Please answer some questions..

G

gripen

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Im looking at getting MyWireless 128k or 256k pretty soon. My queries are as follows:

1. I checked the web site for my area coverage (Hatfield,PTA) and it says Partial, Operational. What does this mean? Will I get coverage?
Does the site normally correlate with real results?

2. What would happen if I were to quit the contract (if I wanted to or couldnt afford to pay anymore)?

3. Given the shared service / contention ratios, can I still expect 15k/sec on 128 - 24/7 much like ISDN/dialup which is also shared?

4. If my signal was say, 15% would I still be able to use the service at good speed (ie. above 10k/sec for 128)? Other than ping times, is there an advantage to having good signal?

5. How low does the signal need to be for everything to work? Also, whats the highest possible signal you can practically get (is it 100%)?

6. Finally, can I ask Sentech to come and test for signal/service before I buy? Or do I buy the modem hoping that it works? What happens if you sign up and theres no signal? Refund?

Thanks! I would really like to get this soon but not before the above queries are seen to. If you can refer me to other forum topics thats 100% fine!
 
1. Partial means you should get it.
2. Dont know - phone and ask.
3. Yes.
4. Signals will work down to 5%. Once above 40% your pings will drop drastically - 50% = 50 ms ping.
5. Lowest = 5% | Highest depends on what you spend on a antenna etc.
6. Dont know Gauteng policy on this - phone and check.
Look through this forum there are many posts on your queries.
 
Ok, I must be facing the tower through a hole, both neighbours only have minimal signal and our home is partial???

I assume this means I am on the edge or the map is not SOO accurate and I am really also only minimal?

PS. Why on earth are there no towers in Moreletapark?!? Dont the people there have big enough houses?
 
Okay, I have some more questions before I (probably) sign up.

A. In the T&C they speak of "call charges".. whats this about? Is this the final contract and thus, when do you sign the binding contract since I dont want them to start the debit order before I sign the contract.

B. Is it possible to share the service on a LAN? ie. will there be any problems like with Telkom ADSL?

C. If I sign up now will I need to have R500 + R70 + R650 available? Or will I pay the first R650 later on. Its a lot to pay before you get anything..

D. Can I choose to pay cash instead of Debit order and can I opt to collect my modem and pass on the R70? It doesnt seem to be an option on the application form..

E. What is the technical support like? Is it 24 hours?

F. What is a patch antenna?

G. What happens if my modem is stolen? From the T&C it would seem that I would be pretty screwed in that case.. Can you buy a replacement or something? (I mean its not my fault if its stolen surely)

H. What do you get for the extended warranty?

I. If I am in say, month 7 of my 24 months and I choose to upgrade from 128 to 256 then does this mean a new 24 months or I just need to see out the 24 months of the initial agreement?

Okay thats it. Sorry for all the questions but I want to be 100% sure. So far it looks like I will probably get MyWireless128.
I will phone Sentech later with these questions but I would prefer user experience/opinion rather than Sales and Marketing lingo. These are probably frequently asked questions so any answers should be beneficial to all new users.

Thanks for reading and answering the questions!

;-)
 
Sorry your questions are for the marketing and sales department.

A Patch antenna is a small extension antenna that plugs into the modem which will boost your signal.
There are several types ranging from R75 to R750
You can also get a Dish (see other posts) if you need very low pings etc.
Contact Fastcomm for patch antennae - http://www.fastcomm.co.za
 
a) They take off first debit order after credit clearance, that's after you sign the contract.

b) There's problems with myadsl ? Ive used it where it was shared on a lan. Their FAQ answers this.

c)... dont know

d) Probably not. They seem to be xenophobes. Debit order seems the only method that they offer on theire site.

e) Hehe, well, they might just be getting better. It's answered in theire FAQ though, 24hours.

f)It let's you receive better signal, kinda like a aerial for your tv, rather than the usual bunny ears. (I saw some older cellphones that also used patch antenna's, mostly for cars)

g) You can by a replacement as long as sentech approves the modem for theire network. You could put your modem on house insurance, else talk to them, they should give an option for insurance on the modem. But I dont think they do.

h) a longer waranty period ?

i) I dont know. But I would think it's just for the rest of the period of your initial contract.

hehe... I dont know ****, so if you believe anything I just said ... your screwed with me ;)
 
c) They only deduct the 70+500, then (depending when you actually got connected) they charge you a pro-rata for the rest of the month that will go off at the next bill run. In other words, if you join today, 5 days before the end of the month, they'll charge you for those 5 days PLUS the following month in advance (as it is usually paid in advance) at the end of this month.

g) The modem can be "bought" with an insurance package added on to it, thus you pay for your connect plus something like 12 rand per month for insurance on the modem. When (of let us say IF) the modem gets stolen or (not possible but likely) damaged by lighting or water damage caused by the roof blowing off your wittle house, they'll replace it. however, I'm not sure how long the waiting period for that will be seeing as I waited like YONKS just to get the blerrie thing.

