Impossible to get B-Number from Vodacom

A

Arnoldsly99

Active Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
Messages
39
Reaction score
7
Location
Cape Town
I'm in the process of migrating from Vodacom to Afrihost on Openserve infrastructure. The process has been unable to progress due to incompetence from Vodacom Support who is incapable of giving me the Openserve Fibre Number or B-Number as it's referred to by Afrihost. I've been phoning Vodacom Support 3 times a day everyday for the following 2 weeks in the hope that I would accidentally find someone who can assist me, but no one on the support team has ever heard of this number. I've sent 5 emails to "Sophia" who assisted me in cancelling my Vodacom contract which effectively ends 31 December and she refuses to respond. I then attempted to contact Openserve directly on the only contact method available whch is [email protected] and guess what when you send an email to that address you get a response that the address does not exist. I'm frustrated out of my mind and have exhausted every possible attempt of attaining the B-number and want to know if anyone here will be able to assist or give advice on how else I could get this number. It seems like I have to sell the house and move to different one if I ever wish to get another ISP. Also made an HelloPeter post to try to get assistance and they responded that someone will get back to me shortly, but of course it's Vodacom nothing happened.
 
Arnoldsly99 said:
I'm in the process of migrating from Vodacom to Afrihost on Openserve infrastructure. The process has been unable to progress due to incompetence from Vodacom Support who is incapable of giving me the Openserve Fibre Number or B-Number as it's referred to by Afrihost. I've been phoning Vodacom Support 3 times a day everyday for the following 2 weeks in the hope that I would accidentally find someone who can assist me, but no one on the support team has ever heard of this number. I've sent 5 emails to "Sophia" who assisted me in cancelling my Vodacom contract which effectively ends 31 December and she refuses to respond. I then attempted to contact Openserve directly on the only contact method available whch is [email protected] and guess what when you send an email to that address you get a response that the address does not exist. I'm frustrated out of my mind and have exhausted every possible attempt of attaining the B-number and want to know if anyone here will be able to assist or give advice on how else I could get this number. It seems like I have to sell the house and move to different one if I ever wish to get another ISP. Also made an HelloPeter post to try to get assistance and they responded that someone will get back to me shortly, but of course it's Vodacom nothing happened.
Click to expand...
Ouch. Best to pay for a new install. Vodacom support is like Eskom power...
 
Arnoldsly99 said:
I'm in the process of migrating from Vodacom to Afrihost on Openserve infrastructure. The process has been unable to progress due to incompetence from Vodacom Support who is incapable of giving me the Openserve Fibre Number or B-Number as it's referred to by Afrihost. I've been phoning Vodacom Support 3 times a day everyday for the following 2 weeks in the hope that I would accidentally find someone who can assist me, but no one on the support team has ever heard of this number. I've sent 5 emails to "Sophia" who assisted me in cancelling my Vodacom contract which effectively ends 31 December and she refuses to respond. I then attempted to contact Openserve directly on the only contact method available whch is [email protected] and guess what when you send an email to that address you get a response that the address does not exist. I'm frustrated out of my mind and have exhausted every possible attempt of attaining the B-number and want to know if anyone here will be able to assist or give advice on how else I could get this number. It seems like I have to sell the house and move to different one if I ever wish to get another ISP. Also made an HelloPeter post to try to get assistance and they responded that someone will get back to me shortly, but of course it's Vodacom nothing happened.
Click to expand...

Do you know the name of the specific department that Sophia works for? You might be able to get transferred to them directly when you call in. Insist on speaking to a manager.

Godspeed.
 
I'm very confused.

Why would a B-number be involved on a fibre system where no voice calls whatsoever are being passed over it?

This isn't PSTN.

Or is this some kind of compatibility setup Openserve employ to make all their stuff work together which maybe means that there is no B-number for Vodacom and hence the confusion?
 
SauRoNZA said:
I'm very confused.

Why would a B-number be involved on a fibre system where no voice calls whatsoever are being passed over it?

This isn't PSTN.

Or is this some kind of compatibility setup Openserve employ to make all their stuff work together which maybe means that there is no B-number for Vodacom and hence the confusion?
Click to expand...

Well it identifies the line just like a Vumatel object number. Vumatel is just better though they have a portal that you can manage the line on Openserve don't.

When migrating with Openserve you give the new ISP the B number to migrate.

When Openserve installed my line the technician wrote the B number on the ont box and wrote it on a sticker that he stuck on the ONT. He said keep that number for your record as it makes migrating ISPs easy.
 
