Openserve DSL shutdown impacting customers without warning

[mylesillidge]

Telkom DSL Internet shutdown cutting off customers without warning

A major South African Internet service provider (ISP) has blamed inconsistent communication from Telkom's wholesale fixed-line division for abrupt cutoffs of some digital subscriber line (DSL) customers.

An Afrihost customer recently told MyBroadband that their Openserve DSL connection stopped working in early September 2025, with no notification from the ISP or the fibre network operator (FNO).

 

[calypso]

I used VDSL as a backup in one of my sites. Telkom cut it (no warning) and then continued to bill for the service for months after.

 

[Fuzzbox]

Its been on the cards for a long time.

 

[deweyzeph]

I used VDSL as a backup in one of my sites. Telkom cut it (no warning) and then continued to bill for the service for months after.

I wouldn't expect anything less from Telkom. The day I paid my final invoice for my landline and said goodbye to them forever was one of the happiest days of my life. As soon as that line was dead I physically disconnected the copper line from my house, wound it up and chucked the line over my fence still connected to the pole which is just outside my property. Voetsek.

 

[Xtm]

Copper getting stolen and is hard to replace.

 

[Justanotherguybythesea]

Copper getting stolen and is hard to replace.

Telkom stopped fixing it nearly a decade ago, so now any fault that means the outside line is not working, and not fixable without digging, means they disconnect and tell you sucks to be you.

The day I saw LTE was cheaper than DSL at my address was the day I ordered from Afrihost, and then cancelled the Hellkom line. Hellkom still has not paid me the credit out, and likely never will, saying go to a customer center, and the 2 centers i tried telling me to call or do it online, with calling telling me to do online, and online never getting a response.

 

[deweyzeph]

Telkom stopped fixing it nearly a decade ago, so now any fault that means the outside line is not working, and not fixable without digging, means they disconnect and tell you sucks to be you.

The day I saw LTE was cheaper than DSL at my address was the day I ordered from Afrihost, and then cancelled the Hellkom line. Hellkom still has not paid me the credit out, and likely never will, saying go to a customer center, and the 2 centers i tried telling me to call or do it online, with calling telling me to do online, and online never getting a response.

It's not even worth fighting over that refund. Still waiting for my R150 credit 5 years later. Just be glad you were even able to cancel successfully in the first place. Took me about 6 months to cancel my landline after getting fibre. Eventually the only way I was able to cancel was to port my landline number to a VOIP provider and as soon as the port went through my landline went dead and I got a final invoice a few weeks later. I will never ever having anything more to do with Telkom as long as I live.

 

[Justanotherguybythesea]

It's not even worth fighting over that refund. Still waiting for my R150 credit 5 years later. Just be glad you were even able to cancel successfully in the first place. Took me about 6 months to cancel my landline after getting fibre. Eventually the only way I was able to cancel was to port my landline number to a VOIP provider and as soon as the port went through my landline went dead and I got a final invoice a few weeks later. I will never ever having anything more to do with Telkom as long as I live.

Yes wanted to port it, but that failed. At least asking the Hellkom call droids where is my refund is a faster way to get them off the phone, start with where is my refund in a polite voice and the call is over 10s later.