Hope most of your questions were answered. Best to call the support desk and find the number for marketing at headoffice, then ask all your questions there. (Try and speak to Clinton or Tracy)

Cheers
 
Put it this way.. I have R620 in my account (Not Credit Card) and I will get in R1500+ at the end of march. Its a screwed up system where I work (as a student) I know..but anyway.. what would you suggest I do? I would like to signup. My income will settle from End March.

Does this mean I must wait until the end of March? I really dont want to do that as I need the connection quite urgently before then. Right now I just dont have the R570+R100+R650 available.
 
Someone I know didn't meet Sentech's credit requirements (gross/nett salary - mentioned somewhere here), so he was asked to pay a deposit of R3000 in addition to the R500 + R70. I assume his monthly payment will be reduced by 1/24 of the deposit.
 
i dont think u will get very far with the credit checks [}:)]

I think u need to atleast gross R10k per month.

btw make use of the search button on a forum, most if not all of ur questions could of been answered by urself, with a lil bit of self reading.
 
Thats unreasonable. Whatever happened to empowering and providing services to the lesser advantaged. R10k cuts out a large portion of the population.

I dont think they will have a problem with me committing to paying them R16000+ over the 24 months.

Whats the big deal with cancelling anyway, why not make it something like if you cancel with 24 months then you pay a R500 fine and thats it. That way they will be able to attract more customers and make more money overall at the end of the day.
 
Many agree with this, but I think it's about recovering costs. With a contract they can guarentee the income, also, since you're paying off the modem, you must sign a contract. Which is why I'd like to see at the end of the 24 months, insted of renewing for another 24, that you can pay per month, and then cancel as you wish.

--
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by greedyflyza</i>
<br />Thats unreasonable. Whatever happened to empowering and providing services to the lesser advantaged. R10k cuts out a large portion of the population.

I dont think they will have a problem with me committing to paying them R16000+ over the 24 months.

Whats the big deal with cancelling anyway, why not make it something like if you cancel with 24 months then you pay a R500 fine and thats it. That way they will be able to attract more customers and make more money overall at the end of the day.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

greedyflyza, I think Sentech still have to prove that MyWireless will be a profitable and viable business venture and thus the 24 month contracts and salary requirements. They need a guaranteed source of income (and I guess it's good business sense).

In a perfect world, coverage will start increasing and costs will be lowered as time goes by, making the service more accessable to a wider range of people. Who knows, maybe cheaper packages will be introduced with lower speeds or higher contention ratios? Time will tell.
 
Okay sure. but say you are 'locked' in a 24 month contract and they reduce the 128k option to R500 - then what? Yes, I know, obviously it wont happen but in theory, you will still have to pay R650. This also applies if they raise the price. Correct me if I am wrong.

My point actually is that now I am a student and I would not get myWireless if I could not afford it. I have no house or car payments or even tax so I can afford to pay R650. Also I will be working next year (2nd 12 months of the 24) and then will easily afford it.

This paying off the modem story is silly. The modem should be paid off pretty quickly anyway but if you cancelled the contract and paid my "fine" then the can repossess the modem (if in full working order) and then use it for swop outs/demonstrations/testing/warranty replacements/reserve stock etc. They wont lose out.

The profitability and success of myWireless depends on a few critical factors. Marketing is important. Nobody knows about it. Also QoS. If they provide a good service they will make money. It is an excellent business model. For example, a lot of people will like the mobility aspect while others like the anti-Telkom aspect. If they marketed and provided a good service then they would make good money. So why the need to lock you into a 24 month contract so badly? Why not 12 months?
They should reward the early birds for taking the risk to signup to a largely unproven service with an uncertain future. I mean, did you know that if their licence is revoked, then you have to pay up what you owe them for the rest of the 24 months? Now thats unfair.. why punish the customer?

