Is Telkom ADSL a reliable option?

[RoGe_SavageR]

Hi all,

Sorry for the "large" question.

I am about to switch to ADSL from wireless broadband - it will be my first experience of ADSL.

I have always used mobile internet, and it has worked out more cost effective for me at the <5GB/month usage that I've been at for the last few years. I have used Telkom's 60GB bundles for about three years now, and after that seemed to become incredibly erratic and almost useless in Amanzimtoti, KZN early this year, I moved onto a Cell C 5GB/month contract.

Now I have just moved house to Pinetown (greater Durban). The network coverage maps show that I'm on the edge of coverage (I am on the border of a nature reserve), but should still have coverage. Fact is, I have good days, and I have bad days. And on the bad days, there is literally 12 hours or more of barely any data getting in or out of any device in my home.

As a result, I feel I'm forced to fixed line. I actually don't know what Telkom's offerings are like these days - literally the last time I had any discussions with anyone about Telkom was probably 5 years ago or more (I have never had a landline number either, I have relied on my cellphone since I moved out of my parent's house 7 years ago).

My wife is getting into online work (Upwork). We don't download any movies or stream anything much at all. I don't need fast internet, or tons of it, I just need RELIABLE internet. I am looking to get do Basic from Telkom.

Is Telkom ADSL considered reliable these days? If not, is there a more reliable option you can suggest (remembering that my cell coverage is patchy)?

Thanks!

 

[MickZA]

Is Telkom ADSL considered reliable these days? If not, is there a more reliable option you can suggest (remembering that my cell coverage is patchy)?

Start by typing your address into the Telkom coverage map to see which services are available - https://secure.telkom.co.za/today/ucm/

As far as reliability is concerned all my sites are on ADSL and I doubt we've had more than a days downtime in the last two years.

 

[Geoff.D]

Agree, the service is reliable and in my opinion much better than any wireless service will ever be, and has always been reliable.

The BUT is as previously posted, make sure ADLS is available in your area, and at the same time check out for possible FTTH services that may be available, or at least when FTTH is likely to reach your area.

 

[werfie]

ADSL service is generally very reliable. Telkom service is an entirely different story though.

 

[RoGe_SavageR]

Yup, I have coverage for ADSL to 10Mbps, but no coverage for VDSL or Fibre. No problem, I'm hoping to make do with 2Mbps (max) on do Basic, but maybe after living with mobile I've become accustomed to better than this..?

ADSL service is generally very reliable. Telkom service is an entirely different story though.

Ja, that's what I'm worried about - how much does Telkom impact on the reliability of the service? Would there be any advantage to rather using MWEB or Afrihost or another ISP, rather than Telkom directly?

 

[werfie]

Well. When it works it works good. Its just in the evenylt you have issues, Telkom becomes a mission. In my opinion ISPs are worse. They also rely largely on Telkom. So then you have a possible double layer of bad service to struggle through.

 

[Rickster]

ADSL is awesome but dont use telkom as your ISP.

 

[Geoff.D]

Yup, I have coverage for ADSL to 10Mbps, but no coverage for VDSL or Fibre. No problem, I'm hoping to make do with 2Mbps (max) on do Basic, but maybe after living with mobile I've become accustomed to better than this..?


Ja, that's what I'm worried about - how much does Telkom impact on the reliability of the service? Would there be any advantage to rather using MWEB or Afrihost or another ISP, rather than Telkom directly?

That is your choice as the market is now open. You could get the ADSL service from any ISP,

My experience with Telkom is great, and has always been great.

 

[MickZA]

We use several ISPs but there's nowt wrong with Telkom Internet capped for business, works well for streaming in the evenings as well.

Crystal Web were building a good reputation for line management but have fallen silent of late, best leave the line with Telkom (Openserve) for the time being.

 

[Geoff.D]

We use several ISPs but there's nowt wrong with Telkom Internet capped for business, works well for streaming in the evenings as well.

Crystal Web were building a good reputation for line management but have fallen silent of late, best leave the line with Telkom (Openserve) for the time being.

