Sign up with Google
TheRoDent
Cool Ideas Rep
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2003
- Messages
- 6,218
This is a C&P from a document that's being circulated to journalists regarding MyWireless. For the full version, visit http://poopband.co.za/files/info-journalists-mywireless.doc
It contains a number of points, which I believe you should find interesting. Go the <font color="red">red sections</font id="red"> if you don't wanna read thru all their waffle.
Sentech Limited
Private Bag X06
Honeydew
2040
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON 3G TECHNOLGY
Globally there is no uniform / standardised definition for “broadband”. The word “broadband” is defined by various international sources as follows:
(a) “Broadband: Based on today's technology and applications, high-speed broadband is defined as a high-capacity, two-way link between end user and access network suppliers capable of supporting technologies such as full-motion interactive video applications. A minimum symmetrical speed of 1.5 megabits per second per individual user may be a reasonable expectation. Future technologies will trend toward new applications such as peer-to-peer file interactions and video conferencing with increased individual user demand for symmetric bandwidth in the 4-to-6 Mbps range. Public facilities will require much higher bandwidth, ranging from this minimum to several hundred times more, depending on their size and user needs. For current Commonwealth purposes, broadband options range from T-1 at the low end, and OCxx at the high end. The T1 (or T-1) carrier is the most commonly used digital line in the United States. It carries 24 pulse code modulation (PCM) signals using time-division multiplexing (TDM) at an overall rate of 1.544 million bits per second (Mbps). T1 lines use copper wire and span distances within and between major metropolitan areas. OC-1 The Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) includes a set of signal rate multiples for transmitting digital signals on optical fiber. The base rate (OC-1) is 51.84 Mbps. OC-2 runs at twice the base rate, OC-3 at three times the base rate, and so forth. Planned rates include OC-1, OC-3 (155.52 Mbps), OC-12 (622.08 Mpbs), and OC-48 (2.488 Gbps). Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) makes use of some of the Optical Carrier levels. Gigabit Ethernet provides an even higher level of backbone support at 1,000 megabits per second (1 gigabit or 1 billion bits per second) and is a fast emerging technology. Gigabit Ethernet requires little infrastructure change, and it uses copper wire. However, Gigabit Ethernet is not currently offered through the Adelphia catalog. The following are also considered broadband technologies, in the general sense: CATV, Cable Modems, ISDN, DSL, and other technologies that are more than one STS channel wide.” (Source: Information Technology Bulletin, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor’s Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology, Data Network Planning at pdecapria@state.pa.us)
(b) “broadband: 1. Synonym [in analogue technology] wideband. 2. A descriptive term for evolving digital technologies that provide consumers a signal-switched facility offering integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video-demand services, and interactive delivery services. [FCC].” (Source: American National Standard for Telecommunications, Telecom Glossary 2000, Approved February 28, 200, American National Standards Institute, Inc. http://www.atis.org )
(c) “Broadband (1-data transfer) A term that is commonly associated with high-speed data transfer connections. When applied to consumer access networks, broadband often refers to data transmission rates of 1 Mbps or higher. When referred to LANs, MANs, or WANs, broadband data transmission rates are 45 Mbps or higher. (2-radio bandwidth) A frequency bandwidth that is much larger than the required bandwidth to transfer the information signal. For example, using a 1 MHz wide radio channel to transmit a 4 kHz limited audio signal. (Source: http://www.althos.com/VoIPDictionary/)
(d) “Broadband <communications> A class of communication channel capable of supporting a wide range of frequencies, typically from audio up to video frequencies. A broadband channel can carry multiple signals by dividing the total capacity into multiple, independent bandwidth channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of frequencies. The term has come to be used for any kind of Internet connection with a download speed of more than 56 kbaud, usually some kind of Digital Subscriber Line, e.g. ADSL. See also baseband, narrowband.” (Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2004 Denis Howe)
(e) “broadband adj 1: of or relating to or being a communications network in which the bandwidth can be divided and shared by multiple simultaneous signals (as for voice or data or video) 2: responding to or operating at a wide band of frequencies; "a broadband antenna" [syn: wideband].” (Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University)
(f) broadband: “Broadband refers to the ability of the user to view content across the internet that includes large files, such as video, audio and 3D. Broadband refers to an increased ability to do so. The term narrowband can refer to the inability to do so. A user's broadband capability is typically governed by the last mile issue, the connection between the ISP and the user.” (Source: http://www.learnthat.com/define/view.asp?id=281).
