Neobroadband LTE

[Mcwidowmaker]

I have been having lots of issues with my ADSL account as of late, with the exchange being congested as telkom didn't plan for businesses in the area and then a mall was build right next to the exchange. The exchange will only be upgraded with metrofibre in 2015 according to their schedule and now I'm being stuck getting around 1mbt on a 4mbt adsl connection. Needless to say, I'm a little bit frustrated, since video streaming doesn't work well with 1mbt.

So I have been considering alternatives. My main concern with Neotel is the 24month contract they are insisting on. 24 months is a pretty long time to commit on as lots change in two years.

Before I decide, I have to see if I can get some questions answered, which both the technical guru's and the sales people at Neotel doesn't seem to know much about.

1. Can I use SIP phones on the neobroadband LTE and will this give me better performance than the neotel voice lines I current have.
2. Can all the ports be supplied open on the device. I run my own firewall, have remote connections coming in and don't want to wait two weeks and struggle to find some technical Guru that actually knows what he is doing to open the ports I need for this or that incoming service.
3. Does neotel do network address translation on their ip's. I am doing my own NATting and double NATting doesn't work very well...
4. What are the penalties for early contract termination. Been trying to locate this on Neotel's site and they see to hide it very well. I expect its bad, real bad, otherwise it won't be hidden so well, but will be written into the terms and conditions someplace. Think it needs to be disclosed though according to CPA law, not?:erm:

 

[funkzar]

1. You can use SIP phones, but they arent shaping any of their accounts so you will have contention. Unlucky for you, their bad press has put you on par with everyone on their network (not many...will change...) But this is a good thing now...
2. Any provider worth their salt will block ports for customer security, but you can request to have it circumvented. You will just sign the disclaimer blabla bladdy bla bla
3. Neotel does use NAT. Why do you need to edit your settings so much? NAT is for corporates with huge dummy networks. They use duplicate IPs internally through proxys or ISA servers.
4. As with any provider, if you sign any contract, early opt- out will cost you dearly or should I say more than you think is fair.

My final note is this:

Neotel have sucked for the last 4 years. Que max exodus. Now their network is free and uncontested. For the next year it should be fantastic. Once everyone goes back and newly signs up, everyone is screwed, so timing is key. Neotel has great reviews now because there are few people contending their service.
As for any contractual questions, expect to use your own lube after 30 days.

But here is the BIG BUT... changing to wireless broadband is like flipping a coin. Having adsl when the manhole is flooded vs low lying clouds. It can suck either way... cable theft is a decider in my opinion. So get redundancy like a 2nd prepaid provider. Not fail-over, just simple sim swap.

 

[Mcwidowmaker]

Hmm, have a network with around 25 devices / pc's on it. Some devices require port forwarding as does some apps. Some also require externally originating connections. That makes things difficult when they block ports. As far as the natting goes, running a /24 network behind the firewall. That works for ADSL, but most wireless network stuff is natted, which cause some problems.

Signing the disclaimer is no problem, but I seriously dislike the 24 month contract. That for me is the big deal breaker. This is a rapidly changing environment. I don't think I am gonna like being tied into a long term contract... and 2 years is a very very long time considering the way things change.

I have no idea why a service provider would require such a long term contract. If their service and their prices are good, people will continue using them. If they want to lock people into long term contracts, it likely means that they cannot face the challenges of their changing business environment or their service suck and people would leave if they can. Either way it will be a real bugger for the poor end-user stuck in a contract that he/she doesn't want to be in.

As far as the contention goes, once that kicks in and you're tied into a long term contract, I am not so sure that it will be much better than the ADSL I am currently using.