I agree with you.

OpenServe provide the ADSL service regardless of who the ISP is, so get them to install the line and provide ADSL.

THEN choose your ISP .

 

[RoGe_SavageR]

Ja, because I'm not a high-end user, and am fairly cost-conscious, there's something that bites me having to pay Telkom for the line anyway (this will be a new cost to me as I don't have/use a landline), and then having to pay line rental to another ISP - what am I really getting for this extra cost if Telkom supplies a reliable service?

My experience with Telkom is great, and has always been great.

Good to hear that from someone experienced.

I'm going to give the do Basic a try (but month-to-month and get my own router), and see how it goes, with the disclaimer that I may need to increase my line speed or change my ISP if unhappy.

Thanks all for the input - of course any further input is more than welcome!

 

[RoGe_SavageR]

ADSL is awesome but dont use telkom as your ISP.

Is it mainly their terrible customer service that makes you say this?

 

[Geoff.D]

Ja, because I'm not a high-end user, and am fairly cost-conscious, there's something that bites me having to pay Telkom for the line anyway (this will be a new cost to me as I don't have/use a landline), and then having to pay line rental to another ISP - what am I really getting for this extra cost if Telkom supplies a reliable service?



Good to hear that from someone experienced.

I'm going to give the do Basic a try (but month-to-month and get my own router), and see how it goes, with the disclaimer that I may need to increase my line speed or change my ISP if unhappy.

Thanks all for the input - of course any further input is more than welcome!

NO, you do not pay the line rental twice. It is either payable to Telkom/OpenServe direct or to the ISP of your choice, who then have to pay a portion over to OpenServe, depending on their deal with OpenServe.

The do basic is a ADSL entry grade service. The actual technology depends on what OpenServe has deployed in your area. It could be ADSL/ADSL2 variants/ADSL2+ variants. You need to know this before you purchase a modem to avoid falling into the trap Arthur below pointed out. You could go for an expansive modem and never use its capability.

 

[Johnatan56]

Well. When it works it works good. Its just in the evenylt you have issues, Telkom becomes a mission. In my opinion ISPs are worse. They also rely largely on Telkom. So then you have a possible double layer of bad service to struggle through.

Doesn't work like this anymore. Telkom and OpenServe are separate entities now.

Telkom logging the line fault is the same as any ISP logging a line fault, there is no difference anymore. Feel free to move your line to an ISP for the cost saving and just hassle your ISP to get OpenServe to do its job. (this was stated by DJ..., one of the heads of Crystal Web)

EDIT:

Put together a line transfer info pack and made it mostly ISP neutral for everyone else to use:

TELKOM LINE TRANSFERS

OK, let's clarify line transfers a bit.

Downtime:

There is no expected downtime if your ISP does its job right. So far Telkom ISP are the only ISP to have had delays and made the process more complicated than it needs to be, as they have implemented a paper-based cancellation form, and these jus take them forever to process. It's not difficult necessarily. It just takes longer to get done, but once in their queue, it should release into the holding pool, um, soon. I'm not sure they have a set date and time as it appears very random at the moment. The line will only go down if it remains in the holding pool for more than 2 weeks. If your line remains in the holding pool for 4 weeks, it will be cancelled*. Your line may sync at 2Mbps while in the holding pool - this is normal. If it is grabbed quickly by the new ISP (<1 day) this shouldn't happen. Your ISP should resync it back up, but I cannot talk for other ISPs and their processes.

ISP to ISP transfer is dirt simple and fast, except at the moment when Telkom Internet have been involved. It is rather slow with them. It can take up to a week in our experience just for them to load the paperwork correctly. Um, TI, it's 1 damn paper form - get off your arses and speed it up, and get tat form digitised.

*We've so far have 2 customers whose line went, well, missing. Literally - but it's 2 out of thousands, so the risk is far less than it was before. Both lines were recovered and no lines were cancelled.