The word “wireless” is defined as:
(a) wireless: (networking) wireless - A term describing a computer network where there is no physical connection (either copper cable or fibre optics) between sender and receiver, but instead they are connected by radio. Applications for wireless networks include multi-party teleconferencing, distributed work sessions, personal digital assistants, and electronic newspapers. They include the transmission of voice, video, images, and data, each traffic type with possibly differing bandwidth and quality-of-service requirements. The wireless network components of a complete source-destination path requires consideration of mobility, hand-off, and varying transmission and bandwidth conditions. The wired/wireless network combination provides a severe bandwidth mismatch, as well as vastly different error conditions. The processing capability of fixed vs. mobile terminals may be expected to differ significantly. This then leads to such issues to be addressed in this environment as admission control, capacity assignment and hand-off control in the wireless domain, flow and error control over the complete end-to-end path, dynamic bandwidth control to accommodate bandwidth mismatch and/or varying processing capability.
(Source: http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Broadband)
(b) wireless: “Noun 1. wireless - medium for communication
Synonyms: radio, radio communication
2. wireless - transmission by radio waves
3. wireless - an electronic receiver that detects and demodulates and amplifies transmitted signals
Synonyms: radio receiver, radio set, receiving set, tuner, radio
4. wireless - a communication system based on broadcasting electromagnetic waves
Synonyms: radio
Adj. 1. wireless - having no wires; "a wireless security system"
Antonyms:
wired - equipped with wire or wires especially for electric or telephone service; "a well-wired house" (Source: WordNet Dictionary, on http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/).
(c) 3G Wireless The third generation of technology of the mobile wireless industry. Third generation (3G) systems use wideband digital radio technology as compared to 2nd generation narrowband digital radio. For third generation cordless telephones, 3G wireless describes products that use multiple digital radio channels and new registration processes allowed some 3rd generation cordless phones to roam into other public places. (Source: http://www.althos.com/VoIPDictionary)
And the word “access” is defined as:
access: 1. The ability and means necessary to store data in, to retrieve data from, to communicate with, or to make use of any resource of a system. 2. To obtain the use of a resource. 3. (COMSEC) [The] capability and opportunity to gain detailed knowledge of or to alter information or material. [NIS] 4. (AIS) [The] ability and means to communicate with (i.e., input to or receive output from), or otherwise make use of any information, resource, or component in an AIS. Note [for 3 and 4]: An individual does not have "access" if the proper authority or a physical, technical, or procedural measure prevents him/her from obtaining knowledge or having an opportunity to alter information, material, resources, or components. [NIS] 5. An assigned portion of system resources for one data stream of user communications or signalling6. [An] opportunity to make use of an information-system (IS) resource. [INFOSEC-99] (Source: American National Standard for Telecommunications, Telecom Glossary 2000, Approved February 28, 200, American National Standards Institute, Inc. http://www.atis.org )
Sentech therefore does not use the term broadband, nor uses it out of context. We belief that what is advertised on television as broadband internet is factually and technically accurate as per the internationally accepted and used definitions given above, and is not misleading.
1.1 Speed:
1.1.1 Speed on the Internet can be very subjective and is largely based on end-user perception as well as customer expectation.
1.1.2 It should be noted, that other internet service providers in South Africa, such as Telkom, UUNET and IS, do not give / state a speed a customer will receive, nor guarantee it in any of their internet service products that they sell. This is because they use the principle applied by all Internet Service Providers (ISPs), namely contention (sharing).
