ADSL network congestion a problem: MWEB CEO

Improving ADSL access in South Africa is making headlines amidst ICASA’s local loop unbundling (LLU) process, but MWEB CEO Rudi Jansen explained that there are many ways to improve ADSL without full LLU.

MWEB has been vociferous in their support of naked ADSL, which Jansen said is essential to “open up the market even further”.

Jansen said that lower IPConnect (IPC) prices (Telkom’s wholesale ADSL service which is used by ISPs to provide their own ADSL offerings), is also desperately needed to boost ADSL ISP services.

Jansen added that Telkom’s ADSL access prices should be regulated. “The cost of the ADSL line rental is a big factor, and between that and the cost of the IPC, Telkom receives the bulk of an ISP’s revenue when they bill a customer for an ADSL connection and internet access.”

Congested ADSL network

Jansen, who was instrumental in bringing affordable uncapped broadband services to consumers, highlighted that ADSL network congestion is a big problem for service providers.

Rudi Jansen - MWEB CEO

“With the congestion on the Telkom backhaul network, and between the DSLAM and the exchange, the ISP does not necessarily get the throughput on the network that they pay Telkom for,” said Jansen.

“So there should be better service levels to manage congested and overloaded Telkom exchanges. This is a huge issue that needs to be resolved, and Telkom will have to invest more than what it is currently investing into this network.”

Telkom responds

Telkom said that traffic profiles on the backhaul bandwidth between the DSLAM and the ESR are continuously monitored and any subsequent congestion is addressed accordingly in line with the product specification of their three offerings.

“Telkom currently offers three ADSL products to market at specified price points that are in line with the quality performance offered. Telkom’s ADSL service is provided as a “best effort” service and therefore does not constitute any bandwidth guarantees.”

Telkom would neither confirm nor deny whether there is congestion on their ADSL network, instead explaining that congestion can happen in many places in the network.

“Congestion can happen at numerous points throughout the customer experience and therefore does not always imply that the DSLAM is the problem,” said Telkom.

Telkom added that they are continuously and consistently monitoring their ADSL network and associated traffic profiles to provide a quality of service in line with the product differentiated specifications to industry.

“Where the DSLAM is not aligned with specific product definitions rules, upgrades are created to remedy the situation,” Telkom said.