Notications

You should receive a notification from your ISP on the day that the line is successfully moved into the holding pool by your previous ISP.
What you do from here is dependent on how your ISP processes on their end, but at Crystal Web we have a button that you click to manually inform us that the line is in the holding pool (this allows for early migrations which happen)
Your ISP then processes the move from holding pool into the ISP wholesaler's billing, andf resync takes place from 2Mbps where applicable back to normal provisioning speed or speed the line was migrated at (i.e you can upgrade on actual order with Crystal Web)

Moving back to the holding pool is required in order to switch ISPs - it is recommended to move your line to your data provider. More on that later*
Follow your ISP's instructions to cancel your line services with them and ensure that it is submitted with sufficient days to spare for cancellation notices. Crystal Web and Afrihost offer same-month cancellations, while other ISPs differ between 30 days from notice date (VOX), or calendar month's notice (Webafrica).
Once in the holding pool, follow the normal process for a migrate as in para 1 above


Should I leave my line with Telkom vs my ISP?

No. You should certainly move your line management and control to your ISP to allow for better insight, support, and flexibility from a single provider.
Telkom has split its divisions and businesses into their own units and legl entities. Telkom Retail ISP now acts as the sole Telkom ISP over Openserve but is completely separate (Previously Telkom Wholesale). Telkom Retail ISP is absolutely no different to all other ISPs when it comes to managing lines, with all faults, orders, regrades, provisioning and escalations happening on Openserve no matter who the ISP is.
This means that Telkom Retail ISP offers no benefit over other ISPs in the line management space like it did before, and all ISPs including Telkom ISP, operate with Openserve for processing, purchasing, changes and cancellations
Your ISP may be able to offer you a discount on your bundled line and data account. Please talk to your ISP to discuss pricing options or visit your ISP's website to look for bundles. Please note that at Crystal Web we allow you to add a line to any data package order, and therefore we allow for all bundling options in any configuration, at a flat monthly rental fee, paid by your ISP to Openserve.
Telkom lines are available in the following best effort download speed settings: 1Mbps, 2Mbps, 4Mbps, 8Mbps, 10Mbps, 20Mbs(ADSL2+/VDSL), 40Mbps (VDSL Only), 100Mbps (Fibre FTTH Only)**

**Telkom offers data lines on a best effort sync basis, meaning your line will auto-sync/provision at a speed nearest to the advertised product purchased, depending on various factors including distance from your house to the Telkom exchange that your line connects to (shorter distance is better), and the quality of the copper line itself that connects to that exchange (expressed as a signal to noise ratio [SNR] which is also impacted by distance to the exchange, because the longer the line, the more noise will be present for the same signal amount). Fibre lines are more resilient to distance and noise issues and are typically not subjected to such interference.
Upgrades are entirely dependent on line quality, port availability at the exchange, and the infrastructure deployed to your exchange. Not all sites support the same speeds. To identify your Telkom technology availability, as well as maximum available speeds, please consult the Telkom Coverage Map - http://www.telkom.co.za/coverage/ we suggest checking monthly to monitor for upgrades to your area

 

[Geoff.D]

Doesn't work like this anymore. Telkom and OpenServe are separate entities now.

Telkom logging the line fault is the same as any ISP logging a line fault, there is no difference anymore. Feel free to move your line to an ISP for the cost saving and just hassle your ISP to get OpenServe to do its job. (this was stated by DJ..., one of the heads of Crystal Web)

And that is just an opinion ---- It assumes the chosen ISP is any better than you at reporting and handling faults on your behalf.
Have a look at the numerous threads supported by ISPs on this forum to make up your mind.

(MWEB, AfriHost, Openweb, CW etc).
And then consider how complex it is to move from one ISP to another should you chooses to do so.

If The line is with OpenServe, then all you have to do is change ISP and the line stays in place.

That is what is so great these days, you are free to choose your own connectivity hell.

 

[RoGe_SavageR]

NO, you do not pay the line rental twice. It is either payable to Telkom/OpenServe direct or to the ISP of your choice, who then have to pay a portion over to OpenServe, depending on their deal with OpenServe.

