Where is all the bandwidth

[Tns]

things will only start changing during but more likely after 2010

 

[Jagtiger]

Yea but in other countries i am sure there are tons of dslams compared to us.

Gary so afrihost is in fact using seacom bandwidth then? Why would they remove the offer though, why could they not keep it at 29/gb for good?

Agree. Why they won't just keep it as their standard? If they kept it forever as their standard pricing, then it can be assumed that changes has started taking place...

 

[nictron]

Just signed up to AfriHost's option for R29 per GB, awesome service. Done and dusted in less than 10 minutes

Lets hope they bring out even more great products!

 

[killadoob]

Agree. Why they won't just keep it as their standard? If they kept it forever as their standard pricing, then it can be assumed that changes has started taking place...

Exactly, makes no sense if they are counting on seacom why should the price change.


Gary maybe you can shed some light on why the price will change and not stay the same?

Seems odd to me.

 

[nictron]

AfriHost's R29 per GB is currently subsidized by their Advertising budget. As soon as they reach that budget limit on the subsidization then they will stop the offer.

They are trying to pull in as many people as possible with a subsidized system and hopefully utilize that the take on competition or even force competition.

Unfortunately if the competition starts with subsidization then they will have a hard time keeping up. But that might raise questions of uncompetitive behavior towards the bigger players.

Telkom is still the problem, no one else!

 

[killadoob]

So there you have it they are subsidizing this offer and it has nothing to do with seacom.

Strange how so many people have different views and the correct view is the offer has nothing to do with seacom in my opinion.

 

[kilos]

dude.. thats a silly argument...

Why must we move house to get a decent broadband service? Do you propose everyone in SA moves into a neighbourhood that has decent broadband...

and afrihost R29/gb isnt even seacom bandwidthm so seacom plays no part in their cheaper bandwidth...

Perfectly valid statement,Yes in SA we have to goto extreme lengths to get broadband as well as the packages that are offered (shaped or unshaped, uncapped or capped) unlike Europe, Far East & USA where it is pretty abundant.

Get your own ADSL line installed at the local WiSP, and you use the WiSP wireless portion as a last mile solution.

When I move from my current property - my NEW PROPERTY LIST will be:
1) Broadband access
2) Cul de Sac
3) ....

 

[LazyLion]

So there you have it they are subsidizing this offer and it has nothing to do with seacom.

Strange how so many people have different views and the correct view is the offer has nothing to do with seacom in my opinion.

no, you are just trying to be obnoxious. I already showed you a quote from a Telkom spokesman that says it has everything to do with Seacom. But you are just being too knuckleheaded to admit it... as usual.

I give up... trying to talk to whiny petty pessimistic South Africans who have their heads stuck so far up their whazoos is like beating your head against a brick wall.

The fact is... six months ago you were paying more than R70 a gig for your bandwidth. If you played your cards right and were not such a clown, then you would be paying R50 or even R29 per Gig today.

These ISPs were able to do this because Telkom and IS lowered the cost of their per Gig rates.... and they lowered those costs because of coming competition. And the coming competition at this stage only consists of Seacom.

Simple. Doesn't take a rocket scientist. Just a person with more than two brain cells.

 

[Quasimodo]

Telkom is and has always been the reason why ADSL prices are so high. Here's a link to an old article that gives the reasons:

http://www.iweek.co.za/ViewStory.asp?StoryID=156900

Until we get LLU, the situation is likely to remain as is with only moderate decreases in prices.

When we get LLU, then Telkom will be history!

 

[killadoob]

The coming competition, gary how long you going to sing this song?

They went live long time ago, yet you still going on about them, did you see the price drops in another African country thanx to seacom? Now that is progress.

Sadly we have yet to see seacom pushing prices down. Telkom have maintained as their adsl base grows their prices will come down hence the extra cap people got given. Again if telkom was worried about seacom we would see more than the slight drop we have seen.

Why has telkom not dropped to 29/gb? Easy if you have more than 2 brain cells because they are not worried about seacom. Why has no one else dropped their pricing to 29/gb apart from afrihost?

Please dude you have been singing the same seacom tune since the start and still nothing has happened.

Is the axxess uncapped expressed also because of seacom? Remember when 30gb of bandwidth was 199 was that also seacom? .

 

[LazyLion]

Why don't we ask the Universities and the Students if Seacom has had an effect on bandwidth and prices?

Seacom only went live a little over two months ago. That is not very long. You are far too impatient.

