SADV FTTH feedback

MagicDude4Eva

MagicDude4Eva

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Can any FTTH SADV users provide feedback on their experience? The other MyBB threads covering SADV are all ADSL based and I did not want to go off-topic in those threads (i.e. http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/658191-SA-DigitalVillages-any-good/ and http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/800586-SA-Digital-Villages-Terrible-ISP).

Their proposal reads like snake-oil:
No contention Ratios–Get the speeds that are advertised!!
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Managed Open Access FTTH Network: Concluded Master Procurement Agreements with Vodacom which allows Vodacom’s FTTH services on the SADV Network as well as wholesale FTTH services to RSA Web, Mweb, VOX & Afrihost.
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The "no contention" only applies to capped and restricted speed (what a joke?):
SADV FTTH February 2016-uncontended.jpg

The "contended" packages - too expensive for my liking:
SADV FTTH February 2016-contended.jpg
 
We're not complaining about the service provided, just at the price.

Internet speeds are as promised, and reliable. We've got the 4mb uncapped line.
 
Please can you tell me where you found the details about the contended service. I have not been able to find it anywhere.
 
KingMikel said:
We're not complaining about the service provided, just at the price.

Internet speeds are as promised, and reliable. We've got the 4mb uncapped line.
Click to expand...
Fibre plus 4mb...
That's like having a bugatti veyron on an indoor go kart track!
 
Seems a touch complicated / full of "gotchas"?

Sinbad said:
Fibre plus 4mb...
That's like having a bugatti veyron on an indoor go kart track!
Click to expand...

Yeah serious which idiot came up with that? I mean that like middle tier ADSL...not even top never mind VDSL.
 
A couple of more contentious issues:

They want 5 year exclusivity - which is crazy (our HOA thinks "it's a great deal" - then again our HOA members also refer to "I have the internet on a white stick")
We are requesting exclusive use of the sleeve network for the 5 year contract period to install & operate the FTTH Open Access Network. It makes no sense for another operator to install another fibre network as it may cause damage to our fibre network and we will definitely have fibre breaks during another operators installation process. Should another FTTH operator want to offer services they should contact us to get access to our Open Access Network. We are going on risk with no uptake requirement so we should be allowed the 5 year period to have a business case to deploy fibre and managed the open access network. Vodacom, RSA Web, MWeb, VOX & Afrihost will initially be the available ISP options.
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I contacted VOX and Afrihost and they are not aware of providing ISP services for them. There is also no pricing available.

When asking for that the sleeves/backbone installed will not prevent other providers to run fibre (they will probably cram their fibre into existing Telkom sleeves):
This cannot be confirmed as some sleeves may be blocked or even semi-blocked or may be full of fibre.
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MagicDude4Eva said:
A couple of more contentious issues:

They want 5 year exclusivity - which is crazy (our HOA thinks "it's a great deal" - then again our HOA members also refer to "I have the internet on a white stick")


I contacted VOX and Afrihost and they are not aware of providing ISP services for them. There is also no pricing available.

When asking for that the sleeves/backbone installed will not prevent other providers to run fibre (they will probably cram their fibre into existing Telkom sleeves):
Click to expand...

What happens when SADV hikes the price up like crazy? Now these people have to pay through their rectums so that they can have reliable internet that comes from the "white disc".
 
KingMikel said:
What happens when SADV hikes the price up like crazy? Now these people have to pay through their rectums so that they can have reliable internet that comes from the "white disc".
Click to expand...

I raised all those issues and I guess our HOA will go ahead despite all warnings and will then face legal challenges. I initially volunteered running with the project but then stopped.

In this thread I was hoping to get some genuine feedback from SADV users. To be honest, I do not consider anything less than 20/20Mbps a FTTH solution. Anyone can provide nowadays a fairly reliable 4Mbps bandwidth offering.
 
Have they offered you a deal where you only pay for the setup but then you can choose your own ISP? R999 once off and no additional obligation. Not to mention I have been promised 100Mbps and that I can use Vox as my ISP. It all sounds too good to be true to me.

I'm concerned that our estate is about to make a terrible mistake ...
 
DuckieZA said:
Have they offered you a deal where you only pay for the setup but then you can choose your own ISP? R999 once off and no additional obligation. Not to mention I have been promised 100Mbps and that I can use Vox as my ISP. It all sounds too good to be true to me.