Was just going to ask the same question. Is the B number the serial number of the ONT? That is the only sticker that was put onto my ONT by the installer
 
SauRoNZA said:
I'm very confused.

Why would a B-number be involved on a fibre system where no voice calls whatsoever are being passed over it?

This isn't PSTN.

Or is this some kind of compatibility setup Openserve employ to make all their stuff work together which maybe means that there is no B-number for Vodacom and hence the confusion?
Click to expand...

It's the equivalent of a phone number. The B-number helps to identify the fibre line on admin, billing and other systems used by Openserve and their reseller ISPs. Every line needs to be assigned some sort of unique identifier so that it can be referred to easily and unambiguously. Its just an identifier, the same as how an ID number uniquely identifies a person.

Usually the Openserve technician that installs the line will write it down on the box that the ONT (fibre router, usually Huawei-branded if it is an Openserve line, into which the short very thin fibre lead plugs into) comes in. Sometimes they print a label and stick it onto the wall-box. In my case, they wrote it down on the box only, so I printed my own labels and stuck it in 3 different places (fibre router, WAN router and wall-mount box) and saved it to my Keepass DB for safe-keeping.
 
Yeah it sounds like basically using the legacy PSTN table structures to accomplish identification as you say and track things across systems.
 
Clearly, NOT all installers do that --- the one that did the install at my place threw away the labels that were in the box that comes with the ONT. I recovered them and at least stuck the ser. no sticker onto the ONT.
Presumably, If I move the B-number becomes very important for the new owner ----
 
Hi there thought I'd give an update on the harrowing experience of migrating from Vodacom to Afrihost on Openserve. Sorry Monka I wish I saw your reply sooner. After complaining on Hellopeter a Vodacom representative phoned me and finally gave me the B-Number, but that's not the end of it. Everything is sorted out on Afrihost's side they just need to claim the fibre line once it is released. According to the sales orders and notifications my fibre account is deleted as it should and the line should have been released on the 2nd of January. I've phoned them once a day since then and everyone gives me the same response. According to their systems everything was cancelled and the last ping they have received from my router was 61 days ago which is strange, because officially according to the documents it was cancelled the 31st of December, but I still have normal internet access and router confirms this while Vodacom representatives assume I'm technologically impaired and that I'm on "Mobile Data" probably which is not the case. I attempted to take the Hellopeter route again as it worked for getting my B-Number, but just got the generic response that a consultant will contact me and that's more than a week ago already. About 7 consultants have told me they are putting in the order to release the line and will contact me soon to what's the status/problem. No response yet. I hope they understand I won't be paying for the internet access I still have from them as I've done my due diligence for the cancellation process. Will reply if I'm ever released from Vodacom purgatory.

wingnut771 said:
yeah, cancel and apply for new install. openserve install is free anyway. you'll have 2 boxes on your wall tho.
Click to expand...

Is this actually possible? If this is a possible route I will definitely attempt this.
 
Arnoldsly99 said:
Is this actually possible? If this is a possible route I will definitely attempt this.
Click to expand...
i used to stay on a property that had 3 openserve fibre connections. it's usually a quick process to order a line. just place an order with your isp for a new line, but then you'll have 2 boxes on your wall, which i don't think is a bad thing.
 
It should not be possible. However, the ONT will stay alive so long as it receives power regardless. the GPON system actually requires all ONTs to always stay live for the system to work the best. And Access to the Internet could easily sty up even if you do not have ISP services associated with it IF ALL the processes needed to cut service are not followed.
It is exacly what the argument is about. IF OS were to sell ASP services one would still have access to the Internet without any ISP involvement at all. It is only when you specifically need a service provided by an ISP such as an ISP provided email address does the need for an ISP service arise and that is where the B-number becomes an issue.
Or at least that is what I have discivered during my own experimentation.
 
Monka said:
Underneath your router there's is a number that starts with 48575443 which is an ONT Serial number.

Pls PM me that and I will give you your B number
Click to expand...
Hi
My serial number fibre terminal is 4857544371836285
Need b number for openserve
Thanks
Martin
 
Sophia finally contacted me today and assured me that the line has been released. Phoned Afrihost and in about 15min's I was up and running on their network. Extremely happy at the moment to have all this frustration behind me. So somewhere in the last 5 days the line was released, but I was never notified as Afrihost said that 5 days ago the line was still claimed by Vodacom.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X