SA Digital Villages and their empty promises

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Fredvl

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SADV came and installed fibre lines into our complex about two months ago. It seemed to go smoothly. Trenches were dug, the splicing units were installed and we were told they'll come back in a few days to install the ONT so that once the site's live we can simply connect the ONT to our routers via Ethernet and sign up to a provider of our choice. Hooray!

A few days came and went and nothing happened. I tried phoning and mailing SADV and received at the most a generic response of "3 weeks lead time for installation to be finalized". So I thought, I'll sign up via Afrihost so long, get my free router and wait for the ONT installation to happen. Eventually I received feedback from SADV saying the site will be live by the end of June and I can expect a call from a technician anytime from the 30th of June (I'm currently still awaiting that call). Meanwhile their website states our complex will go live on the 20th of June.

Fast forward to today. I was told by a fellow resident in the complex that our fibre's gone live as of today (a month later than their website stated), but I still haven't received any feedback from SADV as to when our ONT will be installed. I decided to phone them again this morning and I finally get through to a consultant who tells me he can see the site's gone live, but now I'll have to wait another 3 weeks before a technician will phone me to organize installation of the ONT box.

Is there anybody here that can assist in speeding up the process as it's been well over a month since they were supposed to actually have just the ONT installed

Thanks guys!
 
Last edited:
Fredvl said:
SADV came and installed fibre lines into our complex about two months ago. It seemed to go smoothly. Trenches were dug, the splicing units were installed and we were told they'll come back in a few days to install the ONT so that once the site's live we can simply connect the ONT to our routers via Ethernet and sign up to a provider of our choice. Hooray!

A few days came and went and nothing happened. I tried phoning and mailing SADV and received at the most a generic response of "3 weeks lead time for installation to be finalized". So I thought, I'll sign up via Afrihost so long, get my free router and wait for the ONT installation to happen. Eventually I received feedback from SADV saying the site will be live by the end of June and I can expect a call from a technician anytime from the 30th of June (I'm currently still awaiting that call). Meanwhile their website states our complex will go live on the 20th of June.

Fast forward to today. I was told by a fellow resident in the complex that our fibre's gone live as of today (a month later than their website stated), but I still haven't received any feedback from SADV as to when our ONT will be installed. I decided to phone them again this morning and I finally get through to a consultant who tells me he can see the site's gone live, but now I'll have to wait another 3 weeks before a technician will phone me to organize installation of the ONT box.

Is there anybody here that can assist in speeding up the process as it's been well over a month since they were supposed to actually have just the ONT installed

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Hi Fred

We have exactly the same issue from SADV, big promises in the start just to fail on the promises and timelines keep on moving and blaming it on employee that left SADV. Currently using Rain LTE due to SADV not coming through on their promises.
 
carl.heymann said:
Hi Fred

We have exactly the same issue from SADV, big promises in the start just to fail on the promises and timelines keep on moving and blaming it on employee that left SADV. Currently using Rain LTE due to SADV not coming through on their promises.
Click to expand...

Yeah, we shouldn't really be playing that game (although the nonsense created by some people that have left is mind-boggling)

I see Plumbago is live, are installations not started yet?
 
pinball wizard said:
Please pm me the details I'd like to look into it for you.
Click to expand...

Oh, there is so many, our bodycorporate somehow got sold that SADV is the company to go to and then SADV wants us to do their marketing for them and get people to sign up etc.

So fiber is in the building, but not a single unit is connected and their pricing is expensive and only goes to 100Mbps vs openserve who we asked the bodycorporate to get instead.
 
We have vumatel and a network which has been taken over by SADV. Vumatel fibre installation is really inferior in quality but was live within two months. The network SADV is accepting has been in progress for about 9 months. Both networks are cheaper than Openserve and SADV networks allows for DSTV signal to be pushed over fibre.
 
I knew I had read about these okes before, They just sent me an email today saying that they wanted permission to install in my flat down in the Cape..... Going to do the the entire block and for FREE! If I don't do it now, it will cost me R4500 in the future...

Not going to give permission....... irks me how the Body Corp decide whom to run with , without consulting the owners....
 
Mortymoose said:
I knew I had read about these okes before, They just sent me an email today saying that they wanted permission to install in my flat down in the Cape..... Going to do the the entire block and for FREE! If I don't do it now, it will cost me R4500 in the future...

Not going to give permission....... irks me how the Body Corp decide whom to run with , without consulting the owners....
Click to expand...
Do you have access to other fibre? It would be silly to not accept the offer of FREE INFRASTRUCTURE to one of your properties. Talk about cutting off the nose to spite the face.

Fibre options will increase the value of your property (and those around you) and it will definitely make the flat more attractive to potential owners or rentals.

Not to mention, you can always sign up with somebody else. We currently have access to Vumatel, Openserve and soon Octotel too.
 
Sopbeen said:
Do you have access to other fibre? It would be silly to not accept the offer of FREE INFRASTRUCTURE to one of your properties. Talk about cutting off the nose to spite the face.

Fibre options will increase the value of your property (and those around you) and it will definitely make the flat more attractive to potential owners or rentals.

Not to mention, you can always sign up with somebody else. We currently have access to Vumatel, Openserve and soon Octotel too.
Click to expand...
Most of them offer it for free.

Secondly fiber from SADV won't increase your value.

No point in having fiber when SADV can't activate flats.
 
Thor said:
Most of them offer it for free.

Secondly fiber from SADV won't increase your value.

