How do you choose a DSL cap provider?

[AmpleHosting]

Hi,

I'm just interested to see what you look for in a data provider for your DSL?

Is the lowest price the only thing that matters?

 

[ichigo]

Cheap affordable fast internet with 99% uptime and speed. Must also have good support team, billing system and people skills and treat every client as their friend.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Price, quality of service and support.

I quite like Afrihost since they're pretty good on all fronts (or have been for me so far).

 

[Grimlock]

Still sad that we have "CAP providers" in this country.

/hears Swedes snickering in the distance

 

[InTheCube]

Hi,

I'm just interested to see what you look for in a data provider for your DSL?

Is the lowest price the only thing that matters?

You sound like a foreigner. Nobody in RSA calls it DSL. It's ADSL, cause its asymmetric. Nobody offers an affordable symmetric service yet. And nobody calls our ISPs "cap providers" either.

Things we are looking for:
- Truly Uncapped Internet
- Good, affordable prices
- Good support
- Excellent billing systems (try not to screw up this one, not even once)
- must have a public IP address
- good latency to local and international servers
- unshaped
- allow torrents

What we're basically looking for is an uncapped 4mbps service at R500 per month, with good support systems, good billing systems and a stable network.

Price is not the only important thing. We've had a number of fly-by-night ADSL providers trying to make a quick buck. Let's just say they got shot right out of the sky.

 

[AmpleHosting]

You sound like a foreigner. Nobody in RSA calls it DSL. It's ADSL, cause its asymmetric. Nobody offers an affordable symmetric service yet. And nobody calls our ISPs "cap providers" either.

The reason I said Cap is so that you didn't mistake it for the line provider - I know you only get T$lkom for the lines - but many companies offer dual packaged where the line rental is included as well, be it a T$lkom line.

Sorry I meant ADSL not DSL

What about the latency - which provider has the best latency for international traffic?

 

[ponder]

Simple, if you want a capped package you go with Afrihost, if you want a uncapped package on 384kbs line you go with SAOL or Cybersmart

Pointless worrying about the rest for now

 

[InTheCube]

What about the latency - which provider has the best latency for international traffic?

Certainly not Screamer, from what I've heard. And DigiChilli also not so good. I've read somewhere that WebAfrica has excellent latencies on their new network.

At the moment I'm on Afrihost, and I'm very happy, in all aspects. I just hope they will bring us uncapped early next year. I am really considering jumping ship to SAOLs 384k uncapped at R499 all-inclusive. Only problem is that I will have to downgrade my line to 384k from 512k. Not much of a difference, but still, it's the thought of it that scares me. Oh, and migrating my line to SAOL, though most people say there is nothing to worry about, until one day I need to migrate the line to another ISP besides Telkom. Apparently this can take very long, and leave you with no internet for a few days..

AmpleHosting - are you planning to jump on the ADSL ISP bandwagon? If so, please only bring us uncapped services. We've got enough capped ISPs at decent prices already. Everyone's got a taste of what cheap broadband is, and we all want uncapped. If you launch an ISP offering capped ADSL at anything higher than Afrihost's R29 per GB, you're wasting your time. You won't sign up any new customers... You will need to undercut Afrihost to attract customers.

 

[Kaufies]

Years of experience have taught me the following:

Capped: Afrihost, always Afrihost. Never not Afrihost.
Slow uncapped: DigiChilli or SAOL (if you don't mind transferring your line)
Faster uncapped: Axxess, they throttle during office hours but it's full line speed after hours

Don't mean to sound condescending... just my opinion

 

[AmpleHosting]

AmpleHosting - are you planning to jump on the ADSL ISP bandwagon? If so, please only bring us uncapped services. We've got enough capped ISPs at decent prices already. Everyone's got a taste of what cheap broadband is, and we all want uncapped. If you launch an ISP offering capped ADSL at anything higher than Afrihost's R29 per GB, you're wasting your time. You won't sign up any new customers... You will need to undercut Afrihost to attract customers.

We have considered it in the past but not now, we'd prefer to stick with our main industry - hosting, reseller hosting, domain names etc.

 

[warwickw]

I concur with a previous poster, choice is rather simple Afrihost Afrihost Afrihost.

 

[HermanTheGerman]

\o/ YAY Afrihost! \o/

Eventhough Gian freely admits their service is shaped it feels just like unshaped most of the time. If only there wasn't the annoying time-out on intl connections for like 5-10 minutes every night ... What's up with that btw?

 

[Adrenalin]

I shall comment on experience....

DigiChilli - no.
Screamer - no experience with them yet

Afrihost - most definately 110%... always on, always fast , the best customer service ever. day or night, 24/7

 

[LancelotSA]

What we're basically looking for is an uncapped 4mbps service at R500 per month, with good support systems, good billing systems and a stable network.

We are?

I personally would be satisfied with a 1Mb service, or even 512K, for a lot cheaper. The reason for this is the cost of the 4Mb line rental. And the fact that I never really need anything in that much of a hurry.

 

[InTheCube]

We are?

I personally would be satisfied with a 1Mb service, or even 512K, for a lot cheaper. The reason for this is the cost of the 4Mb line rental. And the fact that I never really need anything in that much of a hurry.

Of course we are! Getting a 4mb uncapped account (excl. line rental + ADSL access fee) for R500 means that a 1mb uncapped account would cost 1/4 that price, and 512k will be 1/8. 512k uncapped at R63! That's what we all want!

On Telkom's part, we want the voice line rental crap to bed dropped, and lower ADSL access fees. Or, they could upgrade all 4mbps users to 8mbps, and all 512k users to 2mbps and all 384k users to 1mbps, at the same prices.