"Sorry another client is using it all"

Reading all here, tells me that the majority of responders have no clue what's happening.

Don't just make comments, enlighten us :D

From an uninformed POV it does seem as if excessive traffic is causing problems.

Or is it something else ?
 
Reading all the responses here I can come to the one conclusion

We cant put a first world solution (i.e. uncapped internet) on a third world network (Telkoms DSLAMS)

I fear when the speed upgrades happen later this year, the entire network may just collapse. If people are doing 600 Gig on 4 Meg, what will they do with 10 Meg???????


Make that +3.. tripple post :P
 
All Telkom exchanges in urban areas are connected to their "parent" exchange via optic fibre. There are very very few exchanges not linked via fibre and these are normally where the environment prevents the use of a cable, eg forests, nature reserves, etc. Here Telkom would use a microwave link.

The fibre links and associated transmission equipment between exchanges are all over-provided. So even if all 500 users were downloading simultaneously, the inter-exchange link would have sufficient capacity.

It is highly unikely that the DSLAM in the exchange is "over-contended" and even if it were, then all the users on that DSLAM would have their services degraded proportionally. So your "heavy" users' services would also be downgraded to the claimed "unusable" levels.

I think the OP's issues are on the access network, i.e. between the DSLAM, MDF, SDC, DP and his house.
 
All Telkom exchanges in urban areas are connected to their "parent" exchange via optic fibre. There are very very few exchanges not linked via fibre and these are normally where the environment prevents the use of a cable, eg forests, nature reserves, etc. Here Telkom would use a microwave link.

The fibre links and associated transmission equipment between exchanges are all over-provided. So even if all 500 users were downloading simultaneously, the inter-exchange link would have sufficient capacity.

It is highly unikely that the DSLAM in the exchange is "over-contended" and even if it were, then all the users on that DSLAM would have their services degraded proportionally. So your "heavy" users' services would also be downgraded to the claimed "unusable" levels.

I think the OP's issues are on the access network, i.e. between the DSLAM, MDF, SDC, DP and his house.

Thanks ! :D
 
I think the OP's issues are on the access network, i.e. between the DSLAM, MDF, SDC, DP and his house.

I dunno man - I've been battling with this issue for months now. I've had some senior techs out here with expensive line testing equipment. The line between my house and the exchange is perfect according to the tester (its been replaced all the way up to the distribution box 2 or 3 times between now and when the problems started). Multiple senior technicians (each from independent investigation since Telkom simply cant keep records of their previous calls - incompetence ftl) have all come to the same conclusion. According to them the extreme packet-loss in peak hours and high latency are all due to over congestion on the DSLAM. It makes sense tbh looking at the symptoms.
 
I dunno man - I've been battling with this issue for months now. I've had some senior techs out here with expensive line testing equipment. The line between my house and the exchange is perfect according to the tester (its been replaced all the way up to the distribution box 2 or 3 times between now and when the problems started). Multiple senior technicians (each from independent investigation since Telkom simply cant keep records of their previous calls - incompetence ftl) have all come to the same conclusion. According to them the extreme packet-loss in peak hours and high latency are all due to over congestion on the DSLAM. It makes sense tbh looking at the symptoms.

Then those same techies should test the fibre between your exchange and the DSSU.
 
Then those same techies should test the fibre between your exchange and the DSSU.

How would I get them to do this? I'll try again. They refuse to give out contact details - everytime I phone the call centre I basically start at square one. They blame my ISP or some random BS. Its just so damn infuriating.

EDIT: Can you give me a wiki link to this piece of equipment (DSSU) so I can explain it properly to whichever senior tech eventually contacts me.
 
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Reading all the responses here I can come to the one conclusion

We cant put a first world solution (i.e. uncapped internet) on a third world network (Telkoms DSLAMS)

I fear when the speed upgrades happen later this year, the entire network may just collapse. If people are doing 600 Gig on 4 Meg, what will they do with 10 Meg???????

This is the assumption that everybody on a high speed line will pillage the internets.

Sure, you might have the new toy factor now, but where reaching the local stored content saturation point very fast, and once that has been reached you will see fewer high bandwidth users.
 
Reading all the responses here I can come to the one conclusion

We cant put a first world solution (i.e. uncapped internet) on a third world network (Telkoms DSLAMS)

I fear when the speed upgrades happen later this year, the entire network may just collapse. If people are doing 600 Gig on 4 Meg, what will they do with 10 Meg???????

Thing is you are paying Telkom R500pm for the use of that lines and equipment, should it be your problem if they collect your money and never upgrade the exchanges? Where does the so-called rental on the lines (twice!) go to if not for maintenance and upgrading of the links?

Also, don't come sell me an uncapped solution then complain about my usage. That is false advertising - something that has been popping up in the broadband space a lot lately. You cannot sell me product X then claim afterwards that the product can actually only perform at 1/4 the level of X - for whatever reason.
 
Hi
I do indeed get the same results. I still have my WebAfrica accounts, and openweb. tried both. At 23h00 last night, I got 800ms for the third hop (second timed out, i assume blocking icmp).
I called faults, to query my reported issue, but they are still investigating it (not sure what they need to investigate). I agree that one user probably isn't doing that, and even if he was, it's not my problem.

@brandofriva
That is the sickest thing i have ever read. They budget for 5GB per user, if they overse that... "shame to you"... oh boy.
I am contemplating going wireless, amobia, and taking all my telkom related business with me, including the parts I influence at work and elsewhere...
 
