Uncapped Mobile Data

[Icemanbrfc]

I dont know the official answer, but im interested to know why there are no uncapped mobile data. Probably discussed many times, but its an odd one for me still.

At a guess, would I assume that the cell towers are more expensive to maintain than say fixed lines? If the networks are deeming that sort of option as not being viable, due to possible losses to their general income streams, will we ever see better data offerings?

I know its improved to a certain extent, both in terms of cost and packages, but should it in theory be alot more better by now?

 

[NeonNinja]

MTN sells uncapped.

 

[Icemanbrfc]

I know they do, but at a 3GB fair usage policy. My question was more around what the deal is, and why its still difficult to bring mobile data to uncapped levels. Would people spend say R1200 for unshaped, unthrottled 4G data a month?

 

[boxerulez]

because their infrastructure cannot support it.

 

[boxerulez]

too many mobile data users... ****ty networks + uncapped = service meltdown. look at cell c data network quality at the moment.

 

[Yuu]

Think you missed this one as TM also offering though in limited but worth it form.

TelkomMobile SmartPlan 100 Essentially until end March 2015 for R99 /m/24 contract you can do 10GB on TM network and then have reduced speeds 128Kbps until new month starts. Cheapest we have seen to date i believe. The rest of the contract period still has the 1GB other network data including all benefits listed.

This may get some flack but that deal has per minute billing but one can understand where they had to atleast make something i guess .

Perhaps we may see [if not already] how feedback goes on their network as i hear it is ridiculously underutilised and they may give us a permanent product.

 

[Solitude]

Wow that Telkom deal is great! It sucks that it's only until the 15th of March. I wonder what happens after that.

 

[Yuu]

Wow that Telkom deal is great! It sucks that it's only until the 15th of March. I wonder what happens after that.

"Plus Unlimited Telkom Mobile Data until 31 March 2015"

 

[Solitude]

"Plus Unlimited Telkom Mobile Data until 31 March 2015"

Hehe sorry I wrote 15 March because that's when my Vodacom contract expires. But yes, what happens on the 1st of April? How much data do you have then?

 

[YAHsGeneral]

Telkom mobile now has a promotion offer that will give you uncapped data on say s4/s4mini until end of march next year. That's pretty awesome I think.

 

[Solitude]

But what happens after March? Do you just not have any data anymore?

 

[Yuu]

But what happens after March? Do you just not have any data anymore?

The contract already comes with 1GB of data if roaming on other networks so you get that plus all the other benefits for the remainder of the contract term. I am sure closer to that ending of the promo with the exception of TM to TM free calls for first 12 months, perhaps they will revise and push a permanent product out for those hungry for data .

 

[cavedog]

Uncapped unshaped can never work on Mobile networks. It just can't because a tower is just too limited. It serves a large area for both calls and data and it just gets too congested. Towers are getting congested even today and there is not even real uncapped unshaped packages out.

Lets take the max a tower can do per panel on the best circumstances. 4 panels 21Mbps max speed on HSDPA x 4 is about 84Mbps per tower on HSDPA. So that tower say serve 100 people. If each person uses the internet the same time each could maybe get a max of 0.84Mbps which is slow. Obviously this is when you only take into account data and not voice calls which could also offer some congestion however little it may be.

LTE is the same. 100Mbps per panel x 4 is 400Mbps. 100 people connected to it would mean +-4Mbps for each person.

I'm not sure if tower load balance users but I don't think it does but I stand to be corrected. I tested it with Cellc 3G before. On a farm where the tower was basically not used at all. I hooked up a mifi then fired up torrents. I let it download @ 1.5MB/s which is the max I could get in speedtests. On a different simcard in a phone did a speedtest and I could not even reach 2Mbps. Did it is a couple of times but same result. Went to the laptop and stopped the torrents downloading with the mifi and did a speedtest on the phone again and it was hitting 12Mbps connection speed.