Neotel expects more

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RichardG

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Source:
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=827505

Only 200 sign up during launch

DISGRUNTLED Telkom subscribers have been able to get Neotel’s competing wireless voice and Internet service from PostNet branches since March.

Though regulations say households should be allowed to keep their numbers if they change phone companies, this has not been implemented yet.

The hassle of changing contact details seems to have got the second landline telephone operator off to a slow start. Neotel hopes Telkom will implement number portability as required within the next month.

Only 200 residential users signed up during the April launch month, and Neotel has declined to give further updates. At its launch in March, Neotel said its target was 50000 residential subscribers by the end of its first year.

Wandile Zote, head of corporate communication at Neotel, said: “The process of installation is fairly simple, as long as the network coverage is available in the applicant’s area of residence.”

Neotel’s NeoConnect product line (which includes voice, data and Internet services) is still only available at PostNet outlets, but the company said it was in talks with other retailers to make the product more widely available.

Rajay Ambekar, IT analyst at Cadiz Asset Management, said: “The fact that there could be delays will have a negative effect on Neotel. It’s in Telkom’s best interest to delay as much as possible.”

Ambekar said that customers were more likely to wait for Geographic Number Portability to become available before they signed up for Neotel’s services, and the delays were hurting the company’s ability to advance with its offering.

According to a mandate set by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa , Telkom and Neotel are required to work closely together to ensure that the process of porting numbers between the two networks is seamless.

“Icasa will be meeting with the fixed-line operators on this issue, and only after that will there be clarity in regard to the fixed-line number portability process,” said Icasa spokesman Sekgoela Sekgoela.

Customers must be able to have their numbers ported within 10 days for individual numbers and 20 days for blocks of numbers.

Ambekar said that while the delay of GNP was limiting to the growth of Neotel’s subscriber numbers, there were other factors to consider.

“Some of Telkom’s home and corporate customers, especially for broadband services, have entered into two-year contracts and there will be penalties if they migrate to Neotel.

“While there was a lot of noise about mobile number portability, there weren’t that many people who ported once the service became available,” Ambekar said.
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Wandile Zote, head of corporate communication at Neotel, said: “The process of installation is fairly simple, as long as the network coverage is available in the applicant’s area of residence.”

That's exactly where the problem lies - if NOTel don't sort out their coverage fast, nobody's going to be migrating to their network regardless of how simple it is to set up their product......
 
“While there was a lot of noise about mobile number portability, there weren’t that many people who ported once the service became available,” Ambekar said.
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Comparing mobile number portability with portability between PSTS licensees is silly. In the case of mobile portability in SA, it was introduced when the mobile market was NOT dominated by an incredibly entrenched monopoly incumbent. The importance and impact of introducing number portability in this SNO (psts) context is VASTLY greater than in the context of the SA cellular market, where licensees were already competing with one another and there was already some degree of competition.

Neotel has a couple of problems as I see it.
1. iCASA's general incompetance.
2. Weird service offerings, particularly that Neotel don't offer a lower priced entry-level broadband/phone package. Including the whole 'no ethernet, no simultaneous phone/net connection' stuff up. And what's this, you want us to sign contracts??
3. iCASA's general incompetance.
 
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Debbie said:
Comparing mobile number portability with portability between PSTS licensees is silly. In the case of mobile portability in SA, it was introduced when the mobile market was NOT dominated by an incredibly entrenched monopoly incumbent. The importance and impact of introducing number portability in this SNO (psts) context is VASTLY greater than in the context of the SA cellular market, where licensees were already competing with one another and there was already some degree of competition.

Neotel has a couple of problems as I see it.
1. iCASA's general incompetance.
2. Weird service offerings, particularly that Neotel don't offer a lower priced entry-level broadband/phone package. Including the whole 'no ethernet, no simultaneous phone/net connection' stuff up. And what's this, you want us to sign contracts??
3. iCASA's general incompetance.
Click to expand...

