Dear Telkom, my telkom hell to get VDSL

K

kissingmybbgoodbye

Expert Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2005
Messages
4,048
Reaction score
375
Location
Somewhere surfing the web
Dear Telkom,

In the last retrenchment process all your capable employees must have left. I am trying to upgrade to 20Mbps VDSL, a common process which I am sure gets done every single day.

Well guess what. Your incompetent staff can not get it right and have no clue what the problem is. Even though I tried to explain it to them.

Yes my line was upgraded to 20Mbps, but not VDSL it is still ADSL. I gave it a few days, but no change. (How do I know it is not VDSL, well if I set my modem to VDSL I get no connection, set it back to ADSL hey it works. (But it is very unstable probably because it is using ATM instead of PTM). My line used to be very stable, with high speeds on 10Mbps, but now it varies from 16/17 Mbps to 2 Mbps (My modem indicates I have Line Rate - Downstream (Kbps) of 20479 and a Line Rate - Upstream (Kbps) of 839, The upstream is a clear indication that it is not VDSL.

Contact Telkom, I was told since my Downstream is (Kbps) of 20479 so I am for certain on VDSL, because according to them there is no such thing as 20Mbps ADSL. (Then they connect me through to the fibre guys, who obviously can't help me.)

Out of pure frustration I decided ok lets upgrade to 40Mbps VDSL (there is def no 40Mbps ADSL, so they can't f..k up my profile). The sales agent told me I can't get VDSL because there is no VDSL in my area, then she corrects herself and says
Ok there is VDSL in your area but not on your property. ????????

According to her I must be to far away from the exchange that is why my house can't get VDSL.

Excuse me I am a less than 400 hundred meters from the Exchange and the white street box. So then I told her to upgrade me anyway to 40Mbps VDSL, which she said she will do.

After an hour or so I check. Still on 20Mbps ADSL and the order shows as completed.

There is VDSL in our area, don't tell me just my address can not get it. If I check your coverage map, there is no blank out of my property.

Neither your tech or sales people have any clue.

I rather downgrade to 10Mbps again as it is at least working, but I need the upload speeds I don't give a $hit about the download really.
 
Last edited:
When I upgraded from 4Mb to 10Mb I wasn’t able to connect with ADSL2+ and only G.DMT worked.
It didn’t help me to get upset with the call centre agents as they were not able to fix it for me.
It was however fixed by a friendly technician who called and asked if my line was working properly. Haven’t had problems ever since.

Maybe you should look at MickeyD's list of Telkom area managers and give them a call.
 
Just because you're close to an MSAN doesn't mean your line goes directly to it. In my case I have 2 MSANs within 500m of me yet my lovely piece of copper goes in the opposite direction to the closest exchange 1500m's away. 10mbit/s is all I can achieve yet my neighbours across the road can get 40mbit/s VDSL. They tried 20mbit/s DSL yet the distance etc resulted in a very unstable line.

The irony is that I would pay Telkom gladly to run a cable down the other road yet this is not an option.
 
LaraC said:
When I upgraded from 4Mb to 10Mb I wasn’t able to connect with ADSL2+ and only G.DMT worked.
It didn’t help me to get upset with the call centre agents as they were not able to fix it for me.
It was however fixed by a friendly technician who called and asked if my line was working properly. Haven’t had problems ever since.

Maybe you should look at MickeyD's list of Telkom area managers and give them a call.
Click to expand...

I know someone with contacts, but it is always my last resort as you can't always pull favors. But I will if I don't get it right. I just wonder why they don't train there employees anymore, because most of them are really clueless about the technology and the products they offer.

(Used to work for Telkom about 9 years ago in their Center for Learning, looks like that dept has gone down the drains as well)
 
quovadis said:
Just because you're close to an MSAN doesn't mean your line goes directly to it. In my case I have 2 MSANs within 500m of me yet my lovely piece of copper goes in the opposite direction to the closest exchange 1500m's away. 10mbit/s is all I can achieve yet my neighbours across the road can get 40mbit/s VDSL. They tried 20mbit/s DSL yet the distance etc resulted in a very unstable line.

The irony is that I would pay Telkom gladly to run a cable down the other road yet this is not an option.
Click to expand...

They told me a house which I know is on the same cable/infrastructure can get VDSL (3 houses from me in the same street)

I can even follow the cable to the MSAN (300 meters from my house) I am connected to(I know ehich one as in the past when I had problems I met the techies working at that specific box(that time green box).

Unless they rerouted my line, which is highly unlikely.(As I know I know me and my neighbours are the last one on that line and that one goes towards the MSAN)

This MSAN is 100 meters from the exchange
 
Last edited:
moklet said:
I know someone with contacts, but it is always my last resort as you can't always pull favors. But I will if I don't get it right. I just wonder why they don't train there employees anymore, because most of them are really clueless about the technology and the products they offer.

(Used to work for Telkom about 9 years ago in their Center for Learning, looks like that dept has gone down the drains as well)
Click to expand...
Olies has been sold to UNISA. Many techies have left... Most Call centres have been outsourced so you are lucky if you get through to a Telkom employee at all !!

They were training the techies in batches on the new MSAN/ISAM technology as well as FTTH fitting & faults. Then they offered packages to all employees. Guess what happened?
 
Oh ja... see you are PTA based. They also relocated all staff from TTE/TTN/TTS to Centurion. Reckon that would cause some disruption as well...
 
to get 20Mb is not necessary mean it is an msan port you should set the modem to 2+ or auto as the imax ports support up to 20Mb, but the dslam port must NOT be set to gdmt as it will sync at 20 but will never get the speed it will run like it is a 10Mb line. hope this helps..
 
xodosman123 said:
to get 20Mb is not necessary mean it is an msan port you should set the modem to 2+ or auto as the imax ports support up to 20Mb, but the dslam port must NOT be set to gdmt as it will sync at 20 but will never get the speed it will run like it is a 10Mb line. hope this helps..
Click to expand...

Trust me, moklet knows that. ;)
 
xodosman123 said:
to get 20Mb is not necessary mean it is an msan port you should set the modem to 2+ or auto as the imax ports support up to 20Mb, but the dslam port must NOT be set to gdmt as it will sync at 20 but will never get the speed it will run like it is a 10Mb line. hope this helps..
Click to expand...

At least it runs like 20Mbps (most of the time, with disconnections and sometime enormous drops in speed), but Telkom should know their settings and configure it properly)
 
moklet said:
Thanks MickeyD, I know it (I have 26+ years IT experience, used to work on 9600 baud modems etc. magnetic tapes for backups and for payment instructions to banks etc)
Click to expand...

You should pen or link this thread in an email to Dualaneo Prins as it impacts directly on his KPIs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X