Zuma promises lower telecoms costs

now who is going to believe a corrupt guy like that? o it will come down but only for a selected few
 
vodacom3g said:
Got a thick skin. ;)

What a lot of people don't realise is that I (and VC) fully agree that data prices must come down. And will. The pricing as we see today is driven by the input costs and only when we get this sorted will prices continue dropping.Self-provisioning will help greatly but it's a long process. Seacom and WACS will contribute as well.

So it's coming together but it's a way still.

Since I got involved in mobile data we've seen prices drop by a factor 200. (R40/MB -> 20c/MB) And speeds have increased by a factor 50 (50kb/s -> 2500kb/s+). So price/performance on the mobile networks have increased by over a factor 10000!

Not too shabby, but we all tend to forget how far we've come in a very short period. Or at least the mobile data side of things. Not sure if fixed line have shown a factor 10K improvement. ;)
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That's wonderful. But data bundles isn't your only business. Addressing the one (data bundles) has only done so much for a few people, whereas millions (in fact the bulk) of your users don't even know what the hell 3G is. Your call rates have remained more or less static for years, but who cares when your data offerings are seeing a factor 10K improvement (which is bollocks as you conveniently work on the minimum cost and theoretical maximum throughput (which is not in any way guaranteed)). So whatever man, blow your whistle all day long. Data bundles is afterall the most important VC offering.
 
Zuma said that Government “will ensure that the cost of telecommunications is reduced through the projects underway to expand broadband capacity.” “We have to ensure that we do not leave rural areas behind in these exciting developments,” Zuma added.
Click to expand...

Capitalism meets socialism... I wonder which one will win this time around...
 
No No........ you got it all wrong.

Here is the real reason why he will bring in better tellecoms..........

(taken from an intercepted email from parliament. Author unknown.)


***********
Eish Comrade Zuma.

Very many thanx to u for my new job here in parliament.

I have biiiiig problem though........ I em very bored. Nothing to do the whole day.

Pleaze babba....... get us some very cheap and fast internet so we can watch TV online on our computer thingies here in our offices.

Many thanx to you.

Amandla

xxxx


**********************
 
vodacom3g said:
Answer me this, won't you? And it is a very relevant question.

Name a couple of data-only-networks (worldwide, let alone SA) that is profitable. One or two will do.
Click to expand...

Your snide cocky comments are very unbecoming for an official representative. If you worked for me, I'd fire you.

And you seem to answer all my questions with another question, deflecting my comments about call costs and useless data connections ?

Let's face it, your network is overpriced and over saturated, everyone knows this, it's a pity you are in such denial.

We pay top dollar for dropped calls and disconnects in the middle of Sandton.

World class man, world class.
 
@under - someone even wrote a song about V3G (wonder who):) - I like the part that goes - play the man and not the ball, the customer has no rights at all. Do one to others before they do, one to you
 
undefined said:
Your snide cocky comments are very unbecoming for an official representative. If you worked for me, I'd fire you.

And you seem to answer all my questions with another question, deflecting my comments about call costs and useless data connections ?

Let's face it, your network is overpriced and over saturated, everyone knows this, it's a pity you are in such denial.

We pay top dollar for dropped calls and disconnects in the middle of Sandton.

World class man, world class.
Click to expand...

I'm not involved in the voice side and if you want to discuss connection issues there is a whole sub-forum where we discuss it all the time.

This specific thread is about lowering the cost of telecoms and I'm commenting on that from a broadband perspective which is what this forum is all about. As I've posted above you'll notice the name of this forum is myBroadband. Think about it. So, try and stay on topic. :rolleyes:

But that's not the issue, is it?

People make unsubstantiated claims and when I try and engage them in a debate to actually discuss the issue, it quickly becomes apparent they have no actual facts to base their statements on and when that becomes apparent they resort to attacking the poster. Or trying to change the subject. ;)

I'm trying to have a discussion but you clearly feel out of your depth and your best answer is that a response is 'cocky' and the author should be 'fired'.

This tactic must have won you many debates at school? Playing the man and not the ball?
 