<font color="red">1.1.3 The words “MyWireless 128”, “MyWireless 256” and “MyWireless 512” have been used as product names in marketing collateral, e.g. the MyWireless Price List. The speeds are mentioned in the MyWireless flyer but it does not state that the speed is guaranteed. . </font id="red">
1.1.4 Sentech would furthermore like to point out that the contract signed by all customers, has a “acceptable user policy” (AUP), which states:
“Definition: “the Service” means the provision by Sentech of two-way data communication services by wireless radio frequency on the Internet Protocol via a shared Internet Access platform whereby such Internet Access is contended or shared at specific ratios, the ratios which will be disclosed by Sentech to the customer on request, and such other additional services as Sentech may at its option choose to make available from time to time by means of the system, and the delivery and use of the subscriber apparatus to the customer;
“ Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Sentech Ltd. ("Sentech") has designed its Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") to enhance the use of our wireless Internet access and related services (the "Service") by our customers ("you") by setting standards for acceptable use and preventing unacceptable use. This AUP forms part of the agreement between Sentech and you; terms used in this AUP are used as defined in Sentech's Terms and Conditions. All users of the Service must comply with this AUP. For the benefit of all of Sentech's customers, Sentech prohibits the following activities:
Improper Use of the Service.
You may not use the Service in a manner prohibited by any law or regulation. Without limiting the foregoing, you may not use the Service for any abusive purpose, in any way that damages Sentech's property, or in any way that interferes with or disrupts our network or adversely affects other Sentech customers. You may not attempt to circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network, network element, or account (also known as "cracking" or "hacking"). This includes, but is not limited to, accessing data not intended for you, logging into a server or account that you are not expressly authorized to access, or probing the security of other networks. You may not attempt to interfere with service to any user, host, or network ("denial of service attacks"). This includes, but is not limited to; "flooding" of networks, deliberate attempts to overload a service, and attempts to "crash" a host. You may not use any kind of program/script/command, or send messages of any kind, designed to interfere with any server or a user's session, by any means, locally or via the Internet.
Excess Utilization of Network Resources.
The excessive use or abuse of Sentech's network resources by one customer may have a negative impact on all other customers. Accordingly, you may not use the Service or take any action that will result in excessive consumption or utilization of the system or network resources, or which may weaken network performance, as determined in Sentech's sole discretion. Such prohibited actions include, but are not limited to: using the Service to host a web server site which attracts excessive traffic at your location, continuously uploading or downloading streaming video or audio, UseNet hosting, or continuous FTP uploading or downloading. In the event that Sentech detects excessive use by you, Sentech may restrict your access to Sentech's network, increase the fees associated with your Service, including upgrading you to a higher class of Service, or terminate your Service.
Copyright Infringement.
You may not use the Service to transmit or receive any material that infringes on any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other proprietary or intellectual right of any party, including, but not limited to, the unauthorized copying of copyrighted material, the digitization and distribution of photographs from magazines, books, or other copyrighted sources, and the unauthorized transmittal of copyrighted software.”
<font color="red">The speed problems that some customers might experience, as been reported on in the media, is largely due to some individuals abusing bandwidth by way of downloading often large illegal files such as music and videos. Some customers, over a monthly period download significantly more than the average usage of the rest of the customers, thereby creating congestion on the network or making it an unpleasant experience for the rest of the user base. To this end, Sentech will now more vigorously start enforcing the “acceptable user policy (AUP)” to ensure that the service available to the all of it’s customers will be fair and equal.</font id="red">
1.1.5 From a technological point of view, it should be explained that contention, capping, international vs. local applications, as well as type of modem / technology and infrastructure used influences speed, as these are all interrelated, and any of these components will influence the speed of any internet product or service provided by any supplier locally and internationally. To explain:
§ Contention (sharing)
Both internationally and locally, companies that provide an Internet service use some sort of contention. This means, that the service is shared with other users. In order to explain, we will an analogy of travelling on the N1 highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg. (a) Many users use the road on a daily basis , and (b) they drive different types of vehicles, as well as (c) the time of day an individual uses this road influences the speed at which one can travel and ultimately the time duration between the two cities .Similarly, Internet access shared by several users has the same basic effect where multiple users are accessing the Internet on various access technologies and who experience fluctuating speeds based on peak usage periods .Many of the local Internet service providers in South Africa do not state in their marketing collateral what their respective product’s contention ratios are. In fact, in a recent article published in SA Computer Magazine (Vol12#6, July 2004, p4, caption: Telkom’s ADSL Under Investigation by ICASA) states: “MyADSL proposes that ICASA safeguard users by enforcing a contention ratio of 50:1.”
The Sentech MyWireless service is a contended service, and as such, this will impact on speed.
Shared bandwidth refers to Internet access bandwidth, which is not provided as a dedicated connection. A term called contention is also used to describe shared bandwidth and is usually referred to as a contention ratio.