I'm concerned that our estate is about to make a terrible mistake ...
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The deal is in the original post. It is R999 installation and then any of the options above. They do mention that all other ISPs are offering services, but none of the ISPs I contacted are aware of it. I highly doubt that those ISPs will ever surface on the SADV network (at least not at competitive prices) - to me it sounds that they are planning to lock down estates like gated communities - I am busy consulting about the legality of it, as I do not believe this can be done.

Our HOA is going down the same rabbit hole. SADV responded to my open-access question as follows:
SADV decided to move to the Open Access Model in October last year. We have been working with Vodacom to develop the backend Ordering and Fulfilment process to enable other ISP’s to log onto our portal and load their subscribers. This will all be active by the time we will go-live at Broadacres. See attached letter from Vodacom.
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The Vodacom letter of intent is really just a LOI (written 9th November 2015 and signed by Vodacom ME FTTx) and says:
We write this letter as confirmation of Vodacom FTTX Division's intention to participate as an ISP on the SADV FTTH network. Vodacom's participation is subject to Executive Management approval and adherence to our Supply Chain Management processes (signing of Master Procurement Agreement - completed, signature of Scope of Work annexure - not done, USAT of SADV FTTH network - not done).

Vodacom further wishes to commercialise excess end-points purchased on the SAD network through a Wholesale offer to ECS/ECNS licenced ISPs - these ISPs include: MWEB, VOX, Afrihost, RSA Web
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SADV is the only FTTH which is eager to install fibre in our estate (I think it is mainly due to the 5 years exclusivity), although we have a DFA manhole with fibre lit up literally 150m away from the estate. Greencom is not interested and Vumatel came on site, got a list of 90 interested parties and have never come back again. I personally do not have the time to manage a project of such size and would expect the HOA to appoint the correct person - unfortunately HOA representatives are soccer mums and guys who have the internet on a white stick.

I have raised my objections about the lockout of any other provider for 5 years and I think the HOA will go ahead with it after which I will legally challenge the exclusivity in court as I do not believe a HOA can on a majority basis appoint a telecommunication provider in an estate and exclude any other provider.
 
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MagicDude4Eva said:
I have raised my objections about the lockout of any other provider for 5 years and I think the HOA will go ahead with it after which I will legally challenge the exclusivity in court as I do not believe a HOA can on a majority basis appoint a telecommunication provider in an estate and exclude any other provider.
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We are having similar issues with our business office block, gonna name and shame cause we leaving to our own premises soon, The Business Center, Fourways. The center has about 5 ADSL lines and their fibre(Neotel). Now they recently signed a new 5 year contract for 30Mbps fibre @ something ridiculous p/m. They charge offices R100 per GB! Offices spend R5k-10k upward monthly! Now we fought hard and got our own fibre installed for our offices(25mbps), we got warning from them about sharing our internet to other offices(as it is against lease apparently). Now we hear other clients there get a straight no when they ask to bring in their own internet..
 
I found this article after a friend asked me about SADV wanting to install in their complex.

I have completely run out of words how much of a bad idea this would be, to lock yourself into an agreement like this. And at those 1999 prices too!

This company is exactly what is wrong in the market, exactly why it has been such a tardy market for so many years! Too many fly by night companies reselling, overselling and overprovisioning services.

In this case blatantly piggybacking on the current hype that is FTTH.

fcksakes people, TELKOM offer better packages on ADSL and FTTH currently!!
 
dotnerd said:
fcksakes people, TELKOM offer better packages on ADSL and FTTH currently!!
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So true. A Telkom 20Mbps VDSL bundle will be cheaper than that. I know that one provider will have complete FTTH coverage in Fourways/Broadacres/Dainfern with open-access and proper fibre (read: uncapped/unshaped, 100Mbps) at least than 2K/pm by the end of the year. SADV does not provide open-access (they have a letter-of-intent from Vodacom) nor does it provide proper FTTH (i.e. anything below 100Mbps is in my book not fibre). For all intent purposes, I could get Seacom (100Mbps) pulled in and then gigabit it to 5 houses and I would still be able to offer a better service at a lower cost than their 20Mbps "fibre offering".
 
It seems our internet is installed with the wrong WiFi-password. Anyway to change the password? Cannot access the router by browser.
 
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