When will voda reduce 3G rates?

[Stinka]

I have waited 9 months for ADSL to be installed - it probably ain't ever gonna happen, so after ordering my ADSL, I took a 3G contract to tie me over.

I have upped my allotment from 500mb to 1gb to 2gb (have to wait a month at out of bundle rates when I up the account) - but it is simply not enough - so every month I go over my limit and pay R2mb.

R2mb Why don't they just hold a gun to my face and rob me? It would feel no different. Or bend me over and......

Vodacom hide in the shadows of Telkoms bad name, but they are just as guilty of daylight robbery....... and of a retarded internet scenario in SA.

I live in lanseria - no iburst, my wireless or adsl - only option is Voda - but why do they rob me?

I thought Neotel announced that Voda was one of thier 1st customers at a reduced rate - why don't we the consumers see any of that saving?

Godamit, we need protection from these blood suckers.

PLEASE VODACOM - DROP YOUR PRICES - I'M BEGGING WITH TEARS IN MY EYES (and an empty bank account)

 

[ic]

IMO the root cause is data bundles: if Vodacom could do away with data bundles [i.e. a much lower fixed per MB rate regardless of amount used], then there would be no need for the R2.00/MB out of bundle rate, and would do away with the overly-complex data bundles & billing issues...

 

[Stinka]

yeah - that would help ic.

What really grates me is that we are back to the old scenario of when Telkoms ISDN - the worse the service, the more you pay.

eg - someone sends me a 5MB file via email - gets 90%, voda connection drops, so starts again when reconnected. I have just given Voda R10 because thier service fell over for a minute.

Was like that with ISDN - would pay for failed attempts (49c at the time) to connect.

What i'd give to have a choice - one day i will have that choice, and I can promise you that I will never touch Telkom or Voda for as long as I live.

 

[Gunny]

Can I point something out though. For your particular application you should be using ADSL now I understand that you cant get a ADSL line but by circumstance you have been forced into using a service that was not designed to be a ADSL replacement but rather a mobile data solution.

 

[nuyork]

* In the UK Orange charge £3.00 per meg of data ( which is R58.67 !! );
source: http://www1.orange.co.uk/service_plans/payasyougo/services_price_guides_overview.html

* In the UK Virgin Mobile charge £5.12 per meg of data ( which is R75.06 !!!! )
source: http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/genericContent.do?contentId=payasyougo.tarrif.shop.sm018

Actually, I did a quick look on answers.com and they have this data:

* Globe Telecom, Philippines, offers GPRS for USD 3 per megabyte.
* Virgin Mobile, South Africa, offers GPRS for R0.50 (USD 0.07) per megabyte (as of 2006).
* Orange, UK, offers full internet GPRS for £4 per megabyte (as of 2006).

source: http://www.answers.com/topic/gprs#GPRS_cost_structure_examples (the figures for Orange UK are slightly out)

So, regardless of currency value, R0.50 is the most fabulous deal for you guys!!! Could you imagine paying R75.00 for 1MB data as you would with Virgin UK?!?

R75/MB!!! Oh my soul!!! And we have people here complaining about R2/MB. Yes the UK might have cheaper internet via cable, but their wireless options are far more expensive.

:L:

 

[Stinka]

I hear you Gunny - but does that mean they can still charge R2mb when they clearly make a profit at 40c/mb?

 

[Gunny]

I am by no means defending the price But as long as they keep it competitive with mobile data rates across the world we cant argue. Also remember they too have to buy their access from telscum and they put up a world class data network in 2 years so they going to charge a premium but yeah I'm hoping one day we'll see lower costs.

 

[Pitbull]

I have waited 9 months for ADSL to be installed - it probably ain't ever gonna happen, so after ordering my ADSL, I took a 3G contract to tie me over.

I have upped my allotment from 500mb to 1gb to 2gb (have to wait a month at out of bundle rates when I up the account) - but it is simply not enough - so every month I go over my limit and pay R2mb.

R2mb Why don't they just hold a gun to my face and rob me? It would feel no different. Or bend me over and......

Vodacom hide in the shadows of Telkoms bad name, but they are just as guilty of daylight robbery....... and of a retarded internet scenario in SA.

I live in lanseria - no iburst, my wireless or adsl - only option is Voda - but why do they rob me?

I thought Neotel announced that Voda was one of thier 1st customers at a reduced rate - why don't we the consumers see any of that saving?

Godamit, we need protection from these blood suckers.

PLEASE VODACOM - DROP YOUR PRICES - I'M BEGGING WITH TEARS IN MY EYES (and an empty bank account)

Dude if they still charge you R 2.00 a MB after your bundle your on the wrong network dude...MTN charges R 1.25 per MB after you limit your 1GB bundle...

 

[Piesang]

Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ...........................

 

[Stinka]

hey thanks Pitball - i thought MTN also charged R2mb - not sure if I can get it here tho - will definetly do a test

 

[ic]

Can I point something out though. For your particular application you should be using ADSL now I understand that you cant get a ADSL line but by circumstance you have been forced into using a service that was not designed to be a ADSL replacement but rather a mobile data solution.

Gunny, I don't think I can agree with you there - the difference between Telkodemonopolies' ADSL and Vodacom|MTN 3G|HSDPA, is that the former is wired and the latter is wireless, but they are both still broadband services and marketted as such, IOW people should be able to do the same kinds of things with a broadband connection - regardless of whether it's ADSL or 3G|HSDPA or iBurst or MyWireless or Broadband over Power lines...

