Satellite broadband prices compared

[rpm]

Satellite broadband pricing comparison

Vox Telecom is set to launch its YahClick satellite broadband service, and we take a look how their pricing compares with other providers

 

[MightyMuffinMan]

installation is too expensive...

 

[[)roi(]]

Latency is the biggest issue, followed closely by pricing.

 

[Totempole]

installation is too expensive...

So is every other part of these packages.

 

[SlowInternet]

So is every other part of these packages.

+1

 

[JerryMungo]

Nobody in here had experience with satellite installations yet? Good grief people! 3Gb @ 512k @ R261 per month is NOT BAD AT ALL!

When you are STUCK in the bush or beach with no Telkom or voda/cellc/mtn in sight, you can stay connected for less than R300 per month, how cool is that!?

 

[MickeyD]

When are the promised new, improved, cheaper packages from Telkom's being rolled out? Was it not meant to be round about now?

 

[Species8472]

Nobody in here had experience with satellite installations yet? Good grief people! 3Gb @ 512k @ R261 per month is NOT BAD AT ALL!

When you are STUCK in the bush or beach with no Telkom or voda/cellc/mtn in sight, you can stay connected for less than R300 per month, how cool is that!?

+1 this is aimed at people living so far away from telecommunication infrastructure that even their landline cannot handle a dialup connection. (if they even have that)

 

[[)roi(]]

Nobody in here had experience with satellite installations yet? Good grief people! 3Gb @ 512k @ R261 per month is NOT BAD AT ALL!

When you are STUCK in the bush or beach with no Telkom or voda/cellc/mtn in sight, you can stay connected for less than R300 per month, how cool is that!?

It's wrong for you to assume no experience; actually I have a lot of experience with Satellite installations (> 15 years) -- the offers are not worth it. Comparatively to other services in the market, it's a terrible technology at uncompetitive prices -- satellite for me will always be a fallback technology I.e. only use it if you have no other option.

 

[JerryMungo]

It's wrong for you to assume no experience; actually I have a lot of experience with Satellite installations (> 15 years) -- the offers are not worth it. Comparatively to other services in the market, it's a terrible technology at uncompetitive prices -- satellite for me will always be a fallback technology I.e. only use it if you have no other option.

Well Duh! (Sorry, couldn't resist). I seriously hope you don't sell satellite to clients who can get cheaper alternatives!

So when compared with dial-up and no service at all, how do you rate R300 a month for 3Gb of internet?

To the detractors - try to keep the above point in mind before commenting.

 

[[)roi(]]

Well Duh! (Sorry, couldn't resist). I seriously hope you don't sell satellite to clients who can get cheaper alternatives!
And when compared with dial-up and no service at all, HOW DO YOU RATE R300 a MONTH FOR 3Gb of satellite!?

To the detractors - try to keep the above point in mind before commenting.

Even if satellite was cheaper, I'd still recommend using it only as a fallback service if the primary use case is internet -- except of course if these were bundled with acceleration solutions like Riverbed Steelhead. Latency being a fundamental issue, if the usage is however strictly transactional then the technology is perfect re its high guaranteed availability.

/edit one of the key consideration factors with satellite is ratios I.e. How many clients are sharing the allotted satellite bandwidth; IMO to improve the price the ratios will be potentially pushed too far I.e. actually experience will be far from advertised downlink speeds.

 

[JerryMungo]

Even if satellite was cheaper, I'd still recommend using it only as a fallback service if the primary use case is internet -- except of course if these were bundled with acceleration solutions like Riverbed Steelhead. Latency being a fundamental issue, if the usage is however strictly transactional then the technology is perfect re its high guaranteed availability.

/edit one of the key consideration factors with satellite is ratios I.e. How many clients are sharing the allotted satellite bandwidth; IMO to improve the price the ratios will be potentially pushed too far I.e. actually experience will be far from advertised downlink speeds.

I would have thought that, as an IT expert, it would be a given that you would never chose satellite over any other available technology. The question remains...

So when compared with dial-up and no service at all, how do you rate R300 a month for 3Gb of internet?

Tell us more about YOUR satellite installations:

actually I have a lot of experience with Satellite installations (> 15 years) -- the offers are not worth it.

What made you opt for them in your case? What products did you use and what do they cost your clients?

What specific service would you recommend to a client in the grey areas:

 

[[)roi(]]

I would have thought that, as an IT expert, it would be a given that you would never chose satellite over any other available technology. The question remains...


Tell us more about YOUR satellite installations:

What made you opt for them in your case? What products did you use and what do they cost your clients?