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DragonLogos said:
@under - someone even wrote a song about V3G (wonder who):) - I like the part that goes - play the man and not the ball, the customer has no rights at all. Do one to others before they do, one to you
Click to expand...

Hey, that was a great song. :D

I sent to every man and his dog. Hope the author do not mind. :)

/added

As the only full-time rep on this forum I've noticed a certain amount of consternation among some posters when patently silly statements made gets challenged.

They're so used to be able to make completely unsubstantiated statements that they get caught up in the 'everything-bashing' that so often happens. So they merrily start posting 'statements' and 'facts' they have no basis for. And when they get asked to substantiate it, they'll come out attacking.

I've always believe in the power of debate but it's clear there are some people on this forum for whom the concept of debate is completely alien.

But fortunately, there are enough people on this forum who can actually discuss the multi-dimensional and very complex environment that is the SA telecoms landscape. And it's great to engage with them.
 
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vodacom3g said:
I'm not involved in the voice side and if you want to discuss connection issues there is a whole sub-forum where we discuss it all the time.

This specific thread is about lowering the cost of telecoms and I'm commenting on that from a broadband perspective which is what this forum is all about. As I've posted above you'll notice the name of this forum is myBroadband. Think about it. So, try and stay on topic. :rolleyes:

But that's not the issue, is it?

People make unsubstantiated claims and when I try and engage them in a debate to actually discuss the issue, it quickly becomes apparent they have no actual facts to base their statements on and when that becomes apparent they resort to attacking the poster. Or trying to change the subject. ;)

I'm trying to have a discussion but you clearly feel out of your depth and your best answer is that a response is 'cocky' and the author should be 'fired'.

This tactic must have won you many debates at school? Playing the man and not the ball?
Click to expand...

There we go again with the *personal* comments. I'm clearly out of my depth, and maturity level.

And once again I must apologise, because I clearly have no actual facts to engage you with, and obviously all my comments are unsubstantiated, because I really just enjoy spending my time making up things for my own personal enjoyment.

I also enjoy creating multiple Twitter accounts with female alter-egos, just to further my *fun*, and have *imaginary* conversations with colleagues about Vodacom's slow and unreliable connections.

I'm guessing your spelling didn't win you many spelling bees at school. Truly.
 
jdjoubert said:
No No........ you got it all wrong.

Here is the real reason why he will bring in better tellecoms..........

(taken from an intercepted email from parliament. Author unknown.)


***********
Eish Comrade Zuma.

Very many thanx to u for my new job here in parliament.

I have biiiiig problem though........ I em very bored. Nothing to do the whole day.

Pleaze babba....... get us some very cheap and fast internet so we can watch TV online on our computer thingies here in our offices.

Many thanx to you.

Amandla

xxxx


**********************
Click to expand...

roflmafo:D
 
vodacom3g said:
Hey, that was a great song. :D

I sent to every man and his dog. Hope the author do not mind. :)

/added

As the only full-time rep on this forum I've noticed a certain amount of consternation among some posters when patently silly statements made gets challenged.

They're so used to be able to make completely unsubstantiated statements that they get caught up in the 'everything-bashing' that so often happens. So they merrily start posting 'statements' and 'facts' they have no basis for. And when they get asked to substantiate it, they'll come out attacking.

I've always believe in the power of debate but it's clear there are some people on this forum for whom the concept of debate is completely alien.

But fortunately, there are enough people on this forum who can actually discuss the multi-dimensional and very complex environment that is the SA telecoms landscape. And it's great to engage with them.
Click to expand...

How would you like me to substantiate it then, please humour me, and I'll oblige, for the sake of debate.

Are you so completely delusional that you cannot see the facts in front you ?

How is your HSDPA connection ? Got a nice little arrangement there ?

On the contrary debating is not something completely alien to me, if it weren't for your approach to your replies, you'd have seen very different responses from me.
 
@undefined. Just ignore him. He is only here to represent VC's data offerings so any telecoms debates are beyond his reach.
 
undefined said:
How would you like me to substantiate it then, please humour me, and I'll oblige, for the sake of debate.

Are you so completely delusional that you cannot see the facts in front you ?

