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The rumour is no longer a rumour it is true 8.ta is here and it has the biggest bad-boy in town to back it up. Yes as the logo shows it is powered by Telkom.
Have a look.
another thing that is really irritating...is people who call...let it ring twice then switch off...their number comes up so you return the call...because it could be a potential customer...and it eeeeerrrrr sorry wrong number...this is when per second billing pays.
Internet cost is still very high and I can no longer see the justification. Cell C, MTN, Vodacom and Virgin mobile “if they still exist” have to look at 8.ta and wonder if there isn’t a real conflict of interest here.
After all Telkom is the only “Real” service provider for communications thus they can make 8.ta dirt cheap if they want to but no... Data cost is at R250 for 1GB of data thus the public as still paying too much.
Well are we paying too much?
By Nnamdi Ojiego
An Information Technology expert, Mr Tom Makau has given reasons why the cost of broadband and other ICT infrastructure are still high in Africa even with the arrival of undersea cables.
He said though, Africa has witnessed an unprecedented growth in internet and VPN connectivity in the last 5 years through the launch of several satellites serving the continent and the landing of a number of submarine cables on African shores, that a lot still needed to be done to make broadband in the continent more affordable, because the rapid uptake of mobile internet has increased penetration and awareness of the merits of being online.
According to him, broadband is still expensive in Africa because the continent does not share the same Internet history with the rest of the world coupled with the high costs of laying cables in Africa, stressing that the prices would remain relatively high compared to other regions due to the high CAPEX and OPEX of infrastructure in Africa even with the arrival of fiber capacity.
Mr Makau who was speaking on the topic “VSAT is Dead?”, at the Information Access and Collaboration Conference, 2010 held recently in Lagos by IwayAfrica Nigeria Limited, revealed that some Internet Service Providers, ISPs have tried to emulate US and EU pricing without considering these historical facts, making the ISPs start offering poor services as they struggled to stay afloat in the business.
I don’t know, in my opinion operators do make a lot of money on Data. R1 per 1mb or R2 per 1mb if it is out of bundle. And one must consider that millions of people are using out of bundle internet simply because the bundle cost more then what some people earn a month.
So it is true that ISPs are money pumps and they are making a killing but they love to play the “underdevelopment” card as seen here. I think the situation calls for transparency. How much do Telkom, MTN, Vodacom Cell C and Virgin mobile pay for 1GB of data? How much does the infrastructure cost to maintain? And what is the net profit?
I don’t think they will ever divulge that type of info but, my thinking is this: if there was no money in it then why provide the service in the first place?
peace is a state of mind Disclaimer: everything written by me can be considered as fictional.
Yeah it is extremely annoying. As a rule i find it quite offensive and disrespectful to send me a please call me. Generally i will not phone them back. Rather send an sms or go buy airtime. Only exception will be close friends and family i know is financially challenged
Originally posted by murdock
another thing that is really irritating...is people who call...let it ring twice then switch off...their number comes up so you return the call...because it could be a potential customer...and it eeeeerrrrr sorry wrong number...this is when per second billing pays.
I never return a call to a number, all my clients, friends and family names will show.
If someone I know wants me to call them back they must send me a SMS saying 'Paul wants you to call him back on 083 555 5555' otherwise they get sent to the bin.
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Internet cost is still very high and I can no longer see the justification. Cell C, MTN, Vodacom and Virgin mobile “if they still exist” have to look at 8.ta and wonder if there isn’t a real conflict of interest here.
Against who, or what are you measuring this?
Originally posted by tec0
So it is true that ISPs are money pumps and they are making a killing but they love to play the “underdevelopment” card as seen here. I think the situation calls for transparency. How much do Telkom, MTN, Vodacom Cell C and Virgin mobile pay for 1GB of data? How much does the infrastructure cost to maintain? And what is the net profit?