Neotel has more than just a couple of problems methinks.... where does it's true allegiance lie for instance?
Thanks for the interesting link... ;)
 
if Neotel can give me a landline (or take my telkom one).. I'll be there switching ASAP. They need to give ISP(s) ability to re-sell their product / bandwith etc, I'll be buying bandwith from them to surf instead of SAIX.
 
I would have taken Neotel... but I'm not signing myself into a 24 month contract.

STOP THE 24 MONTH CONTRACT... AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SIGN UP ON THIS FORUM!
 
1. I don't want my internet connection interrupted by an incoming telephone call.
2. PostNet sucks, rope in the retailers.
3. I currently use a wireless headset, where is Neotel's equivalent? It's sooo ironic that Neotel transmits wirelessly, but then binds the user down to a fixed spot using inflexible devices.

Hopefully this is a wake up call for them.
 
sunsoffun said:
I would have taken Neotel... but I'm not signing myself into a 24 month contract.

STOP THE 24 MONTH CONTRACT... AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SIGN UP ON THIS FORUM!
Click to expand...

Is the 24 month contract really such a big deal considering it will cost you, at most, R1920 to cancell it? Neotel's exit clause is quite reasonable in my opinion. You can end the contract whenever you want and the amount you pay will be less than you probably would pay if you bought a Sentech or Iburst device outright. A month-to-month offering would be nice, but its absence is hardly a deal breaker.
 
How can I subscribe if I don't have coverage?
Neotel can't even tell me when I will get coverage!
no ethernet?
can't talk and surf simultaneously!
no number portability
Neotel will not tell me if they become my ISP and will host the two domains that I have, and at what cost. If I still need an ISP, Neotel's current offering will cost me more than I am currently paying.
 
I'm still waiting for radical price drops then they'll have me
 
Offer me an ADSL FIXED LINE connection with NO CONTRACTS and I will switch to Neotel. No one wants to sign up for 24 months. And no DSL user will move from a fixed line to crappy CDMA.

Hell, you dont even get your own IP on the wireless uncapped, and cant really use P2P or torrents. Neotel right now is just another Sentech, just another Iburst
 
Well i would move in 2 secs if the coverage comes closer to me.

Aslo i would drop my 4MB ADSL Line and get there NeoConnect Prime Uncapped as it is Unshapped and No Ports are getting blocked. (This is what i got told)

The package is R 999 a month and is cheaper than IS Uncapped.

Just remember that the 24 month contract is a good and bad thing.

You can cancel any time but then just oay for the Unit. I also got told that if you take the NeoConnect Prime and then they launch ADSL you can switch and if there is a price diffrence or not. BUT you will still have to pay for the UNIT.

At least you do not have to hold for 5 days to get hold of telkom. Neotel is like 5 mins. :)

Cheers
BB :)
 
KillerX said:
Offer me an ADSL FIXED LINE connection with NO CONTRACTS and I will switch to Neotel. No one wants to sign up for 24 months. And no DSL user will move from a fixed line to crappy CDMA.

Hell, you dont even get your own IP on the wireless uncapped, and cant really use P2P or torrents. Neotel right now is just another Sentech, just another Iburst
Click to expand...

Not everybody uses P2P and most internet users don't need a static IP. I gave up my 4MB ADSL for Neotel and while it's not perfect, it has saved me about R600/month.
 
I thought the whole idea of Neotel was that it was the new FIXED LINE operator, not wireless. If this is a temporary solution before the fixed lines arrive then so be it, but I certainly wont move over until there is a nice fixed cable/fibre at my door. Neotel hardly competes against Telkom, its more against the likes of Iburst and other erratic wireless services.
 
So why has Telkom not been fined for failing to comply with the regulations concerning number portability?

ICASA = no bark, no bite... just nothing at all.
 
sunsoffun said:
I would have taken Neotel... but I'm not signing myself into a 24 month contract.

STOP THE 24 MONTH CONTRACT... AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SIGN UP ON THIS FORUM!
Click to expand...

Eeee-yep... agreed on the 24-month contract.

Also, not going to sign up until the Ethernet device is available...
 
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