For example: a contention ratio of 10:1 means that the same bandwidth can be used by a maximum of 10 users. This means that the theoretical minimum bandwidth that a single user can obtain when there is a 100% usage on that connection (all 10 users are online and using their Internet connection simultaneously – browsing, email, downloading files etc.) is the sum of the total bandwidth divided by 10. Thus for a 256Kbps shared connection on a 10:1 contention ratio and at 100% usage, a single user will get a minimum of 25.6Kbps. This minimum bandwidth obtained is therefore directly affected by the number of users concurrently using the bandwidth as well as the contention ratio used by the service provider.
Sentech currently provides all of its MyWireless services on shared bandwidth and the contention ratio used is dependant on whether the access on the Internet is local (contained within the co.za domain space) or International (any domain or service located outside the co.za domain space).
It is imperative to note that the speeds achieved on the greater Internet is also determined by the application, service or website which is been accessed on the Internet as the bandwidth that is provided by the entity that hosts this service will also have an effect on the actual throughput achieved by the end user.
§ Capping
The industry definition of this, is a usage limit placed (normally monthly) on the volume / size of data transferred by a customer or service, as described in the product offering. The purpose of capping is to enable a form of bandwidth management, to minimise network traffic by it’s users. The individual is thus limited by a contract, and if he exceeds, he might, as the norm, either have to pay an additional fee for access for that month or he can be disconnected. Sentech’s uses a fair usage policy method as contained in it’s Acceptable User Policy (AUP). In this policy, the volume of data usage on a user level that share the network is managed to counter misuse or abuse at the expense of others. Sentech does not provide a contractual cap of a specific monthly limit in any of its MyWireless offerings.
§ International vs. local access (effect on speed)
There is a marked difference in the cost of any ISP provisioning Internet access locally versus that for International access. It is therefore market practice that varying contention rates are used for the access to a domain or service located within co.za from that of a service hosted outside of this country. This would imply therefore that the speed of accessing services (such as web sites) internationally would be slower than when accessing similar services locally.
The theoretical maximum speed of a 56.6Kbps is 56.6Kbps or 7KBps. This is however not achievable. The reality is that the combination of contention on the Internet connection to the Internet Service Provider as well as the quality of the physical twisted pair copper wire that is supplied by Telkom, results in lower speeds than is theoretically possible. Thus even dial modems will offer almost consistently on average lower speeds than the stated service specification.
The same theory applies to other Internet services such as ISDN and ADSL as well where the contention varies dependant upon the product.
We would not use the term oversubscribed - MyWireless is a contended service and the difference between an oversubscribed service and a contended service is a managed shared services environment i.e. bandwidth is managed effectively by the network according to consumer usage patterns. From a technical perspective, a customer can peak to the maximum bandwidth of the relevant product that was purchased and also receive a minimum throughput relative to the number of users on that contended service at that specific time.
We are currently addressing the concerns of a small percentage of our base that have lodged complaints due to the minimum throughput that they are receiving on certain packages. In order to achieve this, Sentech is currently consulting on technical solutions with industry leaders on the best practices adopted by them, which will be validated and tested prior to implementation on this network. We are in the early adoption phase of new technology and new service, and statistical information and customer feedback is essential in helping to fine tune these new services to meet market demand. Sentech is committed to delivering excellent service and is therefore actively addressing current customer concerns associated with the MyWireless service. Sentech is also committed to providing Internet access at an affordable, fixed monthly cost.
Sentech consider customer complains in a serious light and therefore will take the necessary actions to address customer concerns.
Sentech believes that with the introduction of any new technology, a great deal of market education is essential. We commenced with the MyWireless advertising in December 2003 and since then have continued to provide information to the media in an effort to educate the public and improve understanding in the market of this new technology. We appreciate feedback and will continuously strive to educate the market with open, honest, truthful and good intentional advertising campaigns build on various media platforms
To illustrate our commitment to customer service, we urge the media to contact Dr Michelle Potgieter directly to further discuss issues of concern.
