New LTE AUP from September 2016

[SeaSickMama]

I messaged telkom to ask them on this and all they sent back to me was this "Please see
No really, it's Uncapped Wireless Broadband.

But here are a few things you need to know:
Uncapped wireless broadband is really uncapped for almost all applications and uses. These include email, browsing, streaming traffic like video, music, YouTube, AppleTV, Box Office, Netflix, VPN, VOIP, real time online gaming, backups and gaming downloads.

For these you will never be capped and throttled. This means consumers will enjoy the full benefit of a truly unlimited experience with Telkom's LTE Uncapped service. Telkom's 50GB fair usage policy cap ONLY applies to Bit Torrent traffic via peer to peer and news servers protocols (NNTP).

Customers will enjoy full speeds on the 50GB FUP bundle between 12am – 6pm and will only be throttled on the speeds between 6pm – 12am which is Telkom's peak period on the network. Full connection speeds will be maintained during peak periods for general browsing, online gaming and video streaming and the customer experience will not be affected.

The speed throttling of peer-to-peer traffic has been effected to ensure that Telkom maintains a good user experience for all users on the base station and that Telkom’s network performance during peak network periods is not compromised. A 10GB FUP applies to the uncapped Wi-Fi bundle and subscribers will be required to link a secondary mobile device to their account via their My Telkom Mobile account as the Wi-Fi bundle can only be consumed at Telkom mobile’s public Wi-Fi hotspots. Acceptable Use Policy applies to abuse of service."

 

[Preacher]

Hey hey

So after reading though all 10 pages, and not seeing the one point which I believe is actually the crux of the matter, I thought that I would share what I believe to be the issue.

Everyone so far as spoken about data usage. But I feel that there is one factor that we are over looking. The rate at which data can be accessed on this service. Which is why I believe that telkom limited P2P and all other download protocols and not everything else.

Telkom doesn't seem concerned by how much data gets used, but rather by the speed at which it is being downloaded and how the usage is affecting other users, so the pipeline.

Streaming services, although bandwidth heavy, only use something like 4 - 10 meg (speed) at most. Netflix cannot afford to have huge streaming pipelines for everyone and so everyone is limited. Downloading, well, there you are limited by your signal, etc. I have done a game update and I hit 65 meg. Some people have better connections and hit higher speeds. Now just think if everyone was hitting high speeds constantly. The towers at the moment couldn't cope. So telkom has to set a FUP download limit and I believe that according to their sms, that from September, anyone who reaches that limit is going to have the FUP enforced. I hardly download and so it was a surprise to get that sms, but I think that they were being informative more than anything else and saying that until now, we have been going easy on enforcing the FUP, but after the more recent speed issues experienced by users, we now have to look at making sure that everyone gets fair usage.

So streaming shouldn't be affected, or youtube, or browsing, etc, but the unrestricted downloads, yes. Think about it, they can work out the speed at which youtube videos will download, the speed at which web pages will load, etc. It is limited. But downloading is only limited by the speed at which it can be uploaded and therefore downloaded. People who are abusing speed, and not data, will be punished by the FUP. 50 gigs can be downloaded really quickly at high speed. Only heavy downloaders, and not streamers as some would say, would have cause for concern.

Just my 2 cents worth

 

[DA-LION-619]

Hey hey

So after reading though all 10 pages, and not seeing the one point which I believe is actually the crux of the matter, I thought that I would share what I believe to be the issue.

Everyone so far as spoken about data usage. But I feel that there is one factor that we are over looking. The rate at which data can be accessed on this service. Which is why I believe that telkom limited P2P and all other download protocols and not everything else.

Telkom doesn't seem concerned by how much data gets used, but rather by the speed at which it is being downloaded and how the usage is affecting other users, so the pipeline.

