{"id":376095,"date":"2020-11-17T17:07:33","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T15:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=376095"},"modified":"2020-11-17T17:09:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T15:09:49","slug":"rain-faces-backlash-over-slow-speeds-and-poor-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/cellular\/376095-rain-faces-backlash-over-slow-speeds-and-poor-support.html","title":{"rendered":"Rain faces backlash over slow speeds and poor support"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rain is facing a backlash from its subscribers for slow speeds and poor support which has been dogging the mobile operator for months.<\/p>\n

A recent investigation by Devi, titled Breakdown in Communication<\/strong><\/a>, put the spotlight on Rain\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n

According to the investigation, many Rain subscribers experienced deteriorating network quality when the lockdown hit.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Rain\u2019s customer support channels broke down, which left subscribers with nowhere to get help.<\/p>\n

Rain\u2019s problems are clearly reflected in the MyBroadband speed test and consumer satisfaction rankings over the past three years.<\/p>\n

The operator\u2019s network performance has declined every single quarter since the company first launched its mobile products in 2018.<\/p>\n

Objective customer satisfaction ratings further show that Rain is now rated as the worst mobile operator and the worst Internet service provider (ISP) in South Africa.<\/p>\n

The charts below show Rain\u2019s average download speed and average ISP ranking over the last two years.<\/p>\n

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Why Rain is struggling<\/h3>\n

Rain\u2019s story is as old as broadband in South Africa and mirrors the challenges faced by Sentech\u2019s MyWireless service.<\/p>\n

Sentech launched its uncapped MyWireless broadband products in 2004 to compete against Telkom\u2019s ADSL.<\/p>\n

At first, the company was seen as a consumer champion, but it quickly lost its lustre as network congestion caused poor service levels.<\/p>\n

This resulted in consumer backlash that damaged the reputation of the company and product, something which Sentech never recovered from. MyWireless was discontinued in 2009<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Rain launched its uncapped and high-cap products, it was warned that it will face network congestion problems in future.<\/p>\n

In August 2018, for example, Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub warned Rain<\/strong><\/a> that it will face network capacity constraints in the future, which can cost a lot of money to fix.<\/p>\n

This is now happening. Rain is facing congestion on many of its sites which is causing slow speeds and other connectivity problems.<\/p>\n

The situation was aggravated by the rapid growth in Rain\u2019s subscriber base<\/strong><\/a> since the lockdown started.<\/p>\n

Rain\u2019s sign-ups jumped from 10,000 to 20,000 per month to 60,000 and 80,000 per month in a matter of days.<\/p>\n

This caused further capacity problems on its network, which in turn put tremendous pressure on its support channels.<\/p>\n

Its support channels could not handle the influx of support requests, which left many Rain subscribers with near-unusable Internet and nowhere to turn.<\/p>\n

A look at Rain\u2019s network performance<\/h3>\n

MyBroadband\u2019s quarterly mobile network performance testing results clearly show the problem Rain is facing.<\/p>\n

To ensure accurate and comparable results over time, MyBroadband conducts drive tests in the same areas using the same network testing equipment.<\/p>\n

The results are telling. Rain\u2019s average download speed declined from 17.4Mbps in Q4 2019 to 11.3Mbps in Q3 2020.<\/p>\n

While this decline may not look significant at face value, it is important to note that the decline is driven by sites where network congestion occurs.<\/p>\n

The average download speed at Rain sites without network congestion actually increased over the last year.<\/p>\n

The number of sites without network congestion, however, showed a drastic decline since the lockdown started.<\/p>\n

In Q1 2020, 48% of Rain\u2019s sites had an average download speed over 10Mbps. This figure plummeted to only 30% six months later.<\/p>\n

This explains why so many Rain customers are now complaining about network congestion and why its support channels are overloaded with complaints.<\/p>\n

The table below provides an overview of Rain\u2019s deteriorating performance this year.<\/p>\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Rain’s Network Performance<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quarter<\/strong><\/td>\nAverage Download Speed (Mbps)<\/strong><\/td>\nPercentage towers over 10Mbps<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Q4 2019<\/td>\n17.363<\/td>\n53%<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Q1 2020<\/td>\n15.966<\/td>\n48%<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Q2 2020<\/td>\n13.246<\/td>\n41%<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Q3 2020<\/td>\n11.283<\/td>\n30%<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Rain CEO Willem Roos explains<\/h3>\n

Speaking on the Devi show, Rain CEO Willem Roos said it is fair to say they gave a poor customer service in certain areas.<\/p>\n

Roos, however, dismissed reports that the network problems affected a significant portion of their subscribers.<\/p>\n

He added that the speed test comparisons with other mobile networks are not fair, as you \u201cget what you pay for\u201d.<\/p>\n

Roos explained that Rain customers should not expect the same service levels as MTN and Vodacom subscribers.<\/p>\n

He compared Vodacom and MTN to three-star Michelin restaurants, while Rain should be seen as an all-you-can-eat buffet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope we give you good food, but it will not be the same as a Michelin star restaurant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Roos admitted that they did not have the capacity to cope with the influx of support queries after the lockdown started.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognise that we have challenges in our customer service area, and we are working hard to fix those,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have already made significant progress in recent weeks by improving systems, processes, and appointing more staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that Rain is working hard to increase both the coverage and capacity of its network.<\/p>\n

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Devi – Breakdown in Communication<\/h3>\n