Questions to conference speakers

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As you may know the annual MyBroadband conference will take place next week, and we would like to give members who are not able to attend the event a chance to pose questions to the speakers. To ask a question, please give the speakers’ name and then the question.

Conference Program: http://mybroadband.co.za/general/conference2009/program.html

Important: Please note what panel the speaker is on and ask questions within that field. Also please try to be as clear as possible…questions like “why is your service so bad” can be far more valuable is structured differently, like “your service levels have decreased recently – are you aware of it and what is being done to improve it”.
 
Example

John Holdsworth, ECN Telecoms

Apart from interconnect rate cuts, what else should be done to reduce local telecoms prices?
 
John Holdsworth, ECN Telecoms

You have been quoted as stating that Cell C and other smaller operators should receive preferential rates with regards to MTR. Considering that a symmetrical MTR is effectively a "zero sum game" on the assumption that calls are terminated on the various networks in proportion to their share of subscriber numbers, why should the the larger operators subsidies the smaller operators as would be the case with asymmetrical rates?

He expects interconnection fees to fall to 60c/minute next year, and to 30c/minute down the line. He also expects an asymmetric interconnect regime to be introduced that favours smaller players — and he includes Cell C as one of the companies that should benefit. The idea is that smaller players will pay less than the bigger operators to carry calls between networks.
read more
Click to expand...
 
Suveer Ramdhani, SEACOM

Why is Seacom bandwidth taking so long to filter through to the end users in South Africa? Is Seacom disappointed with this? What are you doing to speed up this take-up process?

Johan Meyer, Telkom & SAT-3/SAFE

When will South Africans see higher speeds and bigger caps or uncapped offerings? For example, when will the ADSL users be bumped up to 8 or 12 mbps? (EDIT: Johan is an expert on SAT-3/SAFE, and will not be able to answer access (ADSL etc) questions.) The panel discussion focusses on international and national bandwidth)

Angus Hay, Neotel

Why has Neotel failed so far as the second National Operator in bringing affordable telecomms to South Africans?
 
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Doug Reed, Vox Telecom,
Matthew Tagg, Web Africa,
Andries Delport, Vodacom,
Jannie van Zyl, iBurst,
Angus Hay, Neotel

Are you aware that available IPv4 addresses are expected to run out in less than two years? When will you begin testing IPv6 on your networks and do you expect to have any kinds of IPv6 services available for your customers soon?
 
Johan Meyer, Telkom

Why are ADSL users still forced to pay analog voice line rental even if they don't need/want a voice line?

[Edit: Can maybe be asked in the broadband discussion - the Telkom speaker is a SAT-3/SAFE specialist]
 
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Johan Meyer, Telkom

When will there be better upload speeds on ADSL, especially for businesses?

[Edit: Can maybe be asked in the broadband discussion - the Telkom speaker is a SAT-3/SAFE specialist]
 
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Johan Meyer

In a scenario where a client takes a 4mbps ADSL line and 3GB of data, based on an average data rate of R75 per GB, the Telkom portion of the total bill is R587 out of R812 total. This is R72% of the total cost. The ISP's can drop prices all they like but until Telkom starts to charge a more realistic rate for their service, ADSL will continue to be an expensive luxury affordable to only the elite. What does Telkom plan on doing about the unacceptably high line rental costs.

[Edit: Can maybe be asked in the broadband discussion - the Telkom speaker is a SAT-3/SAFE specialist]
 
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Jannie van Zyl, iBurst

iBurst has reduced commission being paid out to resellers in the last few months. What is iBurst's long term strategy with regards to their reseller channel as it appears that iBurst is squeezing their resellers out by paying less and less commission.
 
Jannie van Zyl, iBurst

The rumour mill states that iBurst intends selling their base to a 3rd party. Is there any truth in this? If so, what impact will this have on customers and resellers?
 