Ratios are as I said the primary differentiator of affordability -- push it too far and you potentially have a crappy cheap service with high latencies.

I.e. the answer is not simple -- many factors need to be considered -- it's not a simple technology, reliable yes, but not simple.

Btw the installations were as I mentioned were either primarily transactional focused, or used as secondary links (backup) or as primary links where no other solutions were available or were unreliable -- however if the use case was interactive e.g. Internet, then acceleration technologies were a must to improve usability and acceptability from the end users. Note: Acceleration technologies further reduce the affordability of the technology.

 

[JerryMungo]

Ratios are as I said the primary differentiator of affordability -- push it too far and you potentially have a crappy cheap service with high latencies.

I.e. the answer is not simple -- many factors need to be considered -- it's not a simple technology, reliable yes, but not simple.

Agreed, absolutely, but...

-- the offers are not worth it.

How sure are you?
Any comments on my earlier questions?

 

[[)roi(]]

Agreed, absolutely, but...

How sure are you?
Any comments on my earlier questions?

100% sure -- as I said I have used and evaluated this technology for a long time in many of its forms -- latency is a killer for most applications. Btw see my added comments to the previous post.

/edit Largest installation exceeding 5000 sites.

 

[JerryMungo]

100% sure -- as I said I have used and evaluated this technology for a long time in many of its forms -- latency is a killer for most applications. Btw see my added comments to the previous post.

/edit Largest installation exceeding 5000 sites.

primary links where no other solutions were available or were unreliable

And do you think you made a mistake with using Satellite? What exactly do you mean by 5000 sites in your installation? Do you think this offering of 512kbps is aimed at big business? What would you say to a small farmer in the NW with no telkom or vodacom broadband about this 512k offering? I'm thinking someone who needs to use email and banking? I think it goes without saying that you need to match the service to the need.

 

[biometrics]

Do they all have a 1-5am freezone like Vox?

 

[MFour]

Even if you are geographically challenged with regard to broadband / internet access, those installation prices are off the wall, and with those very small and outdated cap limits you are restricted to e-mail and reading websites only (well for the most part). I suppose for some it is acceptable, but I fail to see why charge so much for throughput and install to a small portion of the market. Let's face it, any right thinking person would not have this installed in his/her home if they have other far cheaper broadband options available (ADSL, 3G, etc). So their market is quite limited, and their market has limited options....oh yes I forgot, that's the way of the SA Telecoms industry: find a niche and exploit.

Oh well good luck to them and theirs, hope they buy many houses, boats, cars, planes and gourmet dinners :twisted:

 

[[)roi(]]

And do you think you made a mistake with using Satellite? What exactly do you mean by 5000 sites in your installation? Do you think this offering of 512kbps is aimed at big business? What would you say to a small farmer in the NW with no telkom or vodacom broadband about this 512k offering? I'm thinking someone who needs to use email and banking? I think it goes without saying that you need to match the service to the need.

No in the case of the 5000 site installation, it's was the best compromise, given that the network spanned more than 90 countries including off shore locations -- and of course to simplify the network, maintenance and SLAs by not trying to accommodate too many types of technologies -- however without acceleration technologies we would not have achieved a level of acceptability with the end users.

Hence I strongly believe that the offers should package acceleration technologies and should openly state what the share ratios are I.e. network bandwidth allotment for x customers; very similar to the peering links for ADSL, except that Satellite is of course more costly.

The case of the farmer is for me a fallback scenario i.e. if nothing else exists or nothing is reliable, then sure satellite is a good option -- but without acceleration technologies get ready for a crappy experience.

Btw another point to check is the size of the dish I.e. if its 90cm then get ready for less availability (compare with DSTV and storms). In my experience you need at least a 1.2m dish to cope with most storms.

 

[JerryMungo]

Even if you are geographically challenged with regard to broadband / internet access, those installation prices are off the wall, and with those very small and outdated cap limits you are restricted to e-mail and reading websites only (well for the most part). I suppose for some it is acceptable, but I fail to see why charge so much for throughput and install to a small portion of the market. Let's face it, any right thinking person would not have this installed in his/her home if they have other far cheaper broadband options available (ADSL, 3G, etc). So their market is quite limited, and their market has limited options....oh yes I forgot, that's the way of the SA Telecoms industry: find a niche and exploit.

Oh well good luck to them and theirs, hope they buy many houses, boats, cars, planes and gourmet dinners :twisted:

Posting info about alternatives would be helpful. What does the equipment actually cost (bear in mind the economy scale)? Perhaps those without big install charges just work it in to the monthly?