MORE 3G problems!

[mc721221]

I was wondering if any other users were experience any of the following problems?

a. Connections dropping (3G more than GPRS. I get about one disconnection every two hours as an average)

b. issued IP address not resolving.

c. issued IP address listed at Spamhaus.

d. Hefty latency and timeouts on the 3G connection from time to time. (Normally lasts a few minutes)

 

[jannie]

I called Vodacom re the drops in connectivity and they apparently made some network changes that should improve it. I did battle this morning but now it seems better. Are you seeing an improvement?

How did you resolve your IP? Can you do a nslookup on it?

The network issues a 10.0.0.0 address that should not be routable?

 

[mc721221]

Yes, the ip address assigned to my 3G card is within the 10.0.0.0 range.

However to send email, the 10.0.0.0 must be routed via some proxy on the
196.46.162 range of IP addresses and this range is where the problems are.

A simple test:

>>$ dig -x 196.46.162.3


; <<>> DiG 9.2.1 <<>> -x 196.46.162.3
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 28874
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 3, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;3.162.46.196.in-addr.arpa. IN PTR

;; ANSWER SECTION:
3.162.46.196.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN PTR
196-46-162-3.gprs.vodacom.co.za.

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
162.46.196.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN NS ns2.tiscali.co.za.
162.46.196.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN NS ns3.tiscali.co.za.
162.46.196.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN NS ns1.tiscali.co.za.

;; Query time: 70 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)


>>$ dig 196-46-162-3.gprs.vodacom.co.za


; <<>> DiG 9.2.1 <<>> 196-46-162-3.gprs.vodacom.co.za
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 41934
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;196-46-162-3.gprs.vodacom.co.za. IN A

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
vodacom.co.za. 10800 IN SOA ns1.tiscali.co.za.
root.tiscali.co.za. 2004121601 10800 3600 3600000 86400

;; Query time: 85 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)
;; WHEN: Tue Jan 18 13:20:11 2005
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 102

==============================>>>>>>>>>>>>
All THEY need to do to fix the DNS problem is to make sure that:
196-46-162-3.gprs.vodacom.co.za resolves to 196.46.162.3
AND
196.46.162.3 resolves to 196-46-162-3.gprs.vodacom.co.za resolves

 

[vodacom3g]

mc721221, I've forwarded your post to the relevant support people.

With whom is your mail account and what smtp server do you use?

Can you currently send mail? There's been some issues with specific ISP's who require some type of authentication before allowing mail to be sent.

 

[mc721221]

Thanks for forwarding the email to the correct people - but it won't help as I've already done it. There has be ZERO response other than "It has been forwarded to the correct people" (This is the standard customer care response from Vodacom.)

It is my own SMTP server. I just opened up my server for the range of IP addresses- but is still needs to be sorted on your side as you are making your problem other ISP's problems - Vodacom is at fault!

 

[Edinetz]

When GRPS was launched on Vodacom I phoned customer care to ask for Vodacom's SMTP server and was told to use my ISP's. When I informed them that Vodacom was now my ISP (subscribed only to MyMeg package) I was told use my ISP. Seems the issue has been for a while so don't expect an answer soon. Interestingly when Vodacom4me was launched, an email function was in the pipeline. I asked recently what happened to it and was told to expensive (not from an offical source). I guess that how Vodacom can offer GPRS for R2/Mb (soon hopefully)

 

[jannie]

Edinetz, don't confuse being connected to the Internet with an ISP that provided service such as e-mail, etc.

ADSL, 3G, GPRS, ISDN are all just methods (bearers) to connect to the internet. You pay ADSL fees to get an ADSL link, for example, and then pay your ISP in addition for any services they provide such as mail services.

So if you buy a 3G or GPRS package, you get Internet connectivity. You still need an ISP to provide you with an e-mail address, etc. You need to use your ISP's mail server, but will use the Vodacom network to get to it.

I've got an MWEB mail account, but use 3G/GPRS to access the MWEB SMTP server, so I can send mail.

 

[vodacom3g]

Thanks for forwarding the email to the correct people - but it won't help as I've already done it. There has be ZERO response other than "It has been forwarded to the correct people" (This is the standard customer care response from Vodacom.)QUOTE]

mc721221, can you please send me your contact details as a private message? We need to understand your problem in more detail and forum postings will just add to the delay in getting you sorted out.

Apologies for the ZERO response so far. Let's see what we can do.

 

[Edinetz]

Jannie from your posting I realise that I do tend to use the terminology incorrectly. To me an ISP is the provision of the internet connection - I don't pay R150 for an email address. The telephone charges goes to Telkom.

In countries where the telecommunications market has been delregulated the only fees you pay to your ISP are the connection charges (less than a local call charge - cost of call part of montly telephone rental) or flat rate fee. They provide email address (with POP access) free to anyone who registers on their internet sites.

Irrespective of how you interpret ISP, I believe the SMTP server forms part of the internet connection service that why I complained to Vodacom but they and everybody else dont agree - I have yet to find another internet connection provider that doesn't provide SMTP facilities (I am sure there are more)

mc721221 wrote:

: It is my own SMTP server. I just opened up my server for the range of IP
: addresses- but is still needs to be sorted on your side as you are making
: your problem other ISP's problems - Vodacom is at fault!

