It`s been almost a month since Absa announced its free Internet offering, and it occurs to me that in all that time, M-Web is the only Internet service provider (ISP) that`s reacted in a manner that has been described as reactionary by some, and has been lauded by others.
Though the ISP insists it hasn`t seen a downturn in site traffic since it began the information lockdown, my sentiment is that it certainly won`t see a definite increase in registered users in the near future.
Basheera Khan, Journalist, ITWeb
What with the bluster being sounded off in the ISP arena, one wonders then what other ISPs are doing in this regard. To all appearances, nothing much. For good reason, the majority of local ISPs appear on the surface to be calm and collected, confident that their offerings carry enough value to sustain loyalty in their customer bases.
World Online, for example, offers its Internet services to users for an average of R95 per month. Through various partnerships, the ISP offers discounted Internet service provision rates (registered DigitalMall users get access for R57 per month, and for an annual subscription taken for R74 per month, the ISP throws in a 56K modem) and other services designed to make users` lives easier. A case in point: World Online clients can apply for a home loan through MortgageSA.com, or book airline tickets through Flights.com.
Exclusive content
Almost every ISP and/or portal offers specialised content on fronts such as health, finances, sport, and other special interest groupings. Most of this content is sourced through partnerships; where resources allow, it is generated exclusively for that site.
Larger players, such as msn.co.za, or iafrica.com are some such examples. In the case of the latter, it has styled itself as "Africa`s favourite portal destination and content provider". In the true spirit of that goal, the site includes as one of its services, a list of ISPs and their contact details, to assist users experiencing problems with their dial-up connections, or other technical difficulties.
The question remains as to whether M-Web can justify not only restricting access to its content, but also upping the monthly rate that its clients will pay for the privilege of being the M-Web elite. As of 1 March, clients will pay about R119 for services that appear for the most part to be freely available to all Internet users through other portals and ISPs.
M-Web`s value-added offerings, launched at the beginning of February, apparently include (sic) "dramatically faster download times of less than 10 seconds, easier navigation, a cleaner design and improved personalisation options".
Prospects
Though the ISP insists it hasn`t seen a downturn in site traffic since it began the information lockdown, my sentiment is that it certainly won`t see a definite increase in registered users in the near future.
With tools such as Anonymizer (www.anonymizer.com) at hand, I`m sure any number of users will surf incognito to the M-Web portal, if only to catch a glimpse of the forbidden fruit. But whether they`ll pay to make use of the services is another issue altogether. To put it bluntly, there are other offerings in the market that will provide users with about the same functionality, at a greatly reduced cost.
And though the Shopzone site is still open to potential customers, I have my qualms about visiting it to keep up to date on e-commerce offerings. I extend a personal invitation to all e-tailers using the Shopzone offering to contact me with details of their storefront URLs... after all, there are many ways to skin a cat, and I feel like experimenting with them all.
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