Streaming services, although bandwidth heavy, only use something like 4 - 10 meg (speed) at most. Netflix cannot afford to have huge streaming pipelines for everyone and so everyone is limited. Downloading, well, there you are limited by your signal, etc. I have done a game update and I hit 65 meg. Some people have better connections and hit higher speeds. Now just think if everyone was hitting high speeds constantly. The towers at the moment couldn't cope. So telkom has to set a FUP download limit and I believe that according to their sms, that from September, anyone who reaches that limit is going to have the FUP enforced. I hardly download and so it was a surprise to get that sms, but I think that they were being informative more than anything else and saying that until now, we have been going easy on enforcing the FUP, but after the more recent speed issues experienced by users, we now have to look at making sure that everyone gets fair usage.

So streaming shouldn't be affected, or youtube, or browsing, etc, but the unrestricted downloads, yes. Think about it, they can work out the speed at which youtube videos will download, the speed at which web pages will load, etc. It is limited. But downloading is only limited by the speed at which it can be uploaded and therefore downloaded. People who are abusing speed, and not data, will be punished by the FUP. 50 gigs can be downloaded really quickly at high speed. Only heavy downloaders, and not streamers as some would say, would have cause for concern.

Just my 2 cents worth

How do you abuse speed...

 

[Johnatan56]

Hey hey

So after reading though all 10 pages, and not seeing the one point which I believe is actually the crux of the matter, I thought that I would share what I believe to be the issue.

Everyone so far as spoken about data usage. But I feel that there is one factor that we are over looking. The rate at which data can be accessed on this service. Which is why I believe that telkom limited P2P and all other download protocols and not everything else.

Telkom doesn't seem concerned by how much data gets used, but rather by the speed at which it is being downloaded and how the usage is affecting other users, so the pipeline.

Streaming services, although bandwidth heavy, only use something like 4 - 10 meg (speed) at most. Netflix cannot afford to have huge streaming pipelines for everyone and so everyone is limited. Downloading, well, there you are limited by your signal, etc. I have done a game update and I hit 65 meg. Some people have better connections and hit higher speeds. Now just think if everyone was hitting high speeds constantly. The towers at the moment couldn't cope. So telkom has to set a FUP download limit and I believe that according to their sms, that from September, anyone who reaches that limit is going to have the FUP enforced. I hardly download and so it was a surprise to get that sms, but I think that they were being informative more than anything else and saying that until now, we have been going easy on enforcing the FUP, but after the more recent speed issues experienced by users, we now have to look at making sure that everyone gets fair usage.

So streaming shouldn't be affected, or youtube, or browsing, etc, but the unrestricted downloads, yes. Think about it, they can work out the speed at which youtube videos will download, the speed at which web pages will load, etc. It is limited. But downloading is only limited by the speed at which it can be uploaded and therefore downloaded. People who are abusing speed, and not data, will be punished by the FUP. 50 gigs can be downloaded really quickly at high speed. Only heavy downloaders, and not streamers as some would say, would have cause for concern.

Just my 2 cents worth

I think you need a lesson in contention.
/off to dig up PBCool's post

EDIT: Here we go, was Greencom in PBCool's thread: http://www.ee.co.za/article/contention-around-contention.html
This is about fiber though, but same thing applies.
Basically instead of downloading it at 4Mbps like you previously did, you will download it at 60Mbps and thereby get your download done faster, allowing that bandwidth to be freed up quicker to be used by something else. By downloading it faster, you won't cause any issues as you're just using more of the backhaul in a shorter time frame. If you download during the off-peak when that bandwidth is available, it is a lot better than downloading at 4Mbps and then having your download go into peak time, reserving more bandwidth.

 

[Saba'a]

Hey hey

So after reading though all 10 pages, and not seeing the one point which I believe is actually the crux of the matter, I thought that I would share what I believe to be the issue.

...

Just my 2 cents worth

Should have kept the 2 cents .

Our more knowledgeable users can advise but the issue for me as a layperson is 150 cars in one single lane. The reason for limiting users to the towers.
It may be that clever telkom said each one will use one smart tv and 1 phone (really you ask?) and discovered people are using about 5 devices instead (I have 3 tvs 3 pcs 4 tablets 6 phones 2 notebooks etc).