<h2> Cancel Now</h2>
<center><h6> MyWireless <s>Hacks</s> Tweaks & Tech Info || Have you checked the fawking FAQ? <br /> <font color="red">Tired of Sentech's bad service? Want to compare speeds? We at least listen...</font id="red"></h6></center>
It contains a number of points, which I believe you should find interesting. Go the <font color="red">red sections</font id="red"> if you don't wanna read thru all their waffle.
Sentech Limited
Private Bag X06
Honeydew
2040
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON 3G TECHNOLGY
Globally there is no uniform / standardised definition for “broadband”. The word “broadband” is defined by various international sources as follows:
(a) “Broadband: Based on today's technology and applications, high-speed broadband is defined as a high-capacity, two-way link between end user and access network suppliers capable of supporting technologies such as full-motion interactive video applications. A minimum symmetrical speed of 1.5 megabits per second per individual user may be a reasonable expectation. Future technologies will trend toward new applications such as peer-to-peer file interactions and video conferencing with increased individual user demand for symmetric bandwidth in the 4-to-6 Mbps range. Public facilities will require much higher bandwidth, ranging from this minimum to several hundred times more, depending on their size and user needs. For current Commonwealth purposes, broadband options range from T-1 at the low end, and OCxx at the high end. The T1 (or T-1) carrier is the most commonly used digital line in the United States. It carries 24 pulse code modulation (PCM) signals using time-division multiplexing (TDM) at an overall rate of 1.544 million bits per second (Mbps). T1 lines use copper wire and span distances within and between major metropolitan areas. OC-1 The Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) includes a set of signal rate multiples for transmitting digital signals on optical fiber. The base rate (OC-1) is 51.84 Mbps. OC-2 runs at twice the base rate, OC-3 at three times the base rate, and so forth. Planned rates include OC-1, OC-3 (155.52 Mbps), OC-12 (622.08 Mpbs), and OC-48 (2.488 Gbps). Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) makes use of some of the Optical Carrier levels. Gigabit Ethernet provides an even higher level of backbone support at 1,000 megabits per second (1 gigabit or 1 billion bits per second) and is a fast emerging technology. Gigabit Ethernet requires little infrastructure change, and it uses copper wire. However, Gigabit Ethernet is not currently offered through the Adelphia catalog. The following are also considered broadband technologies, in the general sense: CATV, Cable Modems, ISDN, DSL, and other technologies that are more than one STS channel wide.” (Source: Information Technology Bulletin, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor’s Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology, Data Network Planning at pdecapria@state.pa.us)
(b) “broadband: 1. Synonym [in analogue technology] wideband. 2. A descriptive term for evolving digital technologies that provide consumers a signal-switched facility offering integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video-demand services, and interactive delivery services. [FCC].” (Source: American National Standard for Telecommunications, Telecom Glossary 2000, Approved February 28, 200, American National Standards Institute, Inc. http://www.atis.org )
(c) “Broadband (1-data transfer) A term that is commonly associated with high-speed data transfer connections. When applied to consumer access networks, broadband often refers to data transmission rates of 1 Mbps or higher. When referred to LANs, MANs, or WANs, broadband data transmission rates are 45 Mbps or higher. (2-radio bandwidth) A frequency bandwidth that is much larger than the required bandwidth to transfer the information signal. For example, using a 1 MHz wide radio channel to transmit a 4 kHz limited audio signal. (Source: http://www.althos.com/VoIPDictionary/)
(d) “Broadband <communications> A class of communication channel capable of supporting a wide range of frequencies, typically from audio up to video frequencies. A broadband channel can carry multiple signals by dividing the total capacity into multiple, independent bandwidth channels, where each channel operates only on a specific range of frequencies. The term has come to be used for any kind of Internet connection with a download speed of more than 56 kbaud, usually some kind of Digital Subscriber Line, e.g. ADSL. See also baseband, narrowband.” (Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2004 Denis Howe)
(e) “broadband adj 1: of or relating to or being a communications network in which the bandwidth can be divided and shared by multiple simultaneous signals (as for voice or data or video) 2: responding to or operating at a wide band of frequencies; "a broadband antenna" [syn: wideband].” (Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University)
(f) broadband: “Broadband refers to the ability of the user to view content across the internet that includes large files, such as video, audio and 3D. Broadband refers to an increased ability to do so. The term narrowband can refer to the inability to do so. A user's broadband capability is typically governed by the last mile issue, the connection between the ISP and the user.” (Source: http://www.learnthat.com/define/view.asp?id=281).