How is your HSDPA connection ? Got a nice little arrangement there ?

On the contrary debating is not something completely alien to me, if it weren't for your approach to your replies, you'd have seen very different responses from me.
Click to expand...

For a start, let's take the issues one by one and not try and make sweeping statements.

For example, making a statement like the 'network is oversubscribed' is an illogical statement (unless you've personally tested every one of 8000 base stations) and, in any case, the statistics prove otherwise. All the major indicators (availability, call drop, call success, etc.) sit way above 99% for the network.

However, if you say you have specific problems in Sandton, I'll be the first one to agree with you (or at least take your word for it). Now we can focus on the specific issue and either get it resolved or at least give the reasons for what you're seeing (sometimes it really is beyond our control).

As already suggested, hop over to the Vodacom forum where we handle these issues and start a new thread there and let's try and resolve it.

(For the record, it just happens that I was in Sandton the last two weeks, and I had a radio team running around the whole time as everytime I got a dropped call, I reported it. But each specific failure had a specific cause and they could fix it. It also turned out that my BB Storm was much more prone to dropping calls than other handsets. But now we know it and it is being investigated. I could have made a sweeping statement like 'the whole network is stuffed', but what would that have fixed?)

So you are not wrong to say there are problems in Sandton. There are. But then you extrapolate it to the conclusion that the whole network is broken. It's now a sweeping, unsubstantiated statement and that's where I'll challenge such a statement and ask for substantiation. Hope that makes sense?

To get back to the topic of this thread, again I ask for sweeping, unsubstantiated statements to be reduced to actual points that can be discussed. So let's discuss the cost of broadband in SA and what we all can do to drive it down.

I know it's a popular pass-time to see large corporates as evil and money hungry. But the reality is that Vodacom is doing a huge amount to drive broadband pricing down in SA and to get to everyone connected. And it's investing heavily to do this. Where do you think this money (billions and billions) are coming from?

You might not remember, but it was Vodacom who took the plunge and slashed data pricing so severely that it send a shockwave through the international mobile community. Europe was charging around R200/MB at the time when we dropped to 60c/MB.
You might not have been around, but when HSDPA launched every 3G card was swapped out for free. Cost Vodacom about R100M in a time when there were very little data revenue to show for it.
You might not be aware, but where other people brag about their 1 fiber ring, Vodacom have lit 11 of them already.
You might not have seen the numbers published on this forum recently, but Vodacom's 3G network is nearly twice the size of the next biggest one. It's 3.6 network is 4 times bigger and it's 7.2 network about 25 times bigger.
Not sure if you know about VC's involvement in WACS?
Vodacom is also the only operator that takes the broadband community seriously enough to try and engage with them on forums like this one.

In summary, we see ourselves as a member of the community trying to drive broadband in SA. As opposed to the "us vs. them" mentality that some others have exhibited and we often get painted with.

Just like you, we want to see a reliable, affordable and effective broadband connection for everyone in SA. (Obviously a VC one!)

So, maybe you're right. I may well be completely delusional. But I believe that if consumers, providers and industry work together (as opposed to against each other), we can actually get somewhere.
 
Vodacom3g credit to you for having the balls to actually NGAGE[NOKIA JOKE] with consumers.
We are all infuriated with the prices,the fact that we are able to relay a question to you and have it answered is good therapy for many.
I disagree with many points but must commend your ability to actually deflect vicious verbal attacks and carry on as normal.
Doesnt it ever get to you?
I would have been locked up at Valkenburg by now!
 
demon angel said:
Vodacom3g credit to you for having the balls to actually NGAGE[NOKIA JOKE] with consumers.
We are all infuriated with the prices,the fact that we are able to relay a question to you and have it answered is good therapy for many.
I disagree with many points but must commend your ability to actually deflect vicious verbal attacks and carry on as normal.
Doesnt it ever get to you?
I would have been locked up at Valkenburg by now!
Click to expand...