Clearly the problem was with the SMTP server not allowing connections from Vodacom. There is no problem at Vodacom as it only provides internet connectivity as they are not an ISP so how can they be at fault.

In fact organisations (e.g. UCT) will only allow connections to their SMTP from their allocated IP addresses even if you have an email account as you must use your ISP. Thought UCT was my ISP.

 

[vodacom3g]

Thanks for forwarding the email to the correct people - but it won't help as I've already done it. There has be ZERO response other than "It has been forwarded to the correct people" (This is the standard customer care response from Vodacom.)

It is my own SMTP server. I just opened up my server for the range of IP addresses- but is still needs to be sorted on your side as you are making your problem other ISP's problems - Vodacom is at fault!

mc721221:

The DNS lookup problem is sorted. There was a config problem on Tiscali's DNS server and they've now corrected this. It might take a few hours to ripple through the web but you can confirm on their DNS server if you want.

The listing on Spamhaus was removed. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We've put a monitoring process in place to ensure we catch these as soon as it happens.

 

[mc721221]

Edinetz -

"Clearly the problem was with the SMTP server not allowing connections from Vodacom." Spot on! The connection was not allowed to the SMTP server as the IP address would not resolve and were blacklisted - thus it WAS/IS a Vodacom problem as the IP address is their responsibly.

I sorry, but I simply don't have the time to explain mail servers and security, spam, dns blacklists etc all from scratch.

 

[mc721221]

vodacom3g - Thanks.

It is however sad that you could resolve it in a few minutes with the help of one of network administrators, but your staff did nothing about all the requests /complaints that were sent to your customer care centre. I had to post the problem here for you guys to take it seriously.

You have just proved that it's pointless contacting your first line support. They have cost me a lot of time (thus money) and extreme unhappiness. Your customer care centre sucks and needs a serious wake-up call.

You have thankfully resolved b&c on the list of issues. How about a&d? Please?

 

[rabbiddog]

When I signed up for 3G, I was told to change my smtp to the vodacom server smtp.vodacom.co.za so all mail is sent through there servers

 

[vodacom3g]

Clearly the problem was with the SMTP server not allowing connections from Vodacom. There is no problem at Vodacom as it only provides internet connectivity as they are not an ISP so how can they be at fault.

The issue of sending e-mails from a non-host network leads to many problems and presents both bearer networks (such as Vodacom) and ISP's with quite a headache. All due to people who abuse 'open' systems such as the internet.

In a 'normal' setup you'll dial into your ISP and will be authenticated with Radius or some similar process and then can connect to the ISP SMTP server to send mail. This is all well contained and managed.

The problem comes in when you connect to your native SMTP server from a foreign network, especially a NATed network such as the Vodacom 3G/GPRS network where a single IP address is presented. If an ISP open this IP for SMTP, any person on the 3G network can now abuse their server.

The only way to get around this is for the ISP's to implement username/password authentication, so a user is authenticated irrespective from wherever he connects to the SMTP server.

Most ISP's now do this so it should not be such a big issue anymore.

For Vodacom to implement a relay is also not feasible as such a server must be open to anyone to send mail. Vodacom does not have your ISP-specific username/password to authenticate you on such a server.

If there is an open SMTP server and it gets abused by a user, the subsequent blacklisting will take everybody down.

If you have a spesific situation that you cannot send mail using your native SMTP server, please let us know and we'll work at resolving it.

 

[bb_matt]

The only way to get around this is for the ISP's to implement username/password authentication, so a user is authenticated irrespective from wherever he connects to the SMTP server.

I can vouch for that with Hetzner.

I can send out via thier mail server after initialising a POP3 session with my mail client - a simple matter of checking your mail before sending out.

I think the timeout on a session is 10 minutes.

 

[kaspaas]

Guess why they want you to use your local ISP's SMTP server?

Vodacom is too stingy to pay for the international bandwidth when people send international mail!

mc721221 wrote:

: It is my own SMTP server. I just opened up my server for the range of IP
: addresses- but is still needs to be sorted on your side as you are making
: your problem other ISP's problems - Vodacom is at fault!

I fully agree with this: Vodacom is shifting the management of spamming subscribers to other ISP's instead to taking the responsibility to fight the spam generated by their clients.

 

[Neo]

I fully agree with this: Vodacom is shifting the management of spamming subscribers to other ISP's instead to taking the responsibility to fight the spam generated by their clients.

How do you propose Vodacom fight spam if they don't host you mail?

The only way I can see this work is if Vodacom become a fully fledged ISP and you get a Vodacom mail account.

 

[kaspaas]

How do you propose Vodacom fight spam if they don't host you mail?

The only way I can see this work is if Vodacom become a fully fledged ISP and you get a Vodacom mail account.

As most people have mail accounts elsewhere, Vodacom only has to become a partial ISP: They only have to provide a relay SMTP server where proper spam protection is implemented for mail send via the GPRS/3G network.

 

[wantedz]

Just did a test. Send a mail on GPRS from my cellphone through smtp.vodacom.co.za and it work 100%. As far as a know any 3G or GPRS connection can send mail through smtp.vodacom.co.za