Telkom moving to wireless - playing their monopoly card?

[padjakkels]

Here on the platteland(Colesberg) we only have ADSL access, no LTE/FIBRE/etc.

So we must use Telkom ADSL copper lines. My service provider is VOX.

So with Telkom going wireless before 28th February 2019, they can only offer me a voice service, but if I change my service provider to TELKOM, then they will let me have a modem, etc. and I can continue having broad band/internet.

VOX support was no help also, because they can't offer any other service to me without an ADSL line.

So TELKOM will basically send you a new cellphone, that is their wireless answer for home users.

So is Telkom playing their monopoly card and forcing customers to move to them? My feeling is they will lose a lot of customers, I am going to cancel my account with them, but I am still searching for an alternative as MTN/VODACOM is too expensive with their data...

Or am I missing something perhaps?

Any suggestions perhaps for an alternative to ADSL?

Fibre to the Business - Not Yet
Fibre to the Home - Not Yet
LTE - Not Yet
Wireless to the Business - Not Yet
ADSL - Available

Oh, and BTW TELKOM doesn't have a solution for businesses yet that are using ADSL still, how they will be affected! Its actually a big joke!

 

[WAslayer]

Your alternatives to ADSL are:

Mobile data using a sim card only any of the cell providers with coverage in the area.. While I don't know their coverage for your area, Cell C, Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Rain could be options..

Wireless using special antenna equipment if there are any providers with coverage in your area..

And then fibre or ADSL which is not or will not be available for much longer..

The last alternative is to move yourself into the city where there is an abundance of all the above...

 

[ProAsm]

https://www.ecotel.co.za/satellite-internet-south-africa/

 

[Wasabee!]

https://www.ecotel.co.za/satellite-internet-south-africa/

This is just LTE, why go with this company and not another LTE provider?

 

[The_Hobbit]

This is just LTE, why go with this company and not another LTE provider?

How is satellite LTE?

 

[bwana]

How is satellite LTE?

Have you clicked on any of the packages?

 

[The_Hobbit]

Have you clicked on any of the packages?

I just did and they’re incorrectly marketed. They’re either Satellite or LTE, can’t be both.
That’s enough to put me off them.

 

[padjakkels]

Have you clicked on any of the packages?

Thanks. Satellite still shows LTE, page doesn't change. We don't have LTE here, sadly.

 

[padjakkels]

Your alternatives to ADSL are:

Mobile data using a sim card only any of the cell providers with coverage in the area.. While I don't know their coverage for your area, Cell C, Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Rain could be options..

Wireless using special antenna equipment if there are any providers with coverage in your area..

And then fibre or ADSL which is not or will not be available for much longer..

The last alternative is to move yourself into the city where there is an abundance of all the above...

Lol, thanks for the reply!

Seems like mobile data will be one the one here. Its rather expensive. Even Rain is really expensive.

Fibre - just going through Colesberg, no fibre network here in town.

Move myself - not an option.

Sofar the best I could find was Mi-Link: https://www.facebook.com/midatalink/

About R10 per gig.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Are you saying Telkom is literally cancelling your ADSL service from a known paying customer?

That doesn’t make sense.

 

[padjakkels]

Are you saying Telkom is literally cancelling your ADSL service from a known paying customer?

That doesn’t make sense.

Yes, that is what I am saying. By end February 2019 all home users must be moved to wireless according to the person at Telkom on the phone as they are no longer support copper cables/ADSL lines.

 

[Quintrix]

Yes, that is what I am saying. By end February 2019 all home users must be moved to wireless according to the person at Telkom on the phone as they are no longer support copper cables/ADSL lines.

Are you sure this was Telkom, sounds fishy? Why would they dump paying sustomers that will most likely go to different service provider.
Assume the modem they will provide is for a wireless service. And it won't be a cellphone but a fixed wireless phone
Are you in town or some way off?

 

[ProAsm]

Are you sure this was Telkom, sounds fishy? Why would they dump paying sustomers that will most likely go to different service provider.

Are you in town or some way off?

I'm gonna get my ass kicked for this, so please do not quote me!
Yes this is Telkom, although I am surprised they are targeting a small town like Colesberg ?
The whole of the 'technical division' of Telkom has now been taken over by Openserve.
Openserve's new policy is that 80% of the country's wired communications need to be canceled asap, not sure of any dates, hence the surprise of the date mentioned by the OP.
The reason is that the copper degradation and massive copper theft etc is costing them an arm and a leg and the Line charge just does not warrant the maintenance required to keep this a viable proposition.
Many people, mainly where LTE and or Fibre is available (and looks like elsewhere) is been told about the cancellation of the copper line (telephone) and the Internet (adsl) and replaced with the new Telkom Atel AGP-KW125 Wireless Telephone.
https://gadgeteer.co.za/node/2301
https://secure.telkom.co.za/today/shop/home/plan/line-rental-only/
If the client has ADSL, this will now be a 3G - 2 Mbps connection charged at the Telkom uncapped ADSL prices.
I know of several people in PMBurg that have been approached.

 

[Moto Guzzi]

So if the copper is cancelled so urgently, whos going to buy the left overs for cheap-? A huge red flag just went off in my head, and I mean huge.

 

[rietrot]

So if the copper is cancelled so urgently, whos going to buy the left overs for cheap-? A huge red flag just went off in my head, and I mean huge.

Huh? Left over what? Hopefully telkom cleans up their mess and remove and sell the old telephone lines as scrap, but most likely they'll just leave it.

I don't get the red flag?

 

[rietrot]

My inlaws were also told they needed to switch to wireless, they don't even have Internet and just use the old phone on occasion, so I advised them just to cancel.

 

[Topdoggdbn]

cables damaged in area, Telkom not replacing or fixing. have to move to FLLA. Ficed line look alike.

probably also going to cancel if capped at 2MB and still have to pay line rental fee.

should receive new equipment by 8th Jan and try it for a few months as I was told i still have to issue a request to cancel the line thats not working for months.

 

[MisterV]

If you are moved to FLLA, does it act that same as the usual telephone line? Can I use my own ISP and such? I would also like to know where to read up more about this end of February deadline Telkom has.

 

[chrisc]

Copper theft has not been a problem where I live. Most of it is underground anyway

There is a Vumatel fibre junction in a steel cabinet in a piece of undeveloped ground in the next street. Walking the dog one morning, there are two guys prising open the doors with large screwdrivers. Already two hinges had broken. Called Vumatel who sent someone round the next day. Absolutely nothing to steal in there. Lots of fibre connections and plastic brackets. I suppose they could vandalise it. Like the street names that disappear off the poles

 

[Johnatan56]

"Telkom using their monopoly card"
I would say the opposite. They're removing themselves from business that is unprofitable.
Maintaining a huge copper network costs money, especially as many sections of it were never well maintained and are now breaking down/causing problems and it is not worthwhile to fix it.

You'll probably get LTE-A in some of the smaller towns or 5G once that comes around, as it's usually not worthwhile to run fiber. Remember that they would also need to hire a lot of manpower in regards to digging and skilled technicians to splice.

You might have a better chance if they finally allowed micro trenching as there the machine is expensive while the actual trenching is quick and easy, a couple of hundred meters a day versus the full trenching <100m (usually half that) average.

They wanted to micro trench by us but CoCT denied it.