Neotel consumer tariffs revealed

Based on this initial offer, are you going to switch to Neotel?

  • Yes

    Votes: 42 19.9%

  • No

    Votes: 122 57.8%

  • Unsure

    Votes: 47 22.3%
  • Total voters
    211
until their offering is unshaped, uncapped for below R500-00....there will seriously be little interest.

I mean why go through all the hassle to switch from adsl to wifi for that??

Afterall we as broadband users have been hoping for so long for something really good. In comparison, for that price you can get triple play 8-12mb/s unshaped, uncapped overseas...at least give us then basic internet unshaped and uncapped for that price as minimum.

No-one really cares about voice offering bundles that much at this stage so they should rather focus on their internet offerings as this is the real issue for us and business.

but I suppose I'm just hoping again that things will change in this...hopeless country....probably take 2-3 decades at this rate to catch up to the rest of the world! EISH!!!!...ag, maybe I should just sleep more to become clevererer I just can't understand this dungpile anymore!
 
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Neotel’s First Consumer Package Available

NEOTEL’S FIRST CONSUMER PACKAGE AVAILABLE

Pandey adds that additional packages will be made available to consumers next month. "There will be packages that address lower usage and are therefore lower in price, and then of course there will be those packages that directly speak to high-end consumers," he concludes.
Click to expand...

Lets wait & see... I'm not signing up for R599pm. I want a cheaper package to start with the option to upgrade without penalties.

NeoConnect Prime
 
"We picked up a number of pain points for consumers during this research process, including the issues relating to the perceived speed and capacities for internet access, lack of voice quality and reliability, the complexity associated with obtaining & setting-up services and a lack of true value for the customer," says Ajay Pandey MD and CEO at Neotel.
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Who on earth were these people speaking to? Methinks they aligned their research to their expectations.

- Teklom has 100% purrfect voice quality, unless you're unfortunate enough to have a crossed line.
- Teklom ADSL's local speed is exactly what it claims to be.
- Insofar as reliability is concerned, where is Neotel's SLA?

Utter BS.
Disappointed.
 
"A key differentiator in our product is its ease of use - it will take you next to no time to install and start using the service", says Pandey.
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Actually, any of the cell networks are easier and cheaper to start using.

Calculating my judgment :

Neotel (R500):
Basic handset = ????????????????? I don't know. I heard speak of a device but don't remember the costs associated, and there was something about a better sleeker wireless option coming soon ...
Data : 10GB then 8c / MB
Peak Calls : 176c (Out to cell phones - most expensive option)
Disconnects the internet connection when MAKING/RECEIVING a call :eek:

Vodac (R0):
Basic handset = Cell phone : R350 for a Nokia 1110.
Data : 19c / MB (pay as you go) (2GB)
Peak Calls : 299c (pay as you go - most expensive option)
Requires the use of a HSDPA/3G modem.

Teklom (CompletelyIncalcuble):
Basic handset = Telephone phone : R150 from Makro for a nice one with speakerphone and lcd display.
Data : 6c / MB + A whole list of other charges amounting to 200 bucks a month for 384.
Peak Calls : 187c (First 60 seconds to a Cell phone - most expensive option)
Does not disconnect the internet connection when MAKING/RECEIVING a call, requires the use of an ADSL modem.

So, they're a little bit cheaper (about 15%) along these lines when compared with Teklom on call charges, not really calculable cos of tekloms "confuse the customer" billing technique. But, because the internet is disconnected when a call is received or made, suddenly this product offering from NEOTEL is USELESS.
Also, I was expecting at least a 50% reduction in costs compared with Teklom.
 
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stoke said:
So, they're a little bit cheaper (about 15%) along these lines when compared with Teklom on call charges, not really calculable cos of tekloms "confuse the customer" billing technique. But, because the internet is disconnected when a call is received or made, suddenly this product offering from NEOTEL is USELESS.
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One would have thought they would launch such a product with two in one as a minimum (one for voice, one for internet)... preferably tho, they would have launched them as seperate products so I can cancel my Telkom line and get Neotel internet only. That would suit me better. I already have a phone that is mobile and can make calls.
 
True Broadband is internet access without worrying about speed or usage limit.
 