On average 2 netflix streams and 2 youtubes are on plus me youtubing and/or radiostreaming.
Plus 2 - 3 social media whatsapp or FB etc being used intermittently.
All at the same time which is normal/reasonable usage.
But Telkom probably planned around one user one stream and some social media plus all at low resolutions not expecting netflix plus modern TVs multiplying data per user.

So now instead of 150 cars they have 100 trucks and 50 cars?

Now tell me how wrong I am because I am sure that is way too simplistic.

 

[Preacher]

Fair enough. At least it was only 2 cents

That's what forums are for, expressing opinions, learning new things so... all cool

And just to answer someone earlier when asked... how do abuse speed. Well, if the tower can only handle 100 meg (for example, I know that it's more), and if there are 10 people using that line (contention, I do get it by the way), then to be fair, everyone should have access to at least 10 meg, even though the ISP says 100 meg. It's a best possible service. Unless it is fibre where you are paying for 100 meg.

The abuse comes in when downloading and you download at 60 meg for instance, that leaves 40 meg for everyone else to share. Telkom understands that some downloads may be high speed and obviously try to make allowance for it but if someone is continuously downloading at high speed, that is speed abuse. This starts to affect the other people sharing that line (contention). This is probably the reason why telkom limited the contracts per tower initially (150 or so) and why they will tell you now that there aren't any available for that specific location. Until they have managed to upgrade all their towers, they are limiting the number of subscribers who have uncapped services.

So I don't think that I am far off, and as mentioned, this is just my opinion and I welcome people who can school me It just makes sense to me.

I think that overall, what I was trying to say is that if you are streaming or using the protocols that they say the service was designed or opened up for, you will be fine. If you are someone that downloads gigs and gigs every month, you may be affecting the users who are sharing your tower (contention [and yes, I know that it works on a ratio like 25:1 or something like that, just don't know what telkom's LTE ration per tower is]), and so telkom will start to impose the FUP for those protocols for those users.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

disclaimer:-
I am not a network specialist (obviously). This is just my opinion. If I am wrong, please feel free to shed some light on where I am wrong so that I can learn and correct my ways

 

[Saba'a]

yep I need to understand what is Telkom's reasoning.

 

[cavedog]

Just got this email....... Wow and my usage is actually low....

Dear xxxxxx xxxxxx

We confirm that you are currently a user of our LTE uncapped service. Please note that all our uncapped products are subject to the Telkom Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) which is available to all users. Click here to view the policy.

In terms of the Telkom AUP, Telkom reserves the right to apply restrictions on an uncapped account if a customer’s behaviour is deemed to be affecting the user experience of other customers on Telkom’s LTE network. Examples of customer behaviour which may compromise Telkom’s network performance include causing network congestion, running excessive concurrent internet sessions or accessing excessive bandwidth intensive protocols such as peer-to-peer.

Restrictions which may be applied by Telkom in terms of the Telkom LTE AUP include, but are not limited to, throttling a customer’s throughput speeds and / or shaping a customer’s bandwidth to limit the use of bandwidth intensive protocols and applications. In terms of the AUP, Telkom further reserves the right to suspend the relevant customer’s usage within 24 hours of usage having reached excessively high levels. Customers who are restricted by Telkom in the aforementioned manner in a calendar month will be returned to full service profile at the beginning of the next month.

Telkom would hereby like to make you aware that your usage behaviour is compromising Telkom’s mobile broadband network performance. Your usage in July was regarded as being excessively high.

This extensive usage negatively impacts the performance of our network and if it continues, Telkom will have no option but to impose throttling measures as set out in the Telkom AUP in order to ensure that other customers’ experiences are not compromised.

 

[blowdart18]

Not sure if anyone was special enough to receive an email yet

Seems Netflix in HD gets you noticed very quickly.

