Telkom Internet - What exactly does this mean?

[bekdik]

I read my ADSL usage report today, the email one I'm sure many of you get:

Dear subscriber


A friendly notification that according to our records your online usage as at [2008-2-12 00:00:01] reflected the following:

Username : [email protected]

Uploaded : 260MB or [0.25GB]
Downloaded : 983MB or [0.96GB]
Combined Total : 1.21GB
Service threshold : 3.00GB
Percentage used : 40.48%


Please bear in mind that this is a usage-based subscription and, as such, is subject to a service threshold. Thresholds are the accumulated total of both your uploaded (sending) and downloaded (receiving) data, which includes the network overheads.

As a TelkomInternet subscriber you have access to our unique threshold management service. This service operates as follows: should you exceed your initial individual service threshold, as above, you will automatically be transferred into our collective threshold option. This will enable you to stay online until such time that the average usage for all our subscribers reaches the collective service threshold.

Should you exceed both your service threshold and that of the collective, you will be placed within restrictive limits, allowing access to e-mail and the four major banking sites.

Should you require full internet access at this point, you will be required to obtain a new username to remain online.

To unsubscribe from this reporting service or to view your online usage graphs, go to http://adsl.telkomsa.net


To report bandwidth abuse, please e-mail [email protected] immediately, attaching your online usage report.

Warm regards

Now I have bolded the phrase in question. According to this I will stay online until such time as "until such time that the average usage for all our subscribers reaches the collective service threshold".

My problem is that each month, many user's Average Use does not reach the Collective threshold, which implies that I can never be cut off.

Doesn't it?

 

[SFW007]

true, i understand your logic

so how do you know what your collective threshold is ...hopefully you stay close to an old aged home ...hehehe

 

[medicnick83]

Well, my collective threshold used to be 6GB's (of normal cap) so I could use up till 6GB and then I'd be capped (for international)

Right now, my cap is about 3GB (Telkom seems to have gotten stricter) but my local is still going.

 

[general_koffi]

Note that your local will keep going forever, but they will start charging you an exorbitant fee per-GB after you reach your threshold of 10GB for every 1GB international you buy.