No point in having fiber when SADV can't activate flats.
Click to expand...

1) Assuming there will be other providers. Some areas only get 1. Some get none.
2) Do you have any evidence to show that specific fibre networks provide more value to your property than others?
3) Even if they NEVER activate the fibre, it doesn't cost you a cent? There is no risk or exposure to you.
 
Fredvl said:
SADV came and installed fibre lines into our complex about two months ago. It seemed to go smoothly. Trenches were dug, the splicing units were installed and we were told they'll come back in a few days to install the ONT so that once the site's live we can simply connect the ONT to our routers via Ethernet and sign up to a provider of our choice. Hooray!

A few days came and went and nothing happened. I tried phoning and mailing SADV and received at the most a generic response of "3 weeks lead time for installation to be finalized". So I thought, I'll sign up via Afrihost so long, get my free router and wait for the ONT installation to happen. Eventually I received feedback from SADV saying the site will be live by the end of June and I can expect a call from a technician anytime from the 30th of June (I'm currently still awaiting that call). Meanwhile their website states our complex will go live on the 20th of June.

Fast forward to today. I was told by a fellow resident in the complex that our fibre's gone live as of today (a month later than their website stated), but I still haven't received any feedback from SADV as to when our ONT will be installed. I decided to phone them again this morning and I finally get through to a consultant who tells me he can see the site's gone live, but now I'll have to wait another 3 weeks before a technician will phone me to organize installation of the ONT box.

Is there anybody here that can assist in speeding up the process as it's been well over a month since they were supposed to actually have just the ONT installed

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Below is my experience so far

Our fibre finally went live around 3 weeks ago.
Initially installed by Netstream, and taken over by SADV somewhere in the middle.
Complete installation took almost a year, and we have been receiving very lackluster feedback during the install phase.
Once the fibre was live and we were notified, we didnt have the ONT installed.
According to SADV, the ONT box is installed, only after you have signed up with a service provider, and a service provider requests the ONT.
Once the ONT is installed, that is when your billing will begin.
The SADV turn around time is anything from 1-3 weeks to come past and install the ONT.
Took a 10 Mbps line, only getting around 9.57 Mbps at peak. Logged a call. Was informed that the tech can only come past on Monday / Tuesday, can I make access available?
1. I am not in a position to take leave for 2 days to wait for a tech to come past.
2. we have a little box outside my property, surely he can check the signal strength from there prior trying to access the equipment in the premises?

So a happy yay and a sad yay, I got fibre, but not quite feeling it, currently missing my uncapped LTE...
 
Timken said:
So a happy yay and a sad yay, I got fibre, but not quite feeling it, currently missing my uncapped LTE...
Click to expand...
Perhaps you need to upgrade your fibre to match the speed of the LTE stations. Comparing apples to oranges at the moment.

Also getting 9.57/10mbit isn't that bad. Pretty damn close. So you're probably wasting your time. That variance can easily come from the test itself or from the ISP (whom you didn't mention?)
 
I recently (2 weeks ago prob not that recent) had the fibre line laid from the outside wall box to inside the house, technician told me the outside wall box does not work and that he cannot fix it but will raise a ticket - 3 days later when I followed up no ticket was raised so I went ahead and raised one...now almost 2 weeks later and calling them daily for an update this fix has still not been scheduled and despite promising to add a note on their whatsapp group and then to get in touch with around when it is scheduled...still nothing.

Can we not get a competent infrastructure provider to buy out SADV and put them out of their misery?! They are the only infrastructure provider I can go through so does not help that I can choose from 50 ISPs if their stuff does not work!!

Any contact details of helpful people in positions of some power will be highly appreciated. @pinball wizard you still around?
 
Agent47 said:
I recently (2 weeks ago prob not that recent) had the fibre line laid from the outside wall box to inside the house, technician told me the outside wall box does not work and that he cannot fix it but will raise a ticket - 3 days later when I followed up no ticket was raised so I went ahead and raised one...now almost 2 weeks later and calling them daily for an update this fix has still not been scheduled and despite promising to add a note on their whatsapp group and then to get in touch with around when it is scheduled...still nothing.

Can we not get a competent infrastructure provider to buy out SADV and put them out of their misery?! They are the only infrastructure provider I can go through so does not help that I can choose from 50 ISPs if their stuff does not work!!

Any contact details of helpful people in positions of some power will be highly appreciated. @pinball wizard you still around?
Click to expand...
PM me the details.
 
Agent47 said:
I recently (2 weeks ago prob not that recent) had the fibre line laid from the outside wall box to inside the house, technician told me the outside wall box does not work and that he cannot fix it but will raise a ticket - 3 days later when I followed up no ticket was raised so I went ahead and raised one...now almost 2 weeks later and calling them daily for an update this fix has still not been scheduled and despite promising to add a note on their whatsapp group and then to get in touch with around when it is scheduled...still nothing.

Can we not get a competent infrastructure provider to buy out SADV and put them out of their misery?! They are the only infrastructure provider I can go through so does not help that I can choose from 50 ISPs if their stuff does not work!!

Any contact details of helpful people in positions of some power will be highly appreciated. @pinball wizard you still around?
Click to expand...

My mini rant and tagging @pinball wizard got me a call back atleast. Was asked to send pictures of the Calix serial number and proof the service light is still on, done that and now got to be ignored for 3 days straight despite email follow ups. Wondering if some businesses do not need customers to survive? Or because they are the only provider in the area they cannot care less?
 
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