Really, I am willing and able to be a satisfied and dedicated Sentech customer. If they dont want me then that would be stupid. I just want a decent net connection with no major (telkom-like) hassles. No call costs. Yes, R650 is cheaper than ADSL/Telkom etc but it still adds up over 24 months so it is a significant amount.
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by greedyflyza</i>
... I mean, did you know that if their licence is revoked, then you have to pay up what you owe them for the rest of the 24 months? Now thats unfair.. why punish the customer?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

They cannot enforce this as they would no longer be providing the service for which you are paying. Worst case scenario you would have to pay the remaining balance on the modem or return it.
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by greedyflyza</i>
<br />So why the need to lock you into a 24 month contract so badly? Why not 12 months?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I think the main reason for the 2-year contract 'lock-in' is that, although the system will give fairly decent speeds within the first six months or so of business, once many people have joined towards mid/end 2004), the speeds are going to get a lot worse. Then there will be a lot of disgruntled customers (mainly all the people who fell for the "marketing hype" implying 'mega-broadband', who were naive enough to believe they'd get 'suuuuper-fast' download speeds in SA). Basically there are going to be quite a few disgruntled customers, and Sentech doesn't want them "jumping ship" at that point, hence the 2-year contract. If all the disgruntled customers suddenly jumped ship, Sentech would lose "critical mass" needed to afford growth to the "next phase" (e.g. investing in more overseas bandwidth).

Now don't get me wrong, I think MyWireless is probably still going to be good value for money, especially as compared to the alternatives (read "Telkom"), and I am definitely and seriously considering getting MyWireless myself. But one must just have realistic expectations - within 12 months or so, the download speeds we'll be seeing will VERY probably be close to modem speeds - maybe slightly faster, maybe slightly slower. (But even so, always-on is still a huge benefit! And still cheaper than Telkom ..)

The root of the problem is that South Africa JUST DOES NOT HAVE the international bandwidth to supply true consumer broadband. And until this changes (years from now), things ARE GOING TO SUCK, the providers CANNOT deliver on their own (deliberately vague) promises. The entire country has something like a total of 400 - 800 Mbps for retail clients, just do the math, that's REALLY LITTLE - we're not about to get true 'broadband', and it will be NOTHING like Europe, where consumer broadband easily gives Joe User download speeds of 200-300 KBps (and that's a capital B, i.e. *bytes*, and it's during the day - we can just forget about anything even remotely close to that). This situation won't change until someone drops a *serious* new fiber link under the ocean, and that would cost R1billion+, what company in SA can easily afford that? (Vodacom? Someone should give them the idea ..).

Sentech are apparently planning on setting up some new overseas satellite connections, which would help alleviate the congestion that is likely +/- 1 year from now. But I guess they blew a lot of capital on the licensing process, and now need to raise more capital to afford that. This will probably take at least a year, so I would expect this to be put in place only towards the middle or end of 2005 - and voila, there's your 2-year contract duration.

Of course, this is all speculation, but it's "educated guessing".

Given the lack of international bandwidth here in SA, I for one would be HAPPY if Sentech can provide me with "only" modem speeds for under R1K/month. This is just the sad reality here in SA, we don't have the "fat pipes" that they have in (and between) Europe and US. But whether MyWireless will become regularly better than or worse than modem speeds once many users have piled on, only Sentech knows. I just hope it doesn't get as bad as a certain other unnamed SAn ISP (whose name starts with an "M"). Anyway, that's the risk early adopters take.
 
Er Ditch there already is a serious new fiber link under the ocean, it's called SAT-3. It is currently operating at 20Gb/s and will scale up to 120Gb/s with demand... so the excuse of "not enough internationl bandwidth" doesn't cut it anymore.
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Perdition</i>
<br />Er Ditch there already is a serious new fiber link under the ocean, it's called SAT-3. It is currently operating at 20Gb/s and will scale up to 120Gb/s with demand... so the excuse of "not enough internationl bandwidth" doesn't cut it anymore.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I know about SAT-3 but as far as I know it is not being used for consumer Internet traffic. SAT-3 is shared by nearly 20 countries, cost &gt; $600million, and is supposed to 'last' us 25 years. I suspect that most of that bandwidth is being reserved for the growth of *voice* telecommunications in Africa in general (a rapidly growing sector coming up from approx zilch), not consumer broadband for the elite. The former is far more important for the development of African economies. Using Telkom's portion of that 120 Gbps to provide consumer broadband to a few hundred thousand South Africans NOW would kill most of the "room for growth" that's needed to carry African telephone comms for the next couple of decades (Africa will see MILLIONS of telephone lines being installed in the next 10-20 years.)

Anyone know if Telkom has any plans to use it for Internet? I doubt it.

SAT-3 doesn't touch the US, btw, it links to Europe in Spain.
 
Just for some perspective: 120 Gb/s isn't that much, if you've got even one decade of growth for a whole continent to think of. European consumer broadband can supply &gt; 200 KB/s. If you use the FULL SAT-3 to provide consumer broadband, it will be saturated before you hit 60,000 users. And whoops, that leaves no room on the line for telephone signals, so if you use half the line for ordinary voice comms, you're left with 30,000 possible users downloading at a time, on a continent that will have probably over 1 billion people in less than 20 years. SAT-3 can carry approx 5,000,000 telephone conversations.
 
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