The word “wireless” is defined as:
(a) wireless: (networking) wireless - A term describing a computer network where there is no physical connection (either copper cable or fibre optics) between sender and receiver, but instead they are connected by radio. Applications for wireless networks include multi-party teleconferencing, distributed work sessions, personal digital assistants, and electronic newspapers. They include the transmission of voice, video, images, and data, each traffic type with possibly differing bandwidth and quality-of-service requirements. The wireless network components of a complete source-destination path requires consideration of mobility, hand-off, and varying transmission and bandwidth conditions. The wired/wireless network combination provides a severe bandwidth mismatch, as well as vastly different error conditions. The processing capability of fixed vs. mobile terminals may be expected to differ significantly. This then leads to such issues to be addressed in this environment as admission control, capacity assignment and hand-off control in the wireless domain, flow and error control over the complete end-to-end path, dynamic bandwidth control to accommodate bandwidth mismatch and/or varying processing capability.
(Source: http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Broadband)
(b) wireless: “Noun 1. wireless - medium for communication
Synonyms: radio, radio communication
2. wireless - transmission by radio waves
3. wireless - an electronic receiver that detects and demodulates and amplifies transmitted signals
Synonyms: radio receiver, radio set, receiving set, tuner, radio
4. wireless - a communication system based on broadcasting electromagnetic waves
Synonyms: radio
Adj. 1. wireless - having no wires; "a wireless security system"
Antonyms:
wired - equipped with wire or wires especially for electric or telephone service; "a well-wired house" (Source: WordNet Dictionary, on http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/).
(c) 3G Wireless The third generation of technology of the mobile wireless industry. Third generation (3G) systems use wideband digital radio technology as compared to 2nd generation narrowband digital radio. For third generation cordless telephones, 3G wireless describes products that use multiple digital radio channels and new registration processes allowed some 3rd generation cordless phones to roam into other public places. (Source: http://www.althos.com/VoIPDictionary)
And the word “access” is defined as:
access: 1. The ability and means necessary to store data in, to retrieve data from, to communicate with, or to make use of any resource of a system. 2. To obtain the use of a resource. 3. (COMSEC) [The] capability and opportunity to gain detailed knowledge of or to alter information or material. [NIS] 4. (AIS) [The] ability and means to communicate with (i.e., input to or receive output from), or otherwise make use of any information, resource, or component in an AIS. Note [for 3 and 4]: An individual does not have "access" if the proper authority or a physical, technical, or procedural measure prevents him/her from obtaining knowledge or having an opportunity to alter information, material, resources, or components. [NIS] 5. An assigned portion of system resources for one data stream of user communications or signalling6. [An] opportunity to make use of an information-system (IS) resource. [INFOSEC-99] (Source: American National Standard for Telecommunications, Telecom Glossary 2000, Approved February 28, 200, American National Standards Institute, Inc. http://www.atis.org )
Sentech therefore does not use the term broadband, nor uses it out of context. We belief that what is advertised on television as broadband internet is factually and technically accurate as per the internationally accepted and used definitions given above, and is not misleading.
1.1 Speed:
1.1.1 Speed on the Internet can be very subjective and is largely based on end-user perception as well as customer expectation.
1.1.2 It should be noted, that other internet service providers in South Africa, such as Telkom, UUNET and IS, do not give / state a speed a customer will receive, nor guarantee it in any of their internet service products that they sell. This is because they use the principle applied by all Internet Service Providers (ISPs), namely contention (sharing).
<font color="red">1.1.3 The words “MyWireless 128”, “MyWireless 256” and “MyWireless 512” have been used as product names in marketing collateral, e.g. the MyWireless Price List. The speeds are mentioned in the MyWireless flyer but it does not state that the speed is guaranteed. . </font id="red">
1.1.4 Sentech would furthermore like to point out that the contract signed by all customers, has a “acceptable user policy” (AUP), which states:
“Definition: “the Service” means the provision by Sentech of two-way data communication services by wireless radio frequency on the Internet Protocol via a shared Internet Access platform whereby such Internet Access is contended or shared at specific ratios, the ratios which will be disclosed by Sentech to the customer on request, and such other additional services as Sentech may at its option choose to make available from time to time by means of the system, and the delivery and use of the subscriber apparatus to the customer;
“ Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Sentech Ltd. ("Sentech") has designed its Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") to enhance the use of our wireless Internet access and related services (the "Service") by our customers ("you") by setting standards for acceptable use and preventing unacceptable use. This AUP forms part of the agreement between Sentech and you; terms used in this AUP are used as defined in Sentech's Terms and Conditions. All users of the Service must comply with this AUP. For the benefit of all of Sentech's customers, Sentech prohibits the following activities:
Improper Use of the Service.
