I need internet - and I urgently need help

Toxxyc

Toxxyc

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Morning, ladies and gents. So I moved a few weeks ago, and the new place now has a problem. When I moved in I saw that there is a Telkom telephone line box mounted to the wall. So I figured "eh, we'll get ADSL again". So we moved, and I started the moving of everything...and then I hit the issues:

1. Telkom reported back on my line move request and said that the line is not connected and that they cannot connect it either. There is no infrastructure outside, apparently. So no ADSL.
2. So I figured I could get fiber. Wrong, there's no infrastructure for that, either.
3. Next option - LTE-A from someone like WebAfrica or MWeb on the Rain network? Sorry, I fall literally like 10m outside the coverage area, and they confirmed that there will be no reception. So that's not going to work.
4. Telkom's LTE option? Perhaps one of those uncapped LTE package for R799pm? Nope, I don't have coverage, sorry (or so they say).

So now I'm pretty much screwed. I need internet access at home (everyone does), since I work from home from time to time, I game, I stream, I DL, etc. etc. Now all this doesn't need a massive package, up until now I've come right really well with around 100GB a month (on a capped ADSL from my last place). I contacted a bunch of places now already, but they all say the same thing: "Sorry - maybe later". I can't wait until later, I'm going to go crazy.

So what I need now is urgent help in finding out what the hell I can get. Vodacom and MTN has good signal in the house, with LTE speeds in place. I suspect other networks will be the same, but Telkom isn't willing to even try their LTE option. I'm willing to scale down massively on the speed, I'm happy without around 4~10 MBPS in terms of speed, and like I mentioned, I don't need hundreds of gigs of data month. I do know that I can't run on normal mobile data though - that'll cost a fortune. I have a budget of around R1k a month, preferably a lot less, since I was kind of bargaining on one of those R599 Telkom deals to pull me through. Now I have exhausted my options and I ask here for assistance - what the hell can I do?

PS: New place is in Pretoria, but I'm not posting my address publicly :P
 
sometimes, Telkom has an idiot answering the calls, I would try a few different times. there is a phone in the house, so the infrastucture is there.

that being said, look into the WISP options.
depending on where in PTA you are depends on who the right option is.
 
If you 10m away from Rain coverage then you will almost certainly be able to get a signal if you use external LTE antennas connected to the router.
 
Buy a telkom sim and the speeds from your phone.

You probably do have signal.

Once you have tested sign up for the deal and give them an address that does have coverage.
 
Also telkom sale reps will sell you the deal even without coverage, as they get a cut out of the deal.

They normally advertise on facebook and gumtree.
 
There's not many places in PTA without Telkom LTE:

48itfr9.png
 
I fall outside Telkom's LTE option - I checked. The main issue I have is that all the coverage checkers report that I have no coverage, and based on that I am not assisted further. Telkom simply put down the phone when I asked about anything. WebAfrica said that they're almost completely certain I won't have access (on Rain's network). MTN and Vodacom are too expensive.

Right now I found Level 7, but they're expensive and they seem ****ty. Cell C seems to be willing to assist me - I've followed up with them and awaiting their feedback.

I actually don't understand this. I checked the coverage maps and there are A LOT of houses that fall JUST outside that area. There is no ADSL in the area (no cables, no phone lines), and fiber and that entire gap is just left without pursuit? Why? It's a massive income from a lot of houses for a company, but nobody seems interested at all :/
 
I'm north-east of PTA, yes. Bronbergconnect seems to be quite expensive, wow... O.o R2.2k for a 150GB 4Mbps package - and that's excluding VAT. On top of that they seem to charge R50.15 per GB top-up data. Crazy.
 
Toxxyc said:
I'm north-east of PTA, yes. Bronbergconnect seems to be quite expensive, wow... O.o R2.2k for a 150GB 4Mbps package - and that's excluding VAT. On top of that they seem to charge R50.15 per GB top-up data. Crazy.
Click to expand...

So out in the sticks then... Go to the bottom to the uncapped options. You can get 150GB at 6mbps in your price range.
 
Baxteen said:
sometimes, Telkom has an idiot answering the calls, I would try a few different times. there is a phone in the house, so the infrastucture is there.
Click to expand...

This. check with your neighbours to see who has or has had a telephone line and when you call Telkom back, give them that number and they will be able to see which exchange you need to connect to. In the previous complex, my neighbour was told the same thing. She called back and gave the next telephone operator/call centre agent my telephone number and they were able to assist
 
ScottulusMaximus said:
So out in the sticks then... Go to the bottom to the uncapped options. You can get 150GB at 6mbps in your price range.
Click to expand...

Not in the sticks at all, it just seems that since I am near the mountain - ain't no reception there...

Anyway, Cell C just called me - I fall easily within their coverage. 100GB + 100GB for R899, and that SIM can be taken anywhere, it's not area locked, so if I go on holiday I just take it along. I'm popping in to a Cell C store tomorrow to see what the best deal is they can give me - the dude on the phone mentioned much lower prices than the website showed, so I'll have to take a look at them in store!
 
Toxxyc said:
I fall outside Telkom's LTE option - I checked. The main issue I have is that all the coverage checkers report that I have no coverage, and based on that I am not assisted further. Telkom simply put down the phone when I asked about anything. WebAfrica said that they're almost completely certain I won't have access (on Rain's network). MTN and Vodacom are too expensive.

Right now I found Level 7, but they're expensive and they seem ****ty. Cell C seems to be willing to assist me - I've followed up with them and awaiting their feedback.

I actually don't understand this. I checked the coverage maps and there are A LOT of houses that fall JUST outside that area. There is no ADSL in the area (no cables, no phone lines), and fiber and that entire gap is just left without pursuit? Why? It's a massive income from a lot of houses for a company, but nobody seems interested at all :/
Click to expand...
While the webafrica router does cost more than the others....
I've heard that they do offer an external antenna for an additional fee. Was over R1.5k, but under R2k.

Maybe call them and confirm.

They also have the 7 day money back story...
 
WebAfrica has me outside the range of the LTE-A network they use (Rain), same as MWeb (like, EXACTLY the same). I spoke to the tech there (since I've been with them for almost 10 years now), and he said that the area is already seemingly slower since there's mountains and all that, and that he would not recommend I take that chance. Also, if the network drops, it's dead, no fallback to a slower protocol like I'll get with Cell C's option, so if the wind blows the reception the wrong way I'm screwed, even with thousands of rands of external antennas and all that.

Telkom also called me yesterday and I spent a while on the phone with the tech there. I have a phone line, true, and it works, but there is no ADSL infrastructure installed in the entire area. The hardware there is solely for voice, and nothing more, it simply does not do ADSL. I was told that they are planning fiber in the area though, in about "6 months to a year". So 5 years from now. :P

Keep in mind, I don't really have the funds to pay R1,799 for a router now, excluding the external antenna and boosters and all that. I just moved, and that cost me a ****load of money, to be honest, way more than expected. So yeah, I need a cheap way to get connected soon.
 
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