Hidden 'extra' cost when e-mailing via MTN

[Terencek]

Users like me who use MTN's data service a lot to e-mail attachments, particularly large compressed (zipped) ones, should be aware there is an unexpected extra overhead in transmission costs compared to Vodacom.

Because MTN appears to use a Secure SMTP Server for our outgoing e-mails, effectively a 1 MB zipfile turns out to take up 2MB of transmission bandwidth, for example, in the active log of data usage, so that you will pay for 2 MB of data, not the 1 MB you are actually sending. With Vodacom what you send is what you pay. It also, obviously, takes twice as long to send by MTN as on Voda, for this reason. Try it if you're sceptical!

Curious indeed, but that's the way it is and I have checked this carefully over the weeks against my actual usage, the logged usage, and the balance on my prepaid SIM. Nothing wrong with the MTN service and no doubt our outgoing mail is extra-secure because of this system, but this is an extra cost if you're with this provider purely because of price considerations (e.g. the wondrous ability to buy MTN data bundles on prepaid at R1/MB!)

terencek

 

[Gimli_]

MTNDD, can you confirm this please?

 

[damian24]

Attachments in EMail are mime encoded, thus a 1 mb EMail will quickly expand to about 1.4 or 1.5MB add traffic overhead to that and you're quickly at 1.7mb

Why, you ask? simple, the EMail systems developed in the good 'ol 1960 and 50's only handled 7 bit ascii, to get around the standards that were designed to use this, they first used something called uuencoding (if you used applications like bluewave and know what a BBS is you understand).

Then when EMail became popular they had to find a way to integrate attachments easily, mime was the next step, mime works by converting 8 bit ascii to 7 bit, thereby wasting at least a bit per byte then someother funky magic takes place and lines are limited to 80 characters (another limitation)

and violla, you end up with a 1mb email that takes up 1.6mb in bandwidth.

If you don't believe me send a 1mb EMail and check you sent data in your broadband connection...

D

 

[damian24]

Just an example of what the base64 mime encoding looks like... part of a word document...

The original size was 686kb, afters converting to EMail format 940KB and thats what would traverse your internet line

D

------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C6AF46.36BC00E0
Content-Type: application/msword;
name="vpndeplr.doc"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="vpndeplr.doc"
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 

[ginggs]

Because MTN appears to use a Secure SMTP Server for our outgoing e-mails

The MTN mail server mail.mtn.co.za does not require SSL in case thats what you meant by "Secure".

I think damian24 has hit the nail on the head with his explanation.

In addition to what he says above email was never designed to be a transfer protocol for binary information. Not only does sending a binary attachment cost the sender more, but the receiver too, and everybody in-between. It is also a store-and-foreward system, meaning the message won't even start moving to the next server in the chain until the entire message has been received. If there's a single error during transmission, the entire message has to be transferred again.

If you regularly need to move large binary files consider using a protocol designed for the job, like HTTP or FTP.

 

[w1z4rd]

in south africa, we try cut costs on indervidual emails.

 

[Insider]

Considering the explanations given, would there be any difference between MTN and Vodacom?

 

[Terencek]

Definitely a cost difference between MTN and Voda

The explanations above sound entirely plausible.

But the fact remains, measured by careful data logging and balance-checking, that whatever system MTN is using definitely makes e-mailing attachments (mainly zipped) almost twice as expensive as using the Vodacom SMTP system. When you send with MTN, the 'SSL' notification comes up automatically (where's the choice someone mentioned here?), and your 1 MB attachment clocks up 2MB (or thereabouts) of bandwidth -- and cost. This does NOT happen on Vodacom, and also makes transmission by Vodacom of such attachments much quicker.

So why the difference if the encrypting system is identical, as explained above? I am mystified...

 

[ginggs]

When you send with MTN, the 'SSL' notification comes up automatically (where's the choice someone mentioned here?)

The choice is in the configuration of your email client. For example in MS Outlook there's a "This server requires an encrpyted connection (SSL)" check box.

 

[YelloFever]

MIME is correct. We use opensource sendmail servers as this could be the difference between us and VC??? Our mail server can send mail secure or non-secure …its up to the client to configure it …but since in this world privicy and security becomes a issue it not a money make scheme but more a offer clients secure and non-secure mail connections

MTNDD