R75/MB!!! Oh my soul!!! And we have people here complaining about R2/MB. Yes the UK might have cheaper internet via cable, but their wireless options are far more expensive.

:L:

Usually Telkodemonopolies likes to make an issue of how SA is allegedly soo radically different to the rest of the world [as an excuse for not providing better wired "broadband" ADSL], but this idiotic Telkodemonopolies approach has also spurred growth in wireless broadband in SA, which is cause to demand a lower data rate from Vodacom in particular, or at the very least doing away with the R2.00/MB out of bundle rate - economies of scale...

 

[vodacom3g]

Gunny, I don't think I can agree with you there - the difference between Telkodemonopolies' ADSL and Vodacom|MTN 3G|HSDPA, is that the former is wired and the latter is wireless, but they are both still broadband services and marketted as such, IOW people should be able to do the same kinds of things with a broadband connection - regardless of whether it's ADSL or 3G|HSDPA or iBurst or MyWireless or Broadband over Power lines...Usually Telkodemonopolies likes to make an issue of how SA is allegedly soo radically different to the rest of the world [as an excuse for not providing better wired "broadband" ADSL], but this idiotic Telkodemonopolies approach has also spurred growth in wireless broadband in SA, which is cause to demand a lower data rate from Vodacom in particular, or at the very least doing away with the R2.00/MB out of bundle rate - economies of scale...

The huge success of mobile (as opposed to fixed) wireless is for sure a South African phenomena. I believe Vodacom is now the biggest (Vodafone) HSDPA network in the world and some of this is due to the 'infrastructure challenges' we see locally.

Gunny is correct; Vodacom's HSDPA is often used as a direct replacement for ADSL but should not (normally) be directly compared. Complexity and cost to deploy are vastly different.

Rather, the strange roll-out of fixed line services in South Africa results in other services such as HSDPA being used as an alternative.

My own area is a case in point; I've applied for ADSL 3 years ago and still can't get it. So all my work is done via HSDPA. I also suffer from broken downloads but understand I'm working in an unstable RF environment and has to accept it as part of the system. Like everyone else, I'd also prefer copper for my fixed requirements and use HSDPA for my mobile work.

I also understand the pricing is going to be different and manage my data usage accordingly.

As a crude analogy; you can travel between Point A and B by car, plane or train. You pick the transport based on your specific requirements. But if you only have the train available, should you blame the train system because it's not as fast or convenient as a plane or a car?

 

[Gunny]

As a crude analogy; you can travel between Point A and B by car, plane or train. You pick the transport based on your specific requirements. But if you only have the train available, should you blame the train system because it's not as fast or convenient as a plane or a car?

Nicely said

 

[lilDeath]

yes, nicely said, but then advertising and marketing should be adjusted accordingly

 

[TowerGuru]

well am i the only one who thinks if vodacom did it cheaply they'd have millions more customers? vodafone is the largest wireless operator on earth. it can afford to do almost anything it wants. imagine wat it could do if it installed its own undersea cables and provided cheaper bandwidth itself? imagine what that would do for not just south africa, but the rest of the continent.

 

[kaspaas]

yes, nicely said, but then advertising and marketing should be adjusted accordingly

Well said: Please inform the public that wireless is not stable and one will be punished for attempting to download large files/mails.

 

[Speedster]

I recall an ad along the lines of "fastest mobile broadband..." A bit like a superfast F1 car that needs a pit stop and overall after every 100 kms

 

[Stinka]

As a crude analogy; you can travel between Point A and B by car, plane or train. You pick the transport based on your specific requirements. But if you only have the train available, should you blame the train system because it's not as fast or convenient as a plane or a car?

Misses my point....

So I only have the voda gravy train in my area - but sometimes I want to go to point C - but the ticket is 5x more exspensive for that leg - but there are some tickets available because some people that bought a ticket from A - C got off at point B. So in actual fact you have sold that seat for 6x the price.

My crude analogy; Every day I buy half a dozen bread rolls from my baker - but on the occasions I want an extra roll - he charges me 5x the price, all because yesterday i did not inform him. But there is stock.

I mean what happend to the old bulk discount story? To me it should be on the lines of:

1st Gb @ 45c / mb,
2nd Gb @ 43c,
3rd @ 42c etc.

I ask again - why do you charge 5x the price for using more of your product - all because we were not able to predict 2 months in advance how much we need? - And then the following month we have to pay for that extra even if we don't use it, because you need a months notice again.

 

[Stinka]

This is how Voda should market 3G:

"Vodacom current specials:

Buy 1 for the price of 1!
but wait... don't know how much you need?
no problem....
You'll get 2 for the price of 6!
wait...theres more....
if you really are an idiot and cannot read into the future....
Have 3 for the price of 11!
....subject to 24m contract...

Why? Because we love you and don't give a toss about our shareholders!"

 

[Syndyre]

well am i the only one who thinks if vodacom did it cheaply they'd have millions more customers? vodafone is the largest wireless operator on earth. it can afford to do almost anything it wants. imagine wat it could do if it installed its own undersea cables and provided cheaper bandwidth itself? imagine what that would do for not just south africa, but the rest of the continent.

True, but they're a business not a charity. And they do offer a globally competitive product, you can't really blame them because we're forced to use it as an ADSL replacement due to Telkom's incompetence.