Really stupid question...

P

Plasticmonkey

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
683
Reaction score
0
Location
Pretoria
Hey guys, Ive got a question, that is potensially very stupid, so please excuse me....

Why, can SA people get an international service provider? What is in place that limits us from buying a uncapped account in the US for $20 p.m, and using it with Telkom?

Just a question that popped into my mind...:confused:
 
EchoZA said:
What limits us from doing that is TELKOM! Or else we would all be doing it!
Click to expand...

It think it is technically not possible, but I am not sure.

Let's try it out. :D
Anyone here who wants to give me his ADSL access data? :D
 
Hi,

No questions are stupid ;) It's because they would not be able to authenticate from the local RADIUS servers.

I agree, it would be a good loophole though!
 
I also thought once about this. I mean if you only could buy a username or password very cheap from an ISP in Germany, Japan, USA, or at any of those First World countries and then add the detail into your modem.
Internet bandwidth would be so much better.

Kiff
 
Plasticmonkey said:
Hey guys, Ive got a question, that is potensially very stupid, so please excuse me....

Why, can SA people get an international service provider? What is in place that limits us from buying a uncapped account in the US for $20 p.m, and using it with Telkom?

Just a question that popped into my mind...:confused:
Click to expand...

It would only work if that USA provider had the resources to provide bandwidth in South Africa. Most USA providers only lease bandwidth in the USA and can therefore only provide to customers in the USA.

It would be like asking "Why can't I buy my water or electricity from a USA Utilities company"

The answer would be..."because they don't sell water or electricity to South Africa... they only sell it to the USA Market"

Only Eskom and the local Water companies in South Africa have a license to sell in South Africa.

Even if an American company wanted to sell to South Africans... how would they get their Internet here for us to buy. Telkom has exclusive rights over the only international undersea cable to South Africa. There is no way (currently) for them to get their internet to us.

Make sense?
 
No good. Cap/bandwidth is not uniform. i.e. There is a huge difference between SA bandwidth and US bandwidth.

Also, it wouldn't authenticate since the Radius servers here don't cater for US providers.

Kinda like buying a ticket to Mauritius and demanding to fly to Alaska with it.;)
 
Garyvdh said:
It would be like asking "Why can't I buy my water or electricity from a USA Utilities company"

The answer would be..."because they don't sell water or electricity to South Africa... they only sell it to the USA Market"
Click to expand...

I understand your example, but, Its not like they selling anything physical, like water, or whatever. Its basically just a login and password...
 
Plasticmonkey said:
I understand your example, but, Its not like they selling anything physical, like water, or whatever. Its basically just a login and password...
Click to expand...

it is a lot like water. Telkom controls the only pipe to South Africa. Nobody has another pipe...yet. You want water... you got to buy it from Telkom.. or through one of their resellers (who also only sell Telkom water). The only two exceptions are IS who sell access to their satellite internet feed... and their portion of the Telkom pipe... and Verizon who have a slightly different set up.
 
Well, is it possible then to buy a satellite and link it through an US service provider?
Then there is no "Telkom" stopping us.
 
ronald911 said:
Well, is it possible then to buy a satellite and link it through an US service provider?
Then there is no "Telkom" stopping us.
Click to expand...

Theoretically that would be a better solution... but unfortunately no more practical. It would only work if that satellite provider had purchased space (backhaul bandwidth) on one of the satellites that cover Africa. And as satellite bandwidth is HUGELY expensive, I can't see them doing that for just a few customers in Africa. I don't know of any US ISPs that provide bandwidth on our local satellites. In fact, the only people I know in South Africa who DO provide satellite bandwidth is Internet Solutions and Multichoice Holdings (Naspers), and I don't think the latter provide Internet Access anymore.

Another problem is that Satellite Internet requires a fixed upload link via a telephone line or other fixed internet line... so you still have the same problem. US providers would have to have local bandwidth access.

This is all moot anyway... any US ISP has to ask themselves if they want to compete in the South African market. And conditions here are not conducive to a competitive environment. So it is not worth their while spending thousands of dollars to make internet available here (in a completely different market), when there are restrictive conditions and existing players.

in order to get internet from another country here to South Africa, you or they would have to lay another pipe to South Africa (which is what is happening with Seacom and the other undersea cables). When more investors have provided the carrying medium, then they will be in a position to offer more competitive internet to us. But until then Telkom and the market have blocked all other avenues of access.

The internet itself is free... but the cables that carry the internet are owned by certain parties... and they charge for access to the internet through their cables.
 
Last edited:
Garyvdh said:
Another problem is that Satellite Internet requires a fixed upload link via a telephone line or other fixed internet line... so you still have the same problem. US providers would have to have local bandwidth access.
Click to expand...

You are wrong in this point.
There is a two-way-technology that allows you to SEND to the satellite.

Example offering: (auto-translated)
http://translate.google.de/translat...dex.htm&hl=de&ie=UTF8&sl=de&sl=en&tl=en&tl=de


Cost... satellite is more expensive than ADSL, but it is OK:
http://translate.google.de/translat...atellit&hl=de&ie=UTF8&sl=de&sl=de&tl=en&tl=en
1024kbps downlod + 128 kbps upload + uncapped = 40€/month

Problem is that these satellites are only availabe in Europe, North Africa and Middle East.
US-satellites .... no chance anyway.

You have to get a satellite over South Africa!
And I don't believe that there are any good offers.
 
Wurschtler said:
You are wrong in this point.
There is a two-way-technology that allows you to SEND to the satellite.
Click to expand...

I was talking about current satellite technology in South Africa. Not all of us have a Satellite transmitter dish on our roof. :rolleyes:

Anyway... as I said... it is moot point. No US ISP is going to offer connectivity to South Africa.... not for many years still. (... and I mean other than Verizon).
 
Wurschtler said:
You are wrong in this point.
There is a two-way-technology that allows you to SEND to the satellite.

Example offering: (auto-translated)
http://translate.google.de/translat...dex.htm&hl=de&ie=UTF8&sl=de&sl=en&tl=en&tl=de


Cost... satellite is more expensive than ADSL, but it is OK:
http://translate.google.de/translat...atellit&hl=de&ie=UTF8&sl=de&sl=de&tl=en&tl=en
1024kbps downlod + 128 kbps upload + uncapped = 40€/month

Problem is that these satellites are only availabe in Europe, North Africa and Middle East.
US-satellites .... no chance anyway.

You have to get a satellite over South Africa!
And I don't believe that there are any good offers.
Click to expand...

Geosynch orbit bird - 30 000km.

I.e. For a simple ICMP request. Packet is sent from your transmitter to the Geo synch bird. Geo synch bird relays back down to ground station, which in VSAT's case will be Hartbeeshoek. Packet is routed to destination. Reply is sent back, reaches ground station, transmits to geo synch bird, back down to your receiver.

So 120 000km (3x around the earth) excluding the routing on the ground and time spent routing, for a ping. Can you say latency?
 
ronald911 said:
Well, is it possible then to buy a satellite and link it through an US service provider?
Then there is no "Telkom" stopping us.
Click to expand...

Except government legislation which is preventing other companies from doing just that.

Legislation that I believe ICASA is meant to interpret (not set though... that's our Communication Ministers job supposedly)

P.S. If you have a satellite link out of the country, then you're the provider. You won't need a US service provider to provide you internet access. Remember the Internet is just a really big (messy) network system, you're being sold access to by Telkom because they control the choke points and the licences.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X