I just thought of something else that made me so mad I almost had a stroke. While reading R599 a month on a 24 month contract for 10 gigabytes I thought about all the "average" users that I know. None of them need anywhere near 10 gigabytes of data. In fact 1 would be pushing the absolute upper limit of what they use. So they would pay R599 and only use 10% if that. This is such a kick in the nuts for the average man in the street.

Then I started to think of all the poorer people out there who are stuck using expensive prepaid cellphone packages and this made me want to cry. R599 is so far out of their league that it might as well be R1 million. If they truly wanted their first package to be valuable to the majority of South Africans they would have launched a R100 package with the 1000 free on net minutes and then reduces call charges. That would help the majority of South Africans who live on R1000 or less a month.

I know that this is the first of many packages but they fact that they started rolling our enterprise services first and then launched this obviously high end consumer offering leads me to believe that they only have the rich in mind as their first priority. Pretty pathetic if you consider that they could be doing so much good for the poor...
 
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Look I think this is a soft launch product. I don't think they are ready for ther masses yet. At this price point and cap they are obviously targetting early adopters and higher end users for whom I think 10G at R600 offers very good value in the south african context.

The 24 month contract is a worry though.
 
pkid said:
I just thought of something else that made me so mad I almost had a stroke. While reading R599 a month on a 24 month contract for 10 gigabytes I thought about all the "average" users that I know. None of them need anywhere near 10 gigabytes of data. In fact 1 would be pushing the absolute upper limit of what they use. So they would pay R599 and only use 10% if that. This is such a kick in the nuts for the average man in the street.
Click to expand...

Valid points.

They have stated they will be bringing out both cheaper and more expensive packages. I look forward to seeing what they will be offering.

But I think Neotel has made a mistake by releasing this package first. If they had been smart, they would have released their smallest/cheapest package first. Yes, there would still be people bitching about the package, but it would have addressed the average/small user first. Not the mid to high end users.

So, in my humble opinion they should have been a little smarter here.

But either way, we just have to be patient to see what other offers they have in store for us. You never know, we may still be surprised.
 
@Neotel R300 for 5 gigs and I am yours. No 24 month contract though and I don't mind buying a modem from the US that support Ethernet. Hopefully by the time they come to Durban a package in this range would be available. It would be so sweet and make my life so much better...
 
It looks like a product offering that would only appeal to reasonably affluent home users who are heavy Internet users, which is probably a miniscule portion of the market. As a home based business, the phone is useless to me, so I'm still stuck with a Telkom landline. If the phone was a viable alternative to Telkom, then I would say yes.

Ar first I was excited, but now I'm underwhelmed. And they can forget about a contract with me. Once burnt and all that. I'm sure Neotel will come with a monthly contract option, though. But the USB connection will add to the hassle factor.

Looking at the pic of the device, is that the receiver, router and phone built in one unit? If so, won't there be problems with siting the receiver?
 
mmmmmmm dstv or internet. lets see. the kids can go to the frieds to watch tv. hahahah.. come on neotel give something for the poor as well. voice and 3 gigs for R150 or less. then make the calls more.
 
I'm wondering how many MyBroadband members in JHB/PTA have signed up. Some feedback will be nice.
 
What a bunch of spineless shortsighted whiners Telkom has turned you whole lot into!

You been so starved of the internet experience for so long that you think the net is only there for the occasional email and internet banking.
You sit content clamouring for slower connections with less throughput, satisfied to get 30GB of local bandwidth. Local Internet is an oxymoron that no-one needs. FFS even ANANZI can't be reached with local bandwidth. That says it all.

This is by no means a perfect solution, and it is clearly aimed a certain target market, but Neotel is doing things right as far as I can see.

For one thing, no Bullsh1t - the price is the price, no hidden line charges and connection fees, just the price!
Its simple, 10GB of access, period. Use it or lose it, if you need more, you pay for what you use.
And the price is right - far cheaper than any comparable offering out there and a 25% saving for me right out the gate.

It doesn't take a genius to see that if this is their approach to wireless, their fixed line offerings are going to be killer.

Now if only I didn't have to bother with a contract, could connect my alarm, and the phone worked with OS X :o
 
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