Sharing 1st Experiences with 8ta's 10GB promo

LCBXX

LCBXX

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I got my SIM this afternoon and slotted it into an old Vodafone K3565 Dongle to check the speeds out:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1358717457.png
Not that crappy considering I am on the very edge of the coverage area with a crappy dongle - Sean from TDS Clearwater was closeby as the sales-rep checked my coverage and offered to drive out with me to my house in Wilgeheuwel to verify coverage before they signed me on. I have 3 bars according to Sean and the mobile partner software I use.

I have ordered my TP-Link TL-MR3420 from Unidirect this afternoon as well and will move the router upstairs once received - that should give me better reception as well. 21Mb/s dongle will follow later.

If anything, the sign-up process was a bit tedious to my liking but not a show stopper. The effort Telkom Sean went though to make sure I wasn't sold something that would worked was appreciated. The 10GB package has data loaded pro-rata on it for the remainder of June (around 1.3GB) - I was hoping to nail the 10GB for these last 4 days but alas! Also a big plus, I am able to download from news.saix.net!

UPDATE: Strangely enough, the 8ta SIM does not work in my LG Optimus One (MTN) yet it works in my old E51 (also from MTN). It works immediately in a Vodafone 3G dongle but not in an MTN dongle (a Vodacom SIM works in the MTN dongle). Not sure why?
 
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Hi thanks for the info! The coverage map shows light pink in my area (Noordheuwel). Would you say that the coverage map is accurate? Also did you happen to ask about cancellation should one's area have no coverage?
 
I am actually on the ragged edge of the pink area and was covered. They won't sell you the package if you are not covered accoring to your address on their system - several people were turned away (all being very irate about it) when the system indicated there weren't covered, even if the they were missed just by a pink pixel. Telkom used 2 interfaces, the 8ta coverege checker and another more accurate checker that is in-house to Telkom that goes down to house number.

The CPA allows you to cancel the contract within 7 days without penalties. You do however sign a indemnity form where you acknowlege that you are responsible for assuring there is coverage.
 
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Im in bayview Strandfontein Cape Town

Im getting 6.02mb/s down and 1.34mb/s up using the Vodacom Hauwei B970 router

Im over the moon so far
 
A quick question for you guys, is the Sim card you get with the package the same as the ones you buy in the shops (8ta) ?
I keep on hearing that the retail 8ta cards are not capable of connecting to the actual 8ta Network. So has any one tried to use one of their old 8ta Sim's to see if they can connect and then compared it to the new Sim Card ? :)
 
I'm currently with Neotel's Neogo 2gig for 240pm which i now regard as a rip-off. I don't get near the advertised speeds (300-500kbps average) of the
promised 3.6mbps. How does this package compare with promised speeds? Does anybody know how much this package costs after this promotional period? What are the clauses with the 24-month contract? ie how much is the cancellation fee one has to pay if one changes ones mind or if sombody else has a better deal? How does this deal compare with the bottom range uncapped adsl deals?
 
According to coverage maps there is no 3G signal in my area - Bryanston / Morningside border

Got a pre-paid to test it out first -- worked, so I signed up over the weekend.
So far -- working much better that Vodacom (better latency via 8ta)

Speed test: Ping 75ms, Download 3.6, Upload 1.6
This is with Huawei Wireless 3G Router B970b (that I bought from Vodacom)

We use about 8-9GB per month.
Vodacom: R1000+ pm
8ta: R200

No brainer. Even if it works for only a few months -- it will be worth it...

The cat is among the pigeons...
Thank you 8ta ... bye-bye Vodacom
 
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@ 8ta representative: How much is the cancelation fee? I personally would prefer a month to month contract as i am already supplying the device... What is the chance of implementing that form of contract?
 
Has anyone tried the coverage in Newlands/Rondebosch area of Cape Town?
Is there any carryover at the end of the month?
What are the speeds like at the end of the month? I tried CellC before, which was completely useless at the end of the month?
 
abdul89 said:
What kind of latency are u getting? Any good for gaming?
Click to expand...
Once my router arrives, I will report on online (PS3) gaming. Standard pings from my laptop are around 60-90ms (to saix.net), peaking at 180ms.
 
What does one get. The 7.2mbps dongle or the 21mbps one. i just do some browsing at home and play online. must be able to play upcoming titles like BF3 when it arrives.
 
kytonpc said:
What does one get. The 7.2mbps dongle or the 21mbps one.
Click to expand...

The promotion doesn't include the modem, but:

The new 8ta promotion is a data-only special where subscribers have the option of either using their own modem or purchasing a modem from 8ta.
8ta’s price for a 7.2Mbps modem is R349 while a 21Mbps costs R699.
Click to expand...
 
nolsie1 said:
Has anyone tried the coverage in Newlands/Rondebosch area of Cape Town?
Is there any carryover at the end of the month?
What are the speeds like at the end of the month? I tried CellC before, which was completely useless at the end of the month?
Click to expand...
You can see your coverage on the following link http://www.8ta.com/coverage/i5promo/ and there is no data carryover.
 
Has anyone tried 8.ta on the west side of Bryanston? Near the country club? Speeds and latency please...
 
kytonpc said:
I know that one has to buy the modem. But for gaming how would one benefit the 21mbps modem over the 7.2mbps one. Big downloads i do at my office due to uncapped adsl.
Click to expand...
Not sure. You might see a 1-10ms tops difference in latency due to the modem being technologically more capable but I think is comes down more to the quality/strength of your HSPA signal. A 21Mb modem will be capable of more bandwidth but I double whether any online game will use more than 512Kb when gaming. I have read on this forum that some 21Mb modems have bad reception capabilities.
 
My first impression:

*Phone all Autopage and Nashua Mobile branches in Bloemfontein, no one know about the contract.
*Queue for 45 minutes at Telkom Direct store, only to be told that they do not have the documentation for the contract.
*After a scene, I finally get told there is one person in the branch who can deal with data contacts, he then finally appears from the back room.
*Paper work completed in 5 minutes, took hom 45 minutes to process the contract. After verbally asking be everything that I've already filled in on the form.
*I then have to explain what my utility bill is, and what a bank statement looks like.
*Briliant all done, waiting to approval. Anther 20 minutes, so he makes a call, only be be told that the Cell Number (which is computer generated by them) that was assigned to the contact is not vallid. So he has to do it all over again.
*At this point, I asked if I could leave the branch, and if he will call me when all is done to collect.
*Still waiting............................
 
lcbxx said:
UPDATE: Strangely enough, the 8ta SIM does not work in my LG Optimus One (MTN) yet it works in my old E51 (also from MTN). It works immediately in a Vodafone 3G dongle but not in an MTN dongle (a Vodacom SIM works in the MTN dongle). Not sure why?
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should just unlock the dongle. May also need SPCK code

Where in Wilgeheuwel do you get the coverage because I also sit on the very edge in Atterbury Rd
 
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