Lately been thinking maybe its cheaper to buy 1x capped account with 600GB+ and share it across my three locations rather than using 3x uncapped. Guess i need to look at the usage GBs and see how it works. cost wise it works out the same but with unthrottled, unshaped goodness
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Uncapped ADSL: why throttle?
- Thread starter rpm
- Start date
Aren't we all a little tired of companies and related marketing arms bending the truth to drive sales and then creating new words to confuse consumers?
We had HD, then Full HD and now, wait for it, TRUE HD.
We had 4G to the extent that the authorities changed the definition.
Now we have the same with Uncapped.
The ASA is clear on the matter.
4.2.1 Misleading claims
Advertisements should not contain any statement or visual presentation which, directly or by implication, omission, ambiguity, inaccuracy, exaggerated claim or otherwise, is likely to mislead the consumer.
When the consumer looks up uncapped, the very definition is "NO CAP". Yet we have companies talk about "Acceptable Usage Policies" and creating a new term "Limitless" to cover up the mangling of the consumers' trust. Even the ASA has got onto the bandwagon by using the phrase, "However, it is accepted that instances of throttling or shaping may well occur at some threshold levels to ensure sustainability of the service for all customers."
Really? Now the authorities are getting involved in changing the dictionary.
Should be simple.
CAPPED : A packages that allow you a predetermined amount of data, but terminates the connection once you reach this predetermined limit.
SOFT CAPPED : Once you have reached the predetermined limited, the connection will be reduced by throttling, more aggressive shaping and/or both.
UNCAPPED : NO LIMIT
However, all three packages could be SHAPED or UNSHAPED and this is where the ISPs can compete on service for their customers.
We had HD, then Full HD and now, wait for it, TRUE HD.
We had 4G to the extent that the authorities changed the definition.
Now we have the same with Uncapped.
The ASA is clear on the matter.
4.2.1 Misleading claims
Advertisements should not contain any statement or visual presentation which, directly or by implication, omission, ambiguity, inaccuracy, exaggerated claim or otherwise, is likely to mislead the consumer.
When the consumer looks up uncapped, the very definition is "NO CAP". Yet we have companies talk about "Acceptable Usage Policies" and creating a new term "Limitless" to cover up the mangling of the consumers' trust. Even the ASA has got onto the bandwagon by using the phrase, "However, it is accepted that instances of throttling or shaping may well occur at some threshold levels to ensure sustainability of the service for all customers."
Really? Now the authorities are getting involved in changing the dictionary.
Should be simple.
CAPPED : A packages that allow you a predetermined amount of data, but terminates the connection once you reach this predetermined limit.
SOFT CAPPED : Once you have reached the predetermined limited, the connection will be reduced by throttling, more aggressive shaping and/or both.
UNCAPPED : NO LIMIT
However, all three packages could be SHAPED or UNSHAPED and this is where the ISPs can compete on service for their customers.
boerseun
Senior Member
At R920 per Mbps IPC costs, it takes MWEB 7 users payment (4 Mbps @ R539) to cover just the IPC portion of 4 Mbps connection. That is not even breaking even yet, that just covers IPC.
So oversubscription is encouraged?
Chevron
Serial breaker of phones
It's called a contention ratio. If you want a low contention ratio move to Business.
No thanks. I'll just use capped rather, seeing as I don't want to download all the hentai on the planet.
Even "Business" accounts aren't infallible.
Yes, but users like you are being subsidized by low-end users.
AFAIK most AH business accounts are running at a loss, that is if your actual cost of data ( 3.60 * data used ) exceeds that what you pay for data alone.
boerseun
Senior Member
Capped accounts are also subject to a contention ratio.....
I'm aware of that. This has been the case since forever. The difference being, capped accounts work. Or at least generally, seems like AH is experiencing issues with that as well.
RaptorSA
Executive Member
- Joined
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Talking about the flow of data as if it were a finite resource like water etc. always confuses the **** out of me.
As long as the links are up I see no reason for a data cap.... either way, somewhere along the line we're being ****ed and we've been brainwashed to think data caps are a real thing, all in the name of making money of course.
The entire thing is ridiculous.
As long as the links are up I see no reason for a data cap.... either way, somewhere along the line we're being ****ed and we've been brainwashed to think data caps are a real thing, all in the name of making money of course.
The entire thing is ridiculous.
It's a free market so just choose your provider and let the best deals win
The main issue for me is transparency - ISP should have to publish certain stats - shaping methodology, and a user contention ratio on IPC, national and international segments of network. It's easy for mybb or ISPA to get such lists going, starting with voluntary disclosure.
Otherwise keep the speedtest results coming in together with the operator and package
Personally I want a service where I don't subsidise a few hogs
And let's keep the pressure on Telkom - the IPC capacity and pricing are the obvious drivers
The main issue for me is transparency - ISP should have to publish certain stats - shaping methodology, and a user contention ratio on IPC, national and international segments of network. It's easy for mybb or ISPA to get such lists going, starting with voluntary disclosure.
Otherwise keep the speedtest results coming in together with the operator and package
Personally I want a service where I don't subsidise a few hogs
And let's keep the pressure on Telkom - the IPC capacity and pricing are the obvious drivers
Chevron
Serial breaker of phones
Then you want capped.
Space_Chief
Honorary Master
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- Aug 22, 2012
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There are no such services because every service has members who cross subsidize others. And the definition of "hog" tends to vary too.
Agreed... I can't understand it, there should never be throttling of any kind. Way I see it is, eg. isp needs 10Mbs, but can only be supplied with 1Mbs due to 'rarity of this mineral' and prices are charged at the 10Mbs rate. We users then get shafted by having to share the 1Mbs, all paying 10Mbs prices... Some one somewhere is making a lot of money, and its not our isp's
Transparency is also key for me. I want to make an informed decision before buying. The current landscape looks more like a hit and miss affair when it comes to finding an ISP and package that works for you.
elvis_presley
Expert Member
Afrihost isn't particularly amazing - great support but mediocre consumer uncapped - they seem to have a number of bandwidth pools, so you compete with users in your own pool for the throttled bandwidth; if you complain they put you in to a pool with less abusive users. I've known a few people who had this done, and to Afrihost's credit, they were honest about it. If Mweb have done this everyone would be wanting to put them in front of a firing squad.
I ended up moving to Afrihost business ADSL.
These guys run at razor thin margins, I was once in the game; users either complain about slow speeds or high prices. Nobody's ever happy. But that's just the nature of the game, nobody's really at fault.
elvis_presley
Expert Member
Some industries are just low margin. Supplying Internet pipes are one of them. There's always the option of getting a business uncapped account if you want to pay for a lower contention ratio.
elvis_presley
Expert Member
Yes, capped accounts have a lower contention ratio - but you can buy lower contention ratio uncapped accounts, too! In my experience a good business uncapped account is as good as capped bandwidth.