Well one or more users (on the logs) are downloading 600 GB + per month, and saturating the DSLAM's capabilities.

Oooops, sorry! :o

EDIT: ... Oh no wait... that wasn't me... I did 940 Gigs... not 600 Gb. Phew.
 
@Wikus, get yer own thread.

@mbvdl, run a command called tracert (trace route), it will confirm if what the Telkom nice guy is saying is true.

Tracert basically returns the latencies at each routing point as your data heads out towards it's destination.
If your DSLAM is the cause of the problem, then traceroute will return massive (400ms and greater) latencies at the very first point.

But, I am willing to bet that this is not true, and that trace route will show a latency problem further upstream.

WinXP:
Start -> Run -> type in: cmd
Click Ok
In that black box, type in:
tracert www.gamesunited.de
press enter

sit back and wait for it to show you where the congestion is..


Tracing route to www.gamesunited.de [212.6.108.246]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 18 ms 21 ms 107 ms 41-132-48-1.dsl.mweb.co.za [41.132.48.1]
2 43 ms 39 ms 119 ms tengig-0-0-0-104.vic-ipc-2.mweb.co.za [196.22.16
3.218]
3 108 ms 39 ms 78 ms vl-92.vic-hscore-2.mweb.co.za [196.22.189.3]
4 327 ms 92 ms 72 ms tengig-0-0-0-0-12.vic-up-1.mweb.co.za [196.22.16
9.241]
5 47 ms 43 ms 84 ms tengig-0-2-0-0.mid-1.mweb.co.za [196.22.169.219]

6 265 ms 311 ms 307 ms pos-0-0-0-0.lon-1.mweb.co.za [196.22.163.230]
7 281 ms 283 ms 381 ms 130.117.136.1
8 397 ms 301 ms 281 ms te1-2.ccr02.lon02.atlas.cogentco.com [130.117.50
.117]
9 283 ms 281 ms 279 ms te0-2-0-0.ccr22.par01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.11
7.50.198]
10 472 ms 281 ms 281 ms te0-1-0-7.mpd21.par01.atlas.cogentco.com [130.11
7.1.250]
11 438 ms 442 ms 447 ms te0-0-0-7.mpd21.iad02.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54
.25.113]
12 584 ms 455 ms 459 ms te4-8.mpd01.iad01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.31.
202]
13 445 ms 532 ms 445 ms 38.104.57.118
14 585 ms 1179 ms 427 ms bbrt.hb-2-xe-0-2-0.ewe-ip-backbone.de [212.6.114
.41]
15 640 ms 387 ms 1030 ms bbrt.ol-0-xe-1-1-0.ewe-ip-backbone.de [80.228.90
.33]
16 1233 ms 382 ms 748 ms svr9.gamesunited.de [212.6.108.246]

Trace complete.
--
Wow, now there's a problem site for me!
 
How would I get them to do this? I'll try again. They refuse to give out contact details - everytime I phone the call centre I basically start at square one. They blame my ISP or some random BS. Its just so damn infuriating.

EDIT: Can you give me a wiki link to this piece of equipment (DSSU) so I can explain it properly to whichever senior tech eventually contacts me.
I had the same problem. They refuse to escalate, don't read the problem tickets and you end up speaking to the same dumb idiot every time.
 
Ok update, in case it's useful. I was advised by some friendly and helpful okes at mweb, to move to their all inclusive option, in which case the line becomes their problem. They would then exert force as "MWEB" on telkom to deliver the services we are supposed to get in the first place.
I am migrating my line to mweb as we speak, hold thumbs. If this works, then yes, I can browse again :D
 
Ok update, in case it's useful. I was advised by some friendly and helpful okes at mweb, to move to their all inclusive option, in which case the line becomes their problem. They would then exert force as "MWEB" on telkom to deliver the services we are supposed to get in the first place.
I am migrating my line to mweb as we speak, hold thumbs. If this works, then yes, I can browse again :D

hopefully they are not as bad a webafrica with the all in one service...
 
Ok update, in case it's useful. I was advised by some friendly and helpful okes at mweb, to move to their all inclusive option, in which case the line becomes their problem. They would then exert force as "MWEB" on telkom to deliver the services we are supposed to get in the first place.
I am migrating my line to mweb as we speak, hold thumbs. If this works, then yes, I can browse again :D

If your DSLAM is over-contended as per your OP, how is moving your line to MWEB going to help? Telkom will refer them back to the 1:20 ratio and then you are still stuffed.
 
My bad

Ummm... This is probably my fault (at least partly)... :o

I'm in the Eversdal area and have had Axxess Express and Astraweb since January, downloading continuously in the evenings and weekends. Whoops.

But, my usage has dropped this month with the move to a cheaper uncapped option (and I don't have much left to DL), so the effect shouldn't be as bad any more. If the effect is still as bad, then I can't be (completely) to blame.

(Goes to hide in bomb shelter to avoid the fallout)
 
Ok update, in case it's useful. I was advised by some friendly and helpful okes at mweb, to move to their all inclusive option, in which case the line becomes their problem. They would then exert force as "MWEB" on telkom to deliver the services we are supposed to get in the first place.
I am migrating my line to mweb as we speak, hold thumbs. If this works, then yes, I can browse again :D

Keep us updated, I would love to see if this works.
 
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