them undue free publicity when they simply took advantage of a trend.

Telkom , like most monopolies think that the music will never end, and their entrenchment will last in perpetuity. Don't invest in new/transition tech, that leverages their aging legacy infrastructure, that would supplement their public offering...why would they, they own the market...new tech pitches...booms opens the doors of competition, and the dinosaur can not compete. Vumatel gets my praises for simple reason. Telkom : We not touching your area when it comes to fibre...now buzz off. Vumatel : If there is sufficient interest....Boom, in a matter weeks of reaching sufficient interest threshold - city approval was achieved and trenching began, two nights ago , contractor came around to ensure that no municipal services have been disrupted by their trenching.

 

[pedruid]

Great! I mean if it takes more than a week for the Rep on MyBb to respond to an ADSL issue that started in August last year it just shows that nothing has really changed.Quality of the the service is up and down. Sometimes a problem gets resolved in a day (best case scenario) most of the time its a fight to the death to just order a speed upgrade.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning from a very pleasant and well spoken lady from Telkom asking me about a complaint I’d logged yesterday re my slow/intermittent 10 Mbps ADSL line. As i started to list my problems she said that they were aware of problems in my area yesterday and they had been resolved. I normally get about 9.5 but yesterday in was either 0 or slow like 1.6. This morning it started at 9.6 then went off completely, however, it’s back to normal now. Hope to get fibre in next 6 months.

 

[rocket_1]

Not to mention the terrible terrible service from Telkom. With no easy of getting issues resolved, even after weeks of trying. I have for the second time this year, due to telkom internal mistakes, been disconnected. Previously took two weeks to get back online, this time, we're on day two no service... Even the telkom representative here and on Facebook, does not feedback anymore.

 

[EasyComs]

Telkom continues to truly suck and deserves to die - if only to kill the incompetence and arrogance that infested them. They continue fail miserably to meet any obligations or promises. Whenever there is a problem, it is usually Telkom that have messed up routing etc - our expensive isdn line remains down due to their failure to route via saix. They can't do even telephone lines any more - which was their sole competency in the past. The sooner they die thye better. Then the national grid must be opened to all licensed operators, but which corrupt entity will then be tasked with managing the entry points then ?

 

[Ironmanajm]

Trollkom deserves all the bad karma coming to them. I've seen endless negative comments about them over the years as well as endless reviews where they are constantly the lowest rated ISP. Included in this nightmare scenarios with Telkom are people trying to get their accounts closed down and Telkom not doing their part, blacklisting them, seriously? What comes around, goes around, period!!!!

 

[Swa]

Do you have data to show this?

165m vs 138m
https://webcache.googleusercontent....n-south-africa.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=za

Interesting how the article was changed after I pointed this out with only a summary now given to support the claim.

Telkom , like most monopolies think that the music will never end, and their entrenchment will last in perpetuity. Don't invest in new/transition tech, that leverages their aging legacy infrastructure, that would supplement their public offering...why would they, they own the market...new tech pitches...booms opens the doors of competition, and the dinosaur can not compete. Vumatel gets my praises for simple reason. Telkom : We not touching your area when it comes to fibre...now buzz off. Vumatel : If there is sufficient interest....Boom, in a matter weeks of reaching sufficient interest threshold - city approval was achieved and trenching began, two nights ago , contractor came around to ensure that no municipal services have been disrupted by their trenching.

They are entrenched period and it doesn't look like that's going anywhere. You're biased in thinking that Vumatel is doing a better job than them. Plenty of people have had the opposite experience.