As South African consumers, we are guinea pigs. A massive experiment is under way with broadband users at its centre. Some of the people prodding at us and watching the results don't even consider themselves experimenters. Others know exactly what they're doing. And while all of their research may be for a noble cause, it is getting rather frustrating being at the pointy end of the stick.
While there is a lot of good stuff on the way - international cable bandwidth, beefed up domestic networks, lower prices - we simply aren't there yet.
Simon Dingle, ITWeb contributor
South Africa has become a broadband bazaar where specials come and go. Prices drop and networks flood, promotions end and customers churn. It's crazy. And for those of us trying to do a day's work online, it's frustrating.
Vodacom is the latest operator to launch a special with its 20GB promotion running until January 2012. At R500, this is the most aggressive discounting we've seen since MWeb introduced uncapped ADSL for the first time and Cell C started selling modems with heavily discounted data. It shreds Vodacom's usual pricing by more than 80%.
Unlike Cell C, however, Vodacom has a network that will handle the flood of incoming subscribers that its special is likely to cause. And I suspect that might be the point it's trying to make - come and check out our network. We're pretty sure you'll stick around once you have.
I chatted to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck this week - and he agrees with me. Vodacom wants people to come and have a taste of its new network. The operator has spent massive resources in upgrading, rejigging and optimising for data, and now it wants to show off the fruits of its labour.
The period between now and the end of the promotion will also provide Vodacom with valuable metrics that will help it plot its broadband offerings going forward and more accurately gauge the market. We saw the company's interim results this week showing a massive 38% growth in data usage and it's quite clear where Vodacom sees things going.
In recent months, I've been forced to use 3G at my office because Telkom is incapable of delivering a reliable ADSL service. This wasn't for lack of trying. I've actually received great service from call centre agents and technicians trying to resolve my problems - but the fact is that Telkom's copper network is in a sorry state and maintaining it is a nightmare.
So, while we try and deal with degraded lines, I've been switching from Cell C to MTN to Vodacom to 8ta and back again. I can attest to Vodacom's chops in delivering consistent connectivity.
I was also pleasantly surprised by 8ta. I tested the company's 10GB special and found that not only the price - at R200 per month - but also 8ta's network performance, was bloody good.
In this game core networks are vital, and 8ta has Telkom's at its core. It's ironic that I was using the service because the same company's fixed-line solution was so damn poor. But then I suspect that is part of the ploy.
I've been testing MTN's pilot LTE network in Johannesburg and enjoying a small sampling of first-world connectivity. Unfortunately there is no coverage at my home, but from an office in Sandton last week I managed to download 4.8GB in 23 minutes. The way it should be.
And isn't.
While there is a lot of good stuff on the way - international cable bandwidth, beefed up domestic networks, lower prices - we simply aren't there yet. And we're impatient.
Not just because it's nice to be able to download large files quickly, but because this era of experimentation is highly disruptive. Not having reliable solutions to connect our small and medium-sized businesses must be having a massive, measurable impact on the economy. There were two days last week where work was almost impossible for me because I just couldn't get online. This is the kind of story I hear perpetually from readers and listeners.
We need reliable, low-cost fixed-line Internet to get down to business. Wireless might be doing great things, but it just can't deliver consistently and enable a business to function. It wasn't designed for that. 3G should be the thing you use when you're out and about. At the home and office you need something more bulletproof. And it frustratingly doesn't exist.
But we keep the faith and believe that one day it will. Telkom, for all its shortcomings, is hard at work on its network. Other players are toying with possibilities in fibre to the home and similar small office solutions. There is cause for hope that things will finally improve and stabilise.
Until then, the experiment rages on.
Share