V3G is not human... he is a sentient array. :p
 
demon angel said:
Vodacom3g credit to you for having the balls to actually NGAGE[NOKIA JOKE] with consumers.
We are all infuriated with the prices,the fact that we are able to relay a question to you and have it answered is good therapy for many.
I disagree with many points but must commend your ability to actually deflect vicious verbal attacks and carry on as normal.
Doesnt it ever get to you?
I would have been locked up at Valkenburg by now!
Click to expand...

Actually we've got good 3G coverage here at Valkies. ;) And looking out the window towards the DD building, I can see the Vodacom fibre going in, so one can only hope for FTTC (Fibre To The Cell).

I know I'll get flamed for this but I do believe no-one is inherently evil (although I sometimes wonder about Google :)) and if one just discuss all the facts, some understanding will result. Maybe not agreement, but at least some level of mutual understanding.

But we're all human (except for ic, of course) and we all get hot under the collar every now and then. But, because we're human, we can cool down and carry on.
 
vodacom3g said:
For a start, let's take the issues one by one and not try and make sweeping statements.

For example, making a statement like the 'network is oversubscribed' is an illogical statement (unless you've personally tested every one of 8000 base stations) and, in any case, the statistics prove otherwise. All the major indicators (availability, call drop, call success, etc.) sit way above 99% for the network.

However, if you say you have specific problems in Sandton, I'll be the first one to agree with you (or at least take your word for it). Now we can focus on the specific issue and either get it resolved or at least give the reasons for what you're seeing (sometimes it really is beyond our control).

As already suggested, hop over to the Vodacom forum where we handle these issues and start a new thread there and let's try and resolve it.

(For the record, it just happens that I was in Sandton the last two weeks, and I had a radio team running around the whole time as everytime I got a dropped call, I reported it. But each specific failure had a specific cause and they could fix it. It also turned out that my BB Storm was much more prone to dropping calls than other handsets. But now we know it and it is being investigated. I could have made a sweeping statement like 'the whole network is stuffed', but what would that have fixed?)

So you are not wrong to say there are problems in Sandton. There are. But then you extrapolate it to the conclusion that the whole network is broken. It's now a sweeping, unsubstantiated statement and that's where I'll challenge such a statement and ask for substantiation. Hope that makes sense?

To get back to the topic of this thread, again I ask for sweeping, unsubstantiated statements to be reduced to actual points that can be discussed. So let's discuss the cost of broadband in SA and what we all can do to drive it down.

I know it's a popular pass-time to see large corporates as evil and money hungry. But the reality is that Vodacom is doing a huge amount to drive broadband pricing down in SA and to get to everyone connected. And it's investing heavily to do this. Where do you think this money (billions and billions) are coming from?

You might not remember, but it was Vodacom who took the plunge and slashed data pricing so severely that it send a shockwave through the international mobile community. Europe was charging around R200/MB at the time when we dropped to 60c/MB.
You might not have been around, but when HSDPA launched every 3G card was swapped out for free. Cost Vodacom about R100M in a time when there were very little data revenue to show for it.
You might not be aware, but where other people brag about their 1 fiber ring, Vodacom have lit 11 of them already.
You might not have seen the numbers published on this forum recently, but Vodacom's 3G network is nearly twice the size of the next biggest one. It's 3.6 network is 4 times bigger and it's 7.2 network about 25 times bigger.
Not sure if you know about VC's involvement in WACS?
Vodacom is also the only operator that takes the broadband community seriously enough to try and engage with them on forums like this one.

In summary, we see ourselves as a member of the community trying to drive broadband in SA. As opposed to the "us vs. them" mentality that some others have exhibited and we often get painted with.

Just like you, we want to see a reliable, affordable and effective broadband connection for everyone in SA. (Obviously a VC one!)

So, maybe you're right. I may well be completely delusional. But I believe that if consumers, providers and industry work together (as opposed to against each other), we can actually get somewhere.
Click to expand...

You have left me with absolutely no option here but to humbly suck it up and say thanks. Hats off for that reply. I'll have to swallow some of my words, I do hate doing that, but being mostly rational I think it's due. You're right with regards to the sweeping comments, for me it seemed it was all I encountered but I concede, not productive to generalise to that extent.

That was a pretty introspective look at some things I had no idea of, and although I might not agree on everything, thanks for making the effort.
 
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