MyWireless User count?

[lewstherin]

Whilst I think that MyWireless looks waaaay better than ADSL for straight surfing heaven, I am a bit concerned about how the system will scale as more users come on board. I realise that the contention ratios are pretty fair, but ultimately we will all go through Sentech's overseas pipe when surfing.
Does Sentech have a scaling bandwidth agreement in place, so that we wont end up 6 months down the line with crap speeds?
Also, does anyone know what the current user stats look like (Gauteng especially since they've been on longest) - ProASM maybe u can give us a hint?

Basically I just want to be sure that I'm not plugging into a 24 month contract that ends up with substandard speeds sometime down the line because Sentech hasn't purchased enough bandwidth [xx(].

One other question, has there been any hint that local browsing (or peer-to-peer within the Sentech network) can burst higher than rated package speeds or is all browsing capped to your package rate?

** How can Telkom claim to "Touch Tomorrow" when it can barely touch yesterday?
Because they're a BIG, GREEDY, MONOPOLY intent on keeping South Africa in the stone age. **

 

[sneaky]

Also I have the 256k service. Is this a dedicated or gauranteed service or is this a 256k shared service.

 

[ProAsm]

lewstherin, your questions I cannot answer as I have no idea but bandwidth I would not worry about []

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Also I have the 256k service. Is this a dedicated or gauranteed service or is this a 256k shared service.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">I'm sure if you are willing to fork out R50000 pm we can give you a dedicated service []

All services are shared, whether its MyWireless, ADSL, ISDN, 56k or whatever.


<hr noshade size="1"><center>http://www.unrealza.co.za/proasm/mywireless.html</center>

 

[lewstherin]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by ProAsm</i>
<br />lewstherin, your questions I cannot answer as I have no idea but bandwidth I would not worry about [] <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

It seems u know more than u are *allowed* to tell [8D], but I would still like to know in black and white (been screwed by Hellkom a few too many times []). 24 months is a long time - if I sign up with MTN for 24 months, I know that I am guaranteed X no. minutes etc. It would be nice if Sentech provided a "minimum speed guarantee".

BTW, some ppl may be interested in this doc I found:
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:R8JLkzwwYUkJ:http://www.sentech.co.za/

Its a tech doc, but I was pleased to see that Sentech's comments are actually quite fair and decent - particularly about how to improve the Net situation in SA []

** How can Telkom claim to "Touch Tomorrow" when it can barely touch yesterday?
Because they're a BIG, GREEDY, MONOPOLY intent on keeping South Africa in the stone age. **

 

[guest2013-1]

sentech peers through IS and has virtually unlimited bandwidth via their own satelite system, at the moment they don't use the satelites. Not sure how this is going to change in the future though.

As for peer-to-peer bursting between two sentech users, I am not sure, but i dont think so (it could be possible, but how, I dont know)

with telkom, you have to buy a 4k modem (well, if you don't get your own) upfront, now, paying that over 24 months (like you do your cellphone) isn't that bad isn't it?

It allows for a smaller monthly fee and you can go buy your nacho's because you can afford to.

I suggest that if you dont want to sign a 24 month contract, don't, stay with telkom, don't get a dedicated service, telkom has "worked" for you for x amount of years already, why change?

but... if you're like the rest of us (well, me, the crazy dude) you'd embrace change... especially when NOT involving telkom.

 

[lewstherin]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by noone</i>
with telkom, you have to buy a 4k modem (well, if you don't get your own) upfront, now, paying that over 24 months (like you do your cellphone) isn't that bad isn't it? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I have no problem with the length of the contract, its just that the level of service over the period of the contract pretty vague at present...if Sentech could put down a legally binding minimum speed clause in their contract, just tell me where to sign []

Only problem is I have to get the cost past the wife [B)]

** How can Telkom claim to "Touch Tomorrow" when it can barely touch yesterday?
Because they're a BIG, GREEDY, MONOPOLY intent on keeping South Africa in the stone age. **

 

[guest2013-1]

haha, you whipped dude

shame

 

[sneaky]

[:I]hehe only R50 000 bring it on. Actually what I wanted to ask is what lewstherin is on about. I pay for a 256k connection but only get 115k and this is going to decrease with the amount of users on the same plan even though I pay for 256k? How does this work surely there must be a limit to how much your bandwith will drop somewhere?