Dear

We confirm that you are currently a user of our LTE uncapped service. Please note that all our uncapped products are subject to the Telkom Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) which is available to all users. Click here to view the policy.

 

[Saba'a]

Yep got a mail. You sell me a product for streaming and then complain that I stream.
Show me abuse ito torrenting and I will gladly limit myself.
Useless planning or overcommitment.

 

[Pho3nix]

No mail as yet.. Waiting to hear if I'm high usage or not

 

[tehtroopa]

Not sure my exact usage right now but it cant be crazy, just streaming netflix / youtube and the odd steam download. Just got the email myself... my July usage is "excessively high".

Anyone experienced further action passed this ?

 

[Pho3nix]

Spoke to soon. Just showed up in my mailbox. Says July.
Everyone's saying that?

 

[Johnatan56]

Just got this email....... Wow and my usage is actually low....

Dear xxxxxx xxxxxx

We confirm that you are currently a user of our LTE uncapped service. Please note that all our uncapped products are subject to the Telkom Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) which is available to all users. Click here to view the policy.

In terms of the Telkom AUP, Telkom reserves the right to apply restrictions on an uncapped account if a customer’s behaviour is deemed to be affecting the user experience of other customers on Telkom’s LTE network. Examples of customer behaviour which may compromise Telkom’s network performance include causing network congestion, running excessive concurrent internet sessions or accessing excessive bandwidth intensive protocols such as peer-to-peer.

Restrictions which may be applied by Telkom in terms of the Telkom LTE AUP include, but are not limited to, throttling a customer’s throughput speeds and / or shaping a customer’s bandwidth to limit the use of bandwidth intensive protocols and applications. In terms of the AUP, Telkom further reserves the right to suspend the relevant customer’s usage within 24 hours of usage having reached excessively high levels. Customers who are restricted by Telkom in the aforementioned manner in a calendar month will be returned to full service profile at the beginning of the next month.

Telkom would hereby like to make you aware that your usage behaviour is compromising Telkom’s mobile broadband network performance. Your usage in July was regarded as being excessively high.

This extensive usage negatively impacts the performance of our network and if it continues, Telkom will have no option but to impose throttling measures as set out in the Telkom AUP in order to ensure that other customers’ experiences are not compromised.

Huh? 1 Person causes congestion? What's your backhaul like? And what do they mean by "concurrent internet sessions" when it's registered on a per-SIM basis?
And if the congestion is caused by streaming/non-p2p, then they are legally allowed to do nothing against you:

(From a couple of posts above):

Uncapped wireless broadband is really uncapped for almost all applications and uses. These include email, browsing, streaming traffic like video, music, YouTube, AppleTV, Box Office, Netflix, VPN, VOIP, real time online gaming, backups and gaming downloads.

For these you will never be capped and throttled

 

[Saba'a]

Yep bunch of liars and idiots. Will be fun to observe their crap.

They must explain what streaming they anticipated. Two netflix and 1 youtube on average does not maketh abuse imho.

 

[FlashSA]

90GB last month, 78GB this month. No sms and no email received...

 

[Saba'a]

You surely dont stream!?

 

[FlashSA]

You surely dont stream!?

Hardly. That is from my office LTE sim. We watch Supersport every now and again and a few hours of YoutubeHD but that's it - work work work.

 

[Saba'a]

Hardly. That is from my office LTE sim. We watch Supersport every now and again and a few hours of YoutubeHD but that's it - work work work.

No wonder . Was wondering what is causing my excessive use

 

[FlashSA]

No wonder . Was wondering what is causing my excessive use

We do have everyone's smartphone connected to the wifi as well, and we certainly don't hold back. The guys with big monthly usage need only look at HD streaming. But, that is why they have the product so I don't know how Telkom is going to handle excessive streaming usage when they sold the product as "high speed streaming".

When I signed up for the office and kicked out DSL to the curb, I was confident our usage would be fine for this solution even if Telkom starts throttling heavy users.