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[AG-TIG]

Hi to all the users on the mybb forums.

I have been a long time reader here and this is the place to be for product and service reviews from all the vendors and service providers.

The company I represent, The Internet Guys are in our start up phase and looking for user feedback and request so that we may tailor our products to better suit you, the end user.

We are a Wireless Internet Service Provider based in the Eastern Cape, East-London region with our coverage roll out starting soon.

This is an open invitation to all mybb members and people living in the EL area to post what they would like to see in a Fixed Wireless service with regards to:

Speed
Pricing
Data Amount
Fair Usage
Install costs
Service
Value added Services

Just a bit of background, I come from a successful WISP background and have personally setup and built Fixed Wireless Internet services and networks in New Zealand which in itself is a very competitive region for broadband services.

Due to my experiences I have realized that the clients knows best when it comes to what they want/require and need for Internet services.

Let me know what you would like to see product wise as this will help us to better deliver packages based on user feedback and not what we would like to force or push onto our clients.

Our network will not be resold ADSL, as from my NZ operations we found that is a big NO NO, instead we have Fiber line agreements in place to lower latency and provide a better overall user experience.

I myself am a Gamer, and so for me Latency matters and thus the network design will be built to cater for gamers and low latency.

Another question that pops up here form time to time is contention ratios. We aim to provide a low contention Ratio of 15:1. Why? As our fiber is dedicated CIR for the back end, and we are not reselling ADSL which already has a CT of 30-45:1 this will provide a better and more pleasant end user experience.

Installation costs and Charges:
All installs are free and the subscriber kits will be sold at cost for R900 including the mounting brackets. Hard to reach and install clients will incur an additional charge on a case by case basis. We do not make or aim to make money off the clients installs as many other Providers aim to do. Considering a Normal ADSL router costs about R750 - R1250 depending on brand, this we know is great value for the end user.

If you want the Kit for free then a normal 24 Month contract stands.
If you move residence to a non coverage area or choose to discontinue services, we will on a case by case basis purchase the equipment back from the user at %50 of the original value depending on condition of the unit. By doing this we aim to add value to our end users and not tie them into a costly expenditure they might not be able to ever use again. How does this benefit us? We gain a spare and tested field unit for potential future use as a replacement for another client. Its a mutually beneficial arrangement for both users.

Ok , that's it for now, and if any other WUG members or Providers in the EL area are reading this, feel free to post here as we aim to play nice and work with existing providers where possible.

Thank you for your time, and please leave us your suggestions and recommendations.

Kind Regards,
Arno

 

[KillerB]

do you have an license?

 

[AG-TIG]

Hi KillerB,

We are in the process of applying for the Appropriate licenses from ICASA, as we are both building and provision our own network with services.
Additionally this is a requirement that is in place before our wholesale providers would play ball and for our tower hosting.
At the moment while this is happening, we would like to receive community feedback on what they would like to see in a product.


Thank you for the question.
Kind Regards

 

[Quest10n]

Pricing (price per Gig) will be the main concern for users because if you going to be like all the others gone before you then I don't see you guys making any impact.
Follow the Afrihost example, they came in way below the already established players and they played a significant role in the broadband arena (I know they not selling Wireless internet).

 

[AG-TIG]

Hi Odracir.

At the moment we are discussing whether to have R350 1Mbit/512K package with either a "soft cap fup type policy" of 50-70Gigs or alternatively a fixed 60GB fixed cap with rollover at the end of the month.
And a 512K/256K plan with 30GB data for R250 per month, rollover included.

Additional data packages can be purchased for R30 per 5GB. There are no hidden costs etc and you pay purely for the provided service.

Still considering an uncapped options, but that one opens Pandora's Box

Kind Regards,
Arno

 

[daffy]

Do you have your own frequency?
If not, how do you propose on ensuring a stable and consistent service?

 

[AG-TIG]

Hi, we will be using licensed Microwave for our Back hauls.
The Area itself is pretty much quite for our selected frequency and we are waiting for the new ITA to apply for the 3.5/3.5 band for future use.
Additionally we are in open discussions to enable effective channel use and spectrum sharing with the other 2 vendors in town who mostly focus on Business clients. Play nice and everyone benefits.
We will be using lower channels (1Watt EIRP DFS requirements) with sectored POPS and most deployments are in Valleys with max Ranges 4KM or less. This greatly reduces the effects of possible interference and our use of smaller pops with shorter ranges
reduces our impact on possible neighboring networks. Good Spectral planning and channelization provides better service at the end of the day.

I also believe that if the clients connection is not stable and were not meeting the service agreements that we should refund that user as part of our guarantee for service.
There is also going to be a 30Day Initial Sign up period where the users trial and test the service to see if it fits their needs, and for our launching special we are going to be providing the Kits and Install for free for the first month

Thank you for your Question!
Arno