No more cables - No more ADSL?

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boyequal

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I've been happily using ADSL and on a AfriHost package and I've been quite happy and content in my ways! Quite some time ago our Telkom cables got stolen (this is the SECOND time in 23 years). I've been suffering with cellphones and going to friends for important internet things in the meanwhile. I've also laid a complaint with ICASA, but they've never officially come back to me (don't even have a complaint reference)

Today Telkom comes and tells me that they're not ever going to replace the lines as we've suddenly moved into a high theft zone. They've now given me a 3G phone (and a new number, to my dismay). I enquire about internet access and the techie happily tells me that I can use ADSL logins (on 3G?), but only after 2 weeks when the "software has been loaded onto the phone". I leave it at that, since there's no use in arguing.

I had a look at Telkom's website and see that Do 3G costs around R150/gig... My questions are...

Am I now totally screwed and f****d and will never have proper (cheapish) broadband at my house? I have no WiMAX or iBurst coverage.
Is it possible to swap this free phone for the broadband unit so I can at least have more than one phone in my house?
Can I somehow force Telkom to replace the line with either fibre or just bury it underground?
Why me!? Is it because I was happy?

Thanks for taking time to read and letting me vent a bit...
 
I know what you're going through, and it's similar to hell. I bribed an ex-techie to lay a "temporary service" line. There's just no other way - as you say, they refuse to replace them. If you can obtain the cable (Cat5 ethernet cable will work perfectly), and arrange the trenching to the nearest working DP (Distribution Pole) outside your house, then arranging Telkom to wire that up isn't normally a hassle... but doing that in the first place (getting permissioon from neighbours, for example) is another story... Sad to see that Telkom's fixed line network is still rampantly falling apart and after a few years now they still haven't managed to curb the cable theft problem that's eating away at them...
 
The same thing happened to me. I am situated in Boksburg and I was a Telkom loyal customer for 26 years. I had been using ADSL for 5 years. Then suddenly my bubble burst - cable was stolen on 30/04/2010 and they were not going to replace it. I was advised by the accounts department to cancel my accounts. I did this on Friday 07/05/2010 after receiving a runaround from the technical staff at Telkom. I then received an SMS from Telkom on 10/05/2010 to say the fault had been repaired - WTF?

I phoned Telkom accounts the same day and re-activated my accounts (had to pay the re-connection fee). My ADSL service was re-activated and I was up and running again so don't give up hope just yet. There may be a miracle waiting to happen.
 
People cant always afford to just 'move' if copper cables are stolen btw.

I'm in a similar predicament where our cables were stolen pretty much as soon as we moved into our new house. Telkom only recently informed me (after stringing me along and actually lying to me about progress) that they wouldn't replace the cables. I asked for an alternative solution to the problem and after being put on hold I was told that I am unable to access their wireless network from my residence due to LoS. So in conclusion, although they sitting happy with my deposit, it's taken them 4 months to tell me that they refuse to/cant provide me with even basic telecommunications.

So i'm sitting blue, with no fixed line access and various wireless providers shrugging their shoulders at our lack of LoS.
 
We live on a plot.
The telkom line goes out the house, onto a pole in the garden, on to another pole about 15 meters away and from there it is just gone.

3g is our only solution as well :(
 
We are down in the Athlone area after our cables have been stolen for the 3rd time in 3 months... but surprise surprise theres the white and blue envelope waiting for me in the post box at the end of the month...
Telkom gives you no service but you must still pay...gaw!
 
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