You may not use the Service in a manner prohibited by any law or regulation. Without limiting the foregoing, you may not use the Service for any abusive purpose, in any way that damages Sentech's property, or in any way that interferes with or disrupts our network or adversely affects other Sentech customers. You may not attempt to circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network, network element, or account (also known as "cracking" or "hacking"). This includes, but is not limited to, accessing data not intended for you, logging into a server or account that you are not expressly authorized to access, or probing the security of other networks. You may not attempt to interfere with service to any user, host, or network ("denial of service attacks"). This includes, but is not limited to; "flooding" of networks, deliberate attempts to overload a service, and attempts to "crash" a host. You may not use any kind of program/script/command, or send messages of any kind, designed to interfere with any server or a user's session, by any means, locally or via the Internet.
Excess Utilization of Network Resources.
The excessive use or abuse of Sentech's network resources by one customer may have a negative impact on all other customers. Accordingly, you may not use the Service or take any action that will result in excessive consumption or utilization of the system or network resources, or which may weaken network performance, as determined in Sentech's sole discretion. Such prohibited actions include, but are not limited to: using the Service to host a web server site which attracts excessive traffic at your location, continuously uploading or downloading streaming video or audio, UseNet hosting, or continuous FTP uploading or downloading. In the event that Sentech detects excessive use by you, Sentech may restrict your access to Sentech's network, increase the fees associated with your Service, including upgrading you to a higher class of Service, or terminate your Service.
Copyright Infringement.
You may not use the Service to transmit or receive any material that infringes on any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other proprietary or intellectual right of any party, including, but not limited to, the unauthorized copying of copyrighted material, the digitization and distribution of photographs from magazines, books, or other copyrighted sources, and the unauthorized transmittal of copyrighted software.”
<font color="red">The speed problems that some customers might experience, as been reported on in the media, is largely due to some individuals abusing bandwidth by way of downloading often large illegal files such as music and videos. Some customers, over a monthly period download significantly more than the average usage of the rest of the customers, thereby creating congestion on the network or making it an unpleasant experience for the rest of the user base. To this end, Sentech will now more vigorously start enforcing the “acceptable user policy (AUP)” to ensure that the service available to the all of it’s customers will be fair and equal.</font id="red">
1.1.5 From a technological point of view, it should be explained that contention, capping, international vs. local applications, as well as type of modem / technology and infrastructure used influences speed, as these are all interrelated, and any of these components will influence the speed of any internet product or service provided by any supplier locally and internationally. To explain:
§ Contention (sharing)
Both internationally and locally, companies that provide an Internet service use some sort of contention. This means, that the service is shared with other users. In order to explain, we will an analogy of travelling on the N1 highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg. (a) Many users use the road on a daily basis , and (b) they drive different types of vehicles, as well as (c) the time of day an individual uses this road influences the speed at which one can travel and ultimately the time duration between the two cities .Similarly, Internet access shared by several users has the same basic effect where multiple users are accessing the Internet on various access technologies and who experience fluctuating speeds based on peak usage periods .Many of the local Internet service providers in South Africa do not state in their marketing collateral what their respective product’s contention ratios are. In fact, in a recent article published in SA Computer Magazine (Vol12#6, July 2004, p4, caption: Telkom’s ADSL Under Investigation by ICASA) states: “MyADSL proposes that ICASA safeguard users by enforcing a contention ratio of 50:1.”
The Sentech MyWireless service is a contended service, and as such, this will impact on speed.
Shared bandwidth refers to Internet access bandwidth, which is not provided as a dedicated connection. A term called contention is also used to describe shared bandwidth and is usually referred to as a contention ratio.
