MWEB Uncapped Subscribers Feedback

[PerfectBlue]

Unfortunately sites like Megaupload deliver I would say 99% the same content as any other p2p source. From our point of view the only thing that's different is the medium. If you were using one of these sites that previously wasn't being categorized as p2p it's possible it got caught up with in a signature update as these do happen on a regular basis.

If you're experiencing speeds like the ones you quoted from other types of HTTP sources then please provide us with the specific examples and I'll be happy to try and replicate the experience and have it investigated.

So, in other words, sucks to be us. We were getting amazing service before and now everything is getting shaped to high hell.

And, Will, if I may ask - what times would be considered off-peak for a site like Megaupload?

 

[Will@MWEB]

Well thanks for explaining, again, as to how you claim to shape the various protocols but in saying what you just did it does not explain then as to why my iTunes downloads and streaming and downloading of software and upgrades are seeing speeds between 15KB/s and 50KB/s up until almost midnight during the week especially. I have had to resort to an Axxess dsl lite package of 7GB just to be able to download what I require without it taking all night long. And amazingly even on that average package all http downloads pretty much fly at around 450KB/s......and well before the clock strikes midnight too!

You're right it doesn't and if there is a specific problem with iTunes then I will definitely have it investigated urgently.

 

[Kabraal]

4Meg line in PTA, Moreleta Park... It's been like this for two weeks. PLEASE EXPLAIN

 

[Will@MWEB]

So, in other words, sucks to be us. We were getting amazing service before and now everything is getting shaped to high hell.

And, Will, if I may ask - what times would be considered off-peak for a site like Megaupload?

As I've explained recently we are trying to move away from rigid time bands when it comes to p2p traffic. The way the priority levels and QoS is structured now p2p is being allowed to grow into empty space dynamically, which means that while you might not see the very definite ups and downs that you've become used to you will find that your p2p traffic is probably actually be getting a little more if you average it out over the course of the day. That's certainly the experience we're seeing on the overall usage graphs on this side.

 

[kohlhtor]

It really isn't our intention to circumvent the question, we've tried in as much as possible to explain the way this is done on more than one occasion, let's have another go:

Traffic which requires high, or real time priority, such as audio and video streaming and gaming is given the highest assurance level.
At the next level (call it medium priority) you have all of the generic mid range traffic, including mail http, ftp and so forth.

At both of these levels we have various QoS measures that we have put in place to ensure that these traffic types get the best experience possible.

At the next level, by popular request in these forums, we have placed the MWEB News servers, with a priority level slightly higher than generic p2p.
Then finally you have all types of p2p traffic which share the lowest priority level.

Hi willi
I think we all See There is a Network Problem to international traffic
I on a buissnes adsl at work I get continual packet lost after south africa

I testet this all day

 

[matshelane]

Apologies if I was unclear on this point, we don't shape based purely on ports, which is the much older (perhaps you might say traditional) method of doing this. The traffic managers we use carry out deep packet inspection which evaluates the signature of the packet and determines the traffic category based on ports, destination and various other parameters.

As such we have a general assurance level for HTTP traffic, but you will find that specific sites, such as one click hosting providers, or those that belong to seedboxes, or VPS providers that allow torrents, will fall into the p2p category, regardless of which protocol you are attempting to use to retrieve content from these destinations.


this is nothing new and has in fact been the topic of lengthy discussion on these forums before, but there's certainly no harm in restating the point for the benefit of newcomers.

I trust that clears things up for you?

Deep packet inspection ? What are you ? The flipping CIA ? It's still a debatable point whether DPI is a neutral technology or invades one's privacy. If you were really using DPI as it should be used then nobody would be having these issues and half the email spam I get through my MWEB address would be filtered out. I think you people fall into the categort of ISP's that are attempting to monetize your gateway position between subscribers and the internet by monitoring online behaviour and using it to serve up targeted ads. Revenue generation is the sole purpose of DPI usage by ISP's ( according to Forrester). What you guys are doing goes waaay beyond the intent of DPI . Ultimately the aim is far more sinister .... to block access to services that compete with your own current and planned revenue generation models. You can't even get the basics right of a per-user bandwidth fairness (which is what DPI should do) .... otherwise my measly 8Gb per month wouldn't be throttled to the point of being unusable.

 

[tyronnes]

Oh, and when did business hours (regarding shaping) extend till midnight now?... does mcdonalds drive-thru now use MWEB for its transactional processing systems?.. i thought it was 8am to 8pm? ..

The issue of what is shaped or not is constantly being side skirted by the MWEB reps. Everytime they go to great lengths to explain about if you use one click hosting providers, seedboxes, or VPS providers that allow torrents then http traffic is shaped. Well we can ALL understand that because we ALL by now know that p2p, in any way, shape or form, is an "evil" to most ISP providers in SA. But what I want to know is are NORMAL http downloads.......such as downloading a programme that you just legally purchased on the official software maker's website, downloading update drivers from nvidia, ati, adobe updates and are downloads, updates and streaming video from iTunes.......are these considered standard http traffic, or is that now also being shaped to death? Because my experiences over the past 2 weeks sure as hell tells me that all those http services are indeed being shaped, at least until past 11pm at night anyway.
Any "official" and logical explanation for this?