 

[lewstherin]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by sneaky</i>
<br />
[:I]hehe only R50 000 bring it on. Actually what I wanted to ask is what lewstherin is on about. I pay for a 256k connection but only get 115k and this is going to decrease with the amount of users on the same plan even though I pay for 256k? How does this work surely there must be a limit to how much your bandwith will drop somewhere?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

This is exactly what I am saying - I dont believe there is such a limit in the contract. Thus Sentech could oversubscribe to their hearts content, and one is locked in for 2 years. Im not saying Sentech will, but you never know...

** How can Telkom claim to "Touch Tomorrow" when it can barely touch yesterday?
Because they're a BIG, GREEDY, MONOPOLY intent on keeping South Africa in the stone age. **

 

[Mean_Monster]

In reply to Proasm.

I know people that use the VSTAR product also supplied by Sentech. I tested it and was amazed at the speeds that they actually got when downloading. A 7 meg file from Symantec took me 25 seconds. At that point I have never seen anything like it in South Africa.

However since now their service speed has decreased dramatically. Obviously when they got it, they were 1 of a handfull of people using the service. If would think that the user count in their scenario played a role?

Surely this will also affect MyWireless as there are sure to be contention ratios there as well?

 

[TrXtR]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Mean_Monster</i>
I know people that use the VSTAR product also supplied by Sentech. I tested it and was amazed at the speeds that they actually got when downloading. A 7 meg file from Symantec took me 25 seconds. At that point I have never seen anything like it in South Africa.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Hey, I saw that with those other satelite people when they were brand new. But eventually, they became slower than a is dialup.

Anyways, about sharing and speeds... Ive never seen an isp do that. It's like garunteeing how much it's going to rain.

If you have noone as a client, you cannot garuntee anythign ... whatsoever. But if you like, could you show me isp's that garuntee on theire contract what your minimum speed will be? Ive never seen this before. And well, further, a dedicatd line you still have a contention ratio of 1:3 &lt;b&gt;at some places&lt;/b&gt; I dont know about all of them.

But if you want to be sure to always have a good speed,
spend the 50 thousand and get a dedicated line.

 

[Mean_Monster]

Yeah you normally don't get speed guarantees.

Thing though is that I am getting constant 8kb/s downloads from local sites on my 64K ISDN. Which to me says that is delivering what I should be expecting. International put aside as that will be influenced by amount of hops, routers, satelite latency, etc. On 512K connection however, I should not be expecting 4kb/s. Yes agreed that if everyone goes download crazy that speed will drop, but at least not slower than a 64K ISDN. What would the reason than be to get Satelite, ADSL, etc. except a 24/7 connection?

 

[lewstherin]

You have a point TrXtr - I guess a guarantee would be unrealistic.
However, like Mean_Monster says, it would help to have some sort of security that your R650+ pm is not being spent on something that ends up being slower than a 56K modem.

I suppose this whole deal comes down to trusting your provider. If Sentech screws people by oversubscribing, then word will get around and they'll lose customers...problem is for the people already signed on.

What would be more realistic is a contract exit clause then - something like "Pay RXX (hopefully a reasonable figure), trade the modem in, and you are released from the 24 months"



** How can Telkom claim to "Touch Tomorrow" when it can barely touch yesterday?
Because they're a BIG, GREEDY, MONOPOLY intent on keeping South Africa in the stone age. **

 

[Mean_Monster]

lewstherin u get the point exactly.

On 64K ISDN I am not bound to a 2 year contract. Also i am only paying R 100 a month for the ISDN service from the ISP, excluding the line costs obviously. I can get out of the whole deal if I wanted to by disconnecting the line and putting the modem in the cupboard and closing my ISP account. Not so easy with a 2 year contract.

I am not pointing out all the bad things.. I just want things to be a bit more fair.. At the moment the end user ends up losing all the way. Things are progressing .. Yes.. just way to slowly.

 

[TrXtR]

Ive experienced that the end user always looses... nearly everywhere.
It's the common thing that sucks.

Even though I havent lost yet at my-wireless, their is allot of clauses in the contract that could make me loose.
But same with my cellphone, my insurance, medical aid ... you name it.
It genrally just sucks.

It would be nice if the whole country could just stand up, and not take services anymore from any company that cannot garuntee theire service to an acceptable exten, or pay some form of damage.

But there's just so many problems with that, cause then jonny bin-laden try's out his c4 made with the home chemistry set, blows up some towers ... and I end up claiming money because of services not delivered.... but that's what insurnace is for.

blah, I could rant about this constantly, for hours...I dont dislike it ... I hate it .. with all caps and stuff