[Question] who uses local-only ADSL accounts?

[SilverNodashi]

I'm curios to see who uses local-only ADSL accounts? If you do, please tell me

It's for a basic market research, to see if it's worth our while to push client's websites onto local servers. Local hosting bandwidth cost more, so I need to see if it's going to be worth their while to move to a local hosting packages in order to get these local-only ADSL clients, or would they be waisting their time & money to try and convince someone who wont' even pay R30/GB for normal ADSL access?

[Dave A]

Seeing as this site is hosted off-shore, I'd be surprised if we get many people putting their hands up on this one

If you ask the question on My Broadband you might get a better indication.

If you do, please post a link here to the thread there - I'd be interested in the feedback too. I've been considering getting a local VPS account...

[SilverNodashi]

Hi Dave,

I have asked on many difference forums, and MyADSL is the only one where I got some response so far.

You can see it here: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthre...-ADSL-accounts

[SilverNodashi]

please cast you vote

[AndyD]

Out of the dozens of people I know about, only one has an unlimited local ADSL package, even then she has 3 gigs international before the unlimited local bandwidth kicks in. It's more like a soft cap where if you klap your 3 gigs stukkend you are capped with local only bandwidth till the end of the month.

[Dave A]

I have asked on many difference forums, and MyADSL is the only one where I got some response so far.

Not too surprising as it's right on-topic for them. I've got to say the responses are pretty much as I expected too.

The problem I see with a local only package is you lose a heck of a lot of options. In fact, for typical general usage, I'd go so far as to say the internet becomes pretty useless. When we've blown our blended cap, I can still do my banking and there are a few big SA-hosted sites available, but it's still totally impractical to try to work with a local only service.

For example, you're doing research - you use google.co.za for a search, and you even select SA results only. You're still going to find you can't access most of those top results.

Bottom line to my mind - local hosting is so expensive compared to international, most of the market (in numbers at least) are off-shore already, which has created a vicious cycle.

I've said previously I'm prepared to pay up to a 20% premium to host locally - but the uncomfortable truth is, when you match feature for feature, I've yet to see a local package that can even come close to double the cost.

But perhaps even that isn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem is there is no real incentive to put "hosted in South Africa" on the website. And perhaps I should explain why -

It's the way blended vs local is treated. While you're in your blended allocation, there is no differentiation between local and international - it's coming off your blended cap either way. Now if local was coming off the local cap, and international was coming off what is currently termed "blended", then at least visitors would be getting some benefit from visiting SA hosted sites right from the get-go.

As matters stand, they're getting hit with the bandwidth off their "international" allocation anyway, so from the browser's point of view there is no benefit in preferring SA hosted sites at that stage. Then when they hit the blended cap, the penalty is so severe, most times they're just going to top up their blended ration.

[popayetwo]

Well said Dave. I have often wondered what purpose local bandwidth plays in the Telkom Internet setup as we have no control over it at all. My daily reports from Telkom tell me how much international and how much local traffic I have used in the past 24 hours. Local is ALWAYS zero, even though I do banking to FNB which is surely local? I have NEVER even used .1 gig per month local so what is the big deal with the 10g Telkom 'gives' you?