 

[Kawak]

Sorry Gary but patience is honestly running out. Great the students are getting their prices worth and to the corporates as well, that just seems to be what seacom and its anchor Neotel are focused on, large corporate enterprises and universities (by the way they are also large).

No one here cares about the ordinary consumer, we live in the largest economy on the continent yet our ISPs and network / telecoms providers can't offer something that our neighbouring country is able to offer? please will all those that are mentioning the phrase "economy of scale" just shut the hell up!!! if other african countries have the "economies of scale" then we have the "economy of scale X10" at least.

Telkom IPconnect only applies to ISPs like Afrihost and openweb and cybersmart, neotel doesn't use it and guess what???? they can't match the R29 per gig.

Conclusion, seacom couldn't have picked a worse partner in bringing their cables to the largest economy on the continent, Neotel is evil, and so is telkom, we are doomed.

 

[hj2k_x]

I am quite happy with R29 per Gig from Afrihost... and it may not be Seacom bandwidth (yet)... but it is certainly better than where we were 6 months ago.

Boo Hoo to those who said there would be no price drops. What do you say now?

And in another 12 months things will be even better. I can afford to wait. I am tired of being pessimistic.

The last three months have been great! Kudos to G-connect, OpenWeb, WebAfrica and Afrihost, Social Flu and others that have been willing to enter the war on pricing. These guys deserve our support.

Agreement.

 

[CorduroyJackson]

I don't really see the issue here. The fact is you can buy a gig for R29. I don't care where it comes from or what cables are involved- I just want to lock in as many gigs as I can afford.

Gary, you seem optimistic, would you think getting into a 24 month contract is a bad idea. It's the 384, uncapped, static IP from SAOL for R500. I know anything can happen in two years but it is so tempting! Basically I'm asking you to predict (just a ballpark figure) when we can expect decently priced uncapped products. Axxess is slightly out of my price range right now

 

[LazyLion]

@kaufies: I would never get into any contracts now or ever. the only contract I am on is my Vodacom cellphone cos I don't mind getting a new cellphone every two years.

@The Whiny B!tches: We knew all along that it would take a few months for the ISPs to test and package their Seacom products. These things don't happen overnight. Two months since launch is not long at all.

But I don't give a flying hoot for you whiners anyway... you make a girl fight look like WWE. I have never know such a bunch of sissy wetpants in my life. Do what you want. I am enjoying my uncapped at home and my 20 Gigs a month at the office. It's never been this good for me... and it is only going to get better.

 

[msmoorad]

bandwidth

i sometimes feel a bit disappointed when many of you guys seem to be satisfied to pay even R29 a Gb whereas we should be getting unlimited for a fixed price-
if i had to pay - id say that R2 a Gb is fair.
Ok- maybe you are being optimistic & looking at the bright side- things are very slowly improving- but we all know were getting screwed badly and even when the 2 new cables land here, its not going to mean immediate price cuts unless Telkom unbundles the local loop.

 

[zeely]

Do what you want. I am enjoying my uncapped at home and my 20 Gigs a month at the office. It's never been this good for me... and it is only going to get better.

that is the crux of the matter...

your 20gb @ office and uncapped at home must be costing you close to R1500 a month. how is that affordable? cheap? first rate?

 

[killadoob]

i sometimes feel a bit disappointed when many of you guys seem to be satisfied to pay even R29 a Gb whereas we should be getting unlimited for a fixed price-
if i had to pay - id say that R2 a Gb is fair.
Ok- maybe you are being optimistic & looking at the bright side- things are very slowly improving- but we all know were getting screwed badly and even when the 2 new cables land here, its not going to mean immediate price cuts unless Telkom unbundles the local loop.

You see some people think 29 bucks is a good deal, sadly we get so screwed anything half decent seems amazing.

Some people think it takes months for something to happen and yes this is South Africa so months generally can turn into years.

We are getting there though, i mean look at how neotel has blown the market away and they have been around for what 1 or 2 years now , so i am sure seacom will bring something to the table in 12 - 18 months.

Gary that uncapped you speak of, is that the 1.2k your paying LOL or something like that. Yea 1.2k for uncapped go seacom

 

[Gatecrasher]

Things are going in the right direction. But seriously we are only just getting out of the starting stalls. We still have the whole bloody race to left run before South Africans get a fair and square broadband deal.

 

[killadoob]

Well for gary 1.5k a month seems cheap, he looks at it like thats pretty good for SA.

He keeps lube on hand and says nothing negative .