According to some sources, Telkom has launched its new service where ISPs reselling dial-up accounts from the incumbent are receiving between 3c and 7c per minute – depending on its monthly volume – for all Internet calls made by their subscriber base.<\/p>\n
All Service Providers receiving this rebate from Telkom have been sworn to secrecy about the service through a compulsory confidentially agreement. This means that very few ISPs are willing to entertain any conversation about the service.<\/p>\n
Telkom has even denied that such a service (or planned product) exists despite various sources in the ISP community confirming that they have received documentation and agreements from Telkom about this new product.<\/p>\n
Sources say the rebates only apply to ISPs where their dial-up user base has more than 100 000 minutes per month, and where at least 60% of their subscriptions are made up of Telkom products. This speculation could however not be confirmed.<\/p>\n
Various ISPs pointed out that their margins on dial-up services will now far exceed their profit on ADSL accounts. This raises the question as to whether ISPs may start to promote dial-up Internet access in preference of ADSL.<\/p>\n
Despite the secrecy and uncertainty regarding the supposed new product, ISPs have generally welcomed a system which allows for profit sharing and creating another revenue stream.<\/p>\n