Telkom bait and switch SMS spam

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fudzy
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Fudzy

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Received this via SMS, now I don't usually care for SMS spam but I had registered interest in FTTH in my area:

The future is now in your hood! SMS 'fibre1' to 32565 to hear more about Telkom's broadband offer & trial at home with speeds of up to 100Mbps. STOP to opt out.
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Which I thought, great my registration for FTTH in my area is making progress and so I SMS'd fibre1, paid for the premium rate SMS and it responded with a shortened url, visiting the site I get this:

A48B1fw.png


LTE is not fibre. Now is this Telkom themselves or a reseller?
 
Ye, that's pretty shifty. They don't actually say it's about fibre though, only that you must respond with the code "fibre1," the rest of the message just refers to broadband.

Swak Telkom.
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
Ye, that's pretty shifty. They don't actually say it's about fibre though, only that you must respond with the code "fibre1," the rest of the message just refers to broadband.

Swak Telkom.
Click to expand...

I didn't think LTE could do 100Mbps either.
 
FTTH is a joke .
How long is it going to take telkom to change the copper in the ground ?
A few select areas will get FTTH and that will be that, the vast majority of people will not see FTTH in the next 10 years.
Logic tells you that it is near impossible to replace the copper network in under 10 years .
 
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FNfal said:
Logic tells you that it is near impossible to replace the copper network in under 10 years .
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Agreed. Even if a company has the manpower, practical issues such as wayleaves will make it near impossible. I don't think Telkom has either the manpower or the financial capacity to replace the copper network with fiber. Unfortunately for us they're not sponsored by the State, so their aim is profit rather than national connectivity.
 
FNfal said:
FTTH is a joke .
How long is it going to take telkom to change the copper in the ground ?
A few select areas will get FTTH and that will be that, the vast majority of people will not see FTTH in the next 10 years.
Logic tells you that it is near impossible to replace the copper network in under 10 years .
Click to expand...

Once enough have fiber, people will realize why it is so good, which will start public demand. Once there is enough public demand, you will start getting fiber to the home installers. E.g. Dark Fiber Africa etc.
 
Telkom would be stupid if they're not replacing copper with fibre given that it's one of the few materials where you do get quite a bit of money back, at least before the thieves do.
 
Johnatan56 said:
Once enough have fiber, people will realize why it is so good, which will start public demand. Once there is enough public demand, you will start getting fiber to the home installers. E.g. Dark Fiber Africa etc.
Click to expand...

I think this will also work in Telkom's favour. I would imagine applying for permission to tear up roadways or erect poles is going to be costly for new service providers. Telkom can just use the reticulation they already have in place.
 
Fudzy said:
I think this will also work in Telkom's favour. I would imagine applying for permission to tear up roadways or erect poles is going to be costly for new service providers. Telkom can just use the reticulation they already have in place.
Click to expand...

Exactly, fiber is also a good replacement in areas with a lot of theft, since the optic fiber itself is relatively worthless/cheap compared to copper. Only the install costs are more (splicing and equipment at the ends).
 
Wayleaves are not a major issue for Telkom, they are repairing existing infrastructure. Take the copper out, replace with fibre, sell the copper, recover 2/3 of their costs. But knowing Telkom they will leave the copper lying in a yard somewhere and the copper thieves will thank Telkom for making their task easier ...
 
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