Sorry, ADSL noob, bear with me :erm: but I just phoned MWEB and they said that I have to have a landline (voice line) with Telkom first, then pay line rental to MWEB, then pay data to MWEB on top of that. Sorry if I used the wrong terminology earlier, but with do Basic I pay R399 a month, straight. With MWEB, I pay R180 a month to Telkom for the voice line, R150 a month to MWEB for the 2Mbps line, and then R150 (or something) a month for the data on top of that.

Interesting about the separation of OpenServe and Telkom though, didn't consider that..

 

[Johnatan56]

And that is just an opinion ---- It assumes the chosen ISP is any better than you at reporting and handling faults on your behalf.
Have a look at the numerous threads supported by ISPs on this forum to make up your mind.

(MWEB, AfriHost, Openweb, CW etc).
And then consider how complex it is to move from one ISP to another should you chooses to do so.

If The line is with OpenServe, then all you have to do is change ISP and the line stays in place.

That is what is so great these days, you are free to choose your own connectivity hell.

You had to bring Openweb into this, seriously?
And the assumption is that if you can cost save, feel free to do so, as I would want to avoid Telkom managing my line any day, man I hate that call center.
And as you read in that post, transferring your line between any ISP that is not Telkom ISP is quick and easy compared.

My line is with Afrihost and haven't had any issues with them sorting out my line faults, I average around 2 faults a year.

Sorry, ADSL noob, bear with me :erm: but I just phoned MWEB and they said that I have to have a landline (voice line) with Telkom first, then pay line rental to MWEB, then pay data to MWEB on top of that. Sorry if I used the wrong terminology earlier, but with do Basic I pay R399 a month, straight. With MWEB, I pay R180 a month to Telkom for the voice line, R150 a month to MWEB for the 2Mbps line, and then R150 (or something) a month for the data on top of that.

Interesting about the separation of OpenServe and Telkom though, didn't consider that..

So you'll pay ~R180 for the voice rental to OpenServe.

The rest you can bundle with your ISP as one package, e.g.
https://www.afrihost.com/site/product/capped_dsl_bundles those bundles.

Do not touch Openweb. Avoid Mweb (they charge a premium which is not worth it). Web Africa is also not that nice, shaping on capped bundles etc.

Good ISP for price/performance: Afrihost, Axxess and Crystal Web.

 

[Jake45]

ADSL should work reliably as long as you are able to receive a dial tone on the telephone that is connected to the same line. I have a very bad line which still only requires very minimal attention from Telkom - one fault report per year at most.

I am currently using a really cheap Tenda D151 wireless router (~R350) which has been able to provide me with a stable 12.5Mbps (10Mbps service) for the last 6 months. The wireless signal is also excellent throughout my home as well as in the garden which was not the case when using my previous Billion router. Afrihost and Axxess have some of the most competitive ADSL line/data rates currently. You could start with a 1Mbps line @R59 and a 10+10 capped package @ R29 (18 hours of free downloading) from Afrihost and then upgrade if necessary.

Tenda D301 router (latest model)
http://www.russalpc.co.za/catalog/p.../8213/osCsid/94e22044796f030b6929489891856ac5

Afrihost ADSL line pricing
https://www.afrihost.com/site/product/adsl_lines
Afrihost capped packages (18 hours free downloading)
https://www.afrihost.com/site/product/adsl_capped

Axxess ADSL line pricing
https://www.axxess.co.za/dsl/lines
Axxess uncapped ADSL pricing
https://www.axxess.co.za/dsl/home-uncapped

 

[RoGe_SavageR]

Really helpful responses guys, thank you, lapping it up!

 

[RoGe_SavageR]

You could start with a 1Mbps line @R59 and a 10+10 capped package @ R29 (18 hours of free downloading) from Afrihost and then upgrade if necessary

Ok, thinking of the 2Mbps line rental with 20+20, then I'm pretty much at the same sort of value as Telkom's do Basic, but hopefully should be able to change package easier in the future (if necessary) with Afrihost.

A little nervous that their packages are up for revision at the end of the month, but hey..