Really? Who said so? I challenge you to start your own ISP and see if you can make it out there. If you can last even just 5 years, make a profit, pay staff salaries, buy office space, pay for marketing & advertising and offer the same service as any of these ISP's, at the same level of service they do, but do it at half the price they do, then you have a leg to stand on. Otherwise your assumtions are just that, assumptions.
Why can't a company make a profit?
Why do they have to run a loss just to keep the client happy?
Who will pay the staff, rent, insurance, marketing, etc if you demand everything at cost price?
Do you actually have any idea of what it costs just to rent the space where on cellular tower stands? Without even putting up some radios and antenna's, before there's even a hint of getting a client onto that mast?
Originally posted by tec0
I don’t think they will ever divulge that type of info but, my thinking is this: if there was no money in it then why provide the service in the first place?
Why are you in business? OR, for that matter, why do you even work? Is it not their right, as much as yours, to put food on the table, buys housing & car(s), clothes, education for their kids, employ staff, etc? Why do you judge them for making money, but you also make money?
was i dreaming or was the advert for vodocom prepaid customers rates to drop to R1.40 t&c apply last night on TV...
and if so why would there be T&Cs for preapid.
and as for virgin...i just got to share this...they have a collection agent bothering me for R200 outstanding from when i had a contract with them...yet before i could transfer i had to make sure the account was up to date.
i decided to play along and have requested a print out of ever single bit of corresponence with them including all amounts paid to date...copy of the signed contract...so that i can forward it to my lawyer...i get a call back the next day telling me that i should have proof of payment and must send it to them...so i suggested they go ahead with a summons...lets see where this goes...considering my cellphone did not work for 3 months due to some technical glitch from their side...my bussiness lost big time...and never eceived any sort of compensasion to date...so it would be intesting going to court over R200 they say i owe them...
BTW - I really liked the TV ad I saw for this. Seriously struck my funny bone
My opinion was the opposite. I really havnt liked any of the adverts they have done at all! Cant put a finger on it, but really havnt appreciated it at all. Maybe its psychological being that it is telkom!
The best add they have had that i have seen is the link to there web above! Having seen there rates, they are going to become a force to be reckoned with. May well even get a dedicated line for landline calls at those rates. The entry level data rates 100M for R50 is also cheap versus vodacom. Think vodacom is about R1 per M at entry, both around the same for a G.
PS... don't like there website either... but maybe its that head thing also...
Well let’s see South Africa’s only “real” landline service provider wants to tap into the mobile network knowing they own the landline infrastructure thus is able to cut cost dramatically?
Secondly let us look at cost. R1 per 1mb? Ok so for every 1mb a R1 is generated in profit “depending on the network some networks still ask R2” and let say a million South Africans access the internet at 8:30 am to read there e-mails. How much money is generated?
So we all know that there are more than 1 million users on the net so clearly there are a lot of money exchanging hands. Yet how much of that money goes back to the infrastructure, training and job creation and how much of that money goes back to the overlords.
So yes I do have a problem because data costs are really high and it is also true that government owns a large part of the telecommunication sector.
Really? Who said so? I challenge you to start your own ISP and see if you can make it out there. If you can last even just 5 years, make a profit, pay staff salaries, buy office space, pay for marketing & advertising and offer the same service as any of these ISP's, at the same level of service they do, but do it at half the price they do, then you have a leg to stand on. Otherwise your assumtions are just that, assumptions.
The truth is the tax payer paid for much of the infrastructure based on government involvement. So no I don’t have a country’s economy to back me up. But I suggest that you follow the paper and see where you end up and who the players are.
Why are you in business? OR, for that matter, why do you even work? Is it not their right, as much as yours, to put food on the table, buys housing & car(s), clothes, education for their kids, employ staff, etc? Why do you judge them for making money, but you also make money?
Everyone has the right to make money but if something is partly government then it is no longer a business now is it? Nope it just became a service... “Think about that for a moment...”
peace is a state of mind Disclaimer: everything written by me can be considered as fictional.
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