 

[PerfectBlue]

As I've explained recently we are trying to move away from rigid time bands when it comes to p2p traffic. The way the priority levels and QoS is structured now p2p is being allowed to grow into empty space dynamically, which means that while you might not see the very definite ups and downs that you've become used to you will find that your p2p traffic is probably actually be getting a little more if you average it out over the course of the day. That's certainly the experience we're seeing on the overall usage graphs on this side.

The comments as of late have not been reflecting an improved, or even good, experience.

Not everybody is awake during those 4 or so hours when speeds improve. And now that so many other things are falling under the P2P category, this "4MB" package is becoming a very mere shadow of what it used to be. I was extremely happy to be paying for what I was getting before but now I'm highly considering switching to a new ISP if these new time bands don't go back to reasonable hours soon! I'm sorry, I am not a horrible person but I get furious when people are being taken for a ride! Things changed drastically at MWEB recently and the package is not performing like it used to.

 

[kohlhtor]

Hi WILLI
This is a higher res

 

[Mypro-D]

All I can say is thank GOD yesterday was my last day with Mweb.
Speeds were shocking. To think it was the second time I joined up. Lesson learnt...

 

[kohlhtor]

Hi WILLI
A new try



http://gallery.me.com/kohlhtor#100064/IMG_0029

 

[matshelane]

The comments as of late have not been reflecting an improved, or even good, experience.

Not everybody is awake during those 4 or so hours when speeds improve. And now that so many other things are falling under the P2P category, this "4MB" package is becoming a very mere shadow of what it used to be. I was extremely happy to be paying for what I was getting before but now I'm highly considering switching to a new ISP if these new time bands don't go back to reasonable hours soon! I'm sorry, I am not a horrible person but I get furious when people are being taken for a ride! Things changed drastically at MWEB recently and the package is not performing like it used to.

Unfortunately there are not yet any regulations governing the use of deep packet inspection as used by MWEB. Countries that have tried it have found it to have a devastating effect on the net, growth and freedom and it violates the social paradigm of net neutrality i.e. all traffic protocols and packets should be treated on an equal basis as far as possible.
Ultimately it lies with the user whether you want an ISP that uses this or not... the market will decide. At the moment we are letting MWEB decide. Vote with your feet. For MWEB to use the catchphrase Free the Web and then implement DPI technology to throttle it to hell is sinister, sickening and absurd.
But what can you expect in South Africa where anything goes ?
If we want fast ,cheap internet we need to sign up with ISP's that deliver that or as close to that as possible. Vote with your feet.

 

[Looney]

Lol, if u want uncapped, theres not many choices. The only 2 choices are openweb gold or mweb. I think that everyone should drop mweb and go for gold. Maybe then mweb will feel the pain.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[killadoob]

How much is the gold uncapped?

 

[Gtx Gaming]

R738 a month

 

[Lycanthrope]

Youtube however is not shaped.

Kind Regards
Will

Is there any way to confirm this? I have to say that my YouTube experience via MWeb, as a new customer, is pretty disappointing. It buffers to an extent that makes it unacceptable. The only explanation I could have for that is that it is, in fact, shaped or throttled in some way.

A single YouTube thread:

Four YouTube threads:

YouTube and in fact any video streaming doesn't work as expected

Oh, and the random video I used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7qLfP1S_g&feature=feedlik_more

 

[Zord]

@ Will@Mweb: You realise that with your new dynamic shaping that World of Warcraft is unplayable during the normal raid hours from 7pm-12pm? Only at 4am is WoW stable enough to play properly on. This is not right and needs to be fixed. How can you offer me this service for over a year with WoW working perfectly at all hours of the day and now all of a sudden decide to make it unplayable?

 

[Chevron]

Steam videos are getting shaped as well. Impossible to watch.

 

[matshelane]

Is there any way to confirm this? I have to say that my YouTube experience via MWeb, as a new customer, is pretty disappointing. It buffers to an extent that makes it unacceptable. The only explanation I could have for that is that it is, in fact, shaped or throttled in some way.

A single YouTube thread:

Four YouTube threads:

YouTube and in fact any video streaming doesn't work as expected

Oh, and the random video I used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7qLfP1S_g&feature=feedlik_more

Yes wolf man, there is a very very simple way to confirm this. If MWEB says it's not then it is. QED. They have obviously changed from implementing DPI on a fair usage basis to restricting certain protocols. Internet video would be very, very high on the list of priorities to be restricted when shaping traffic.
Ask yourself this : Would it be OK if the Post Office opened your mail, read it, and then decided that it could wait as the mail truck was full and they didn't think your mail was urgent, and then later dedcided to hide this fact from you and the sender by sending the mail back marked address unknown ?
Well that's exactly what MWEB is doing to your traffic !

 

[matshelane]

Lol, if u want uncapped, theres not many choices. The only 2 choices are openweb gold or mweb. I think that everyone should drop mweb and go for gold. Maybe then mweb will feel the pain.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Their model is simple :

Revenue increase and savings from new policy = R xxxxxxxx
Plus New subscribers : =R xxxxxx
Minus unhappy customers leaving =R - xxxx
Minus tech support for unhappy customers = R - xxxx
TOTAL =R xxxxxxxxx

Clearly at the moment the unhappy customers are far outweighed by new subscribers and savings. Unless there is a critical mass of people leaving and no new subscribers... then nothing will change.