Problems with Telkom ADSL Resell remain
Many ISPs, including MWEB and Hyperlink, say that it is very challenging to use Telkom’s ADSL Resell product – a service which allows ISPs to resell the access component of the ADSL service.
Telkom launched their ADSL Resell product earlier this year, giving ISPs the ability to launch one-price ADSL products – combining the ADSL ISP and ADSL access portions – similar to Telkom’s Do Broadband offerings.
The use of this new wholesale product from Telkom is however anything but easy.
There were many complaints from ISPs after the service was launched, ranging from poor support structures to alleged anti-competitive practices from Telkom.
Despite the fact that Telkom recently announced that it will be launching Broadband Service Assurance Solution (BSAS) Phase 1 in January 2008 to enable wholesale customers (ISP/VANS) to troubleshoot faults on their customer lines and isolate them, ISPs continue to struggle to provide their customers with the ADSL Access portion of the service.
MWEB said that they are experiencing severe problems with the ADSL Resell service, and that it is so admin intensive that the company had to employ a dedicated team to handle this component of their offering.
Hyperlink’s Jacque Peenz says that the process of moving an ADSL line is even more cumbersome. Peenz says that Telkom informed him that moving a line to a business premise next door meant the customer first had to cancel his wholesale DSL service, then ask Telkom to move the line and once that is done re-apply for the wholesale DSL service.
“The current wholesale business rules are that you first need to cancel the wholesale ADSL portion and then apply to have the line moved,” an email from Telkom states.
There have however been reports from some ISPs that Telkom approached customers directly after ISPs apply for services.
This type of anti-competitive behaviour is setting off alarm bells that Telkom may sell an ADSL service to the customer after they cancelled their ADSL service with their ISP and apply for a line transfer from Telkom.
It is not clear whether Telkom’s new Broadband Service Assurance Solution will effectively address all the ISPs concerns regarding the new service. It is however not encouraging to hear that some ISPs had to find out in the press about this new service from Telkom rather than through their traditional wholesale channel.
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