For example: a contention ratio of 10:1 means that the same bandwidth can be used by a maximum of 10 users. This means that the theoretical minimum bandwidth that a single user can obtain when there is a 100% usage on that connection (all 10 users are online and using their Internet connection simultaneously – browsing, email, downloading files etc.) is the sum of the total bandwidth divided by 10. Thus for a 256Kbps shared connection on a 10:1 contention ratio and at 100% usage, a single user will get a minimum of 25.6Kbps. This minimum bandwidth obtained is therefore directly affected by the number of users concurrently using the bandwidth as well as the contention ratio used by the service provider.
Sentech currently provides all of its MyWireless services on shared bandwidth and the contention ratio used is dependant on whether the access on the Internet is local (contained within the co.za domain space) or International (any domain or service located outside the co.za domain space).
It is imperative to note that the speeds achieved on the greater Internet is also determined by the application, service or website which is been accessed on the Internet as the bandwidth that is provided by the entity that hosts this service will also have an effect on the actual throughput achieved by the end user.
§ Capping
The industry definition of this, is a usage limit placed (normally monthly) on the volume / size of data transferred by a customer or service, as described in the product offering. The purpose of capping is to enable a form of bandwidth management, to minimise network traffic by it’s users. The individual is thus limited by a contract, and if he exceeds, he might, as the norm, either have to pay an additional fee for access for that month or he can be disconnected. Sentech’s uses a fair usage policy method as contained in it’s Acceptable User Policy (AUP). In this policy, the volume of data usage on a user level that share the network is managed to counter misuse or abuse at the expense of others. Sentech does not provide a contractual cap of a specific monthly limit in any of its MyWireless offerings.
§ International vs. local access (effect on speed)
There is a marked difference in the cost of any ISP provisioning Internet access locally versus that for International access. It is therefore market practice that varying contention rates are used for the access to a domain or service located within co.za from that of a service hosted outside of this country. This would imply therefore that the speed of accessing services (such as web sites) internationally would be slower than when accessing similar services locally.
The theoretical maximum speed of a 56.6Kbps is 56.6Kbps or 7KBps. This is however not achievable. The reality is that the combination of contention on the Internet connection to the Internet Service Provider as well as the quality of the physical twisted pair copper wire that is supplied by Telkom, results in lower speeds than is theoretically possible. Thus even dial modems will offer almost consistently on average lower speeds than the stated service specification.
The same theory applies to other Internet services such as ISDN and ADSL as well where the contention varies dependant upon the product.
We would not use the term oversubscribed - MyWireless is a contended service and the difference between an oversubscribed service and a contended service is a managed shared services environment i.e. bandwidth is managed effectively by the network according to consumer usage patterns. From a technical perspective, a customer can peak to the maximum bandwidth of the relevant product that was purchased and also receive a minimum throughput relative to the number of users on that contended service at that specific time.
We are currently addressing the concerns of a small percentage of our base that have lodged complaints due to the minimum throughput that they are receiving on certain packages. In order to achieve this, Sentech is currently consulting on technical solutions with industry leaders on the best practices adopted by them, which will be validated and tested prior to implementation on this network. We are in the early adoption phase of new technology and new service, and statistical information and customer feedback is essential in helping to fine tune these new services to meet market demand. Sentech is committed to delivering excellent service and is therefore actively addressing current customer concerns associated with the MyWireless service. Sentech is also committed to providing Internet access at an affordable, fixed monthly cost.
Sentech consider customer complains in a serious light and therefore will take the necessary actions to address customer concerns.
Sentech believes that with the introduction of any new technology, a great deal of market education is essential. We commenced with the MyWireless advertising in December 2003 and since then have continued to provide information to the media in an effort to educate the public and improve understanding in the market of this new technology. We appreciate feedback and will continuously strive to educate the market with open, honest, truthful and good intentional advertising campaigns build on various media platforms
To illustrate our commitment to customer service, we urge the media to contact Dr Michelle Potgieter directly to further discuss issues of concern.
<h2> Cancel Now</h2>
<center><h6> MyWireless <s>Hacks</s> Tweaks & Tech Info || Have you checked the fawking FAQ? <br /> <font color="red">Tired of Sentech's bad service? Want to compare speeds? We at least listen...</font id="red"></h6></center>
]