Entire Panel

Comparing industries in 1st world countries, the first move for an industry is to self regulate before government has to step in, why has this step not been explored in the SA ICT framework? And would this happen or is it more convenient to let ICASA take the brunt.

[Edit: Regulatory panel]
 
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To The Broadband Panel

ADSL charges are ridculously high and in addition we have to pay for an analogue voice line which we may or may not use. Speeds are low as are caps. Does the panel see any improvements in these areas in the near future?
 
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TonyA said:
To The Broadband Panel

ADSL charges are ridculously high and in addition we have to pay for an analogue voice line which we may or may not use. Speeds are low as are caps. Does the panel see any improvements in these areas in the near future?
Click to expand...

What Tony said but 'near future' for me being the next 1 - 2 yrs - appreciate answers - :D
 
Johan Meyer, Telkom

To the best of my knowledge, Telkom does not pay it's upstream provider for "bandwidth usage" - ie it does not matter how much data they pump over their lines, Telkom's cost for those lines is the same. How do Telkom (and Neotel) justify capping (or what is essentially billing users for a non-existent cost) ?
 
To all:

Why just not give a list of all questions to the speakers in advance?
That way they will be 100% prepared and will not have to field any unexpected questions.
/sarc
 
Gekco said:
Why just not give a list of all questions to the speakers in advance?That way they will be 100% prepared and will not have to field any unexpected questions./sarc
Click to expand...
There will be questions from the floor, but we want to give guys who cant attend the event a chance to ask some questions as well.
 
Gekco said:
To all:

Why just not give a list of all questions to the speakers in advance?
That way they will be 100% prepared and will not have to field any unexpected questions.
/sarc
Click to expand...

No harm in them being prepared - it increases the chance of getting a meaningful researched answer as opposed to a quick thumb-suck.
 
SESSION 1, 10:00 Cutting telecoms and interconnect prices
John Holdsworth, ECN Telecoms

Q: What have you done/are doing/plan to do, to ensure definite price cuts, for real "no threshold", "no fair usage policy", shaped and unshaped, uncapped services at various speeds?

11:00 Broadband Panel Discussion hosted by Brian Neilson
Doug Reed, Vox Telecom
Matthew Tagg, Web Africa
Andries Delport, Vodacom
Jannie van Zyl, iBurst
Angus Hay, Neotel

Q: What have each of you individually, done/are doing/plan to do, to ensure definite price cuts, for real "no threshold", "no fair usage policy", shaped and unshaped, uncapped services at various speeds?

SESSION 2, 3:30 Bandwidth In SA Panel Discussion hosted by Duncan McLeod
Suveer Ramdhani, SEACOM
Johan Meyer, Telkom & SAT-3/SAFE
Kobus Stroeder, WACS
Sameer Dave, MTN
Malcolm Kirby, Dark Fibre Africa

Q: What have each of you individually, done/are doing/plan to do, to ensure definite price cuts, for real "no threshold", "no fair usage policy", shaped and unshaped, uncapped services at various speeds?

14:30 Regulatory, ISP & Wireless Network Discussion hosted by Rudolph Muller
Ant Brooks, ISPA
Dominic Cull, Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions
Dawie Joubert, PTAWUG
Roelf Diedericks, Neology
Royden Dall, Internet Solutions

Q: Rudolph and Dominic excluded, what have each of you individually, done/are doing/plan to do, to ensure definite price cuts, for real "no threshold", "no fair usage policy", shaped and unshaped, uncapped services at various speeds?
 
Matthew Tagg, Web Africa

As I understand it, Web Africa is now essentially a "first tier" ISP. What implications is this going to have for private individual consumers? Are said consumers going to play a large, meaningful role in your business or will you use your new network to cater primarily to corporate clients and resellers.

Matthew Tagg, Web Africa

Assuming private individual consumers are a large part of your new network, are you going to apply cost structures similar to those of other ISPs even though you no longer pay "per gig" or will your cost structures (aimed at the average consumer) be less conventional?
 
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