Hello,
We are looking for this year a Provider in Johannesburg for a temporay Internetconnection for 1 Mounth during the WM 2010. Does somebody know a Provider which has stabile line there. With speed 2 Mb or more. (guarantie)
Greetings
Xaver
(guarantie)
Internet connectivity here in 'deepest darkest Africa' is actually quite
advanced 
Would you like that on Fibre, Microwave, DSL or some other technology?
Internet connectivity here in 'deepest darkest Africa' is actually quite
advanced
and the most expensive you can imagine. welcome to a telkom monopoly.
randy
Better than western Massachusetts, where there's just no connectivity at all. Even dialup fails to function over crappy lines. I'd take monopoly pricing over no connectivity, I guess.
Oh, plz, if you were willing to pay $2K/Mbps, they'd trench fiber to your house. Still think monopoly pricing is better?
Of course, that was 2008. I hear prices have dropped to the Amazingly Low Sum of just $350/Mbps in 2010 - in certain places, if you're lucky, and sign a long term contract. I bet there are 10 people reading this post who will run you a DS3 or better if you sign up for $350/Mbps.
The monopoly is over! There are now over 300 licensed operators and the infrastructure build-out is busy happening right now.
Most of the major metro areas have at least 4 carrier grade access networks fighting for your business and there are hundreds of small operators and connectivity providers that will sell you services at various SLAs.
how many carriers with international fiber?
randy
I can think of six operators lighting their own fiber to the borders and the landing stations of the various cable systems. Additional to that - I know of dozens of operators running their own international L2 circuits and lighting their own metro and national fiber.
Its still early days and there much work still left to do before the effects of the past monopoly is fully overcome.
Why is it so hard for you to believe that things are changing for the better?
I can think of six operators lighting their own fiber to the borders
and the landing stations of the various cable systems. Additional to
that - I know of dozens of operators running their own international
L2 circuits and lighting their own metro and national fiber.
no intl L1?
Why is it so hard for you to believe that things are changing for the
better?
because i have dealt with the effects of that particular monopoly for
over twenty years. and it has been among the most pernicious in africa.
randy
Why is it so hard for you to believe that things are changing for the
better?
http://www.ispa.org.za/press-release/ispa-calls-on-icasa-to-make-a-firm-commitment-to-llu
randy
Hi Randy,
Those are all _extremely_ out dated references. The reality is here though.
Personally, for the last 12 months I have not paid a single cent to Telkom.
Not one of my packets traverses a single Telkom owned piece of equipment.
In fact, as I type this email I'm enjoying a lovely secluded beach holiday
on the south coast with 7Mbps HSDPA (which really is clocking 7Mbps) and
paying about $10 per GB - and none of those bytes go via Telkom either. Yes,
you envy me, you can admit it
Numerous ISP's have Seacom >STM-1 circuits to an international peering point
of their choice, doing last mile over their own metro fibre or wireless.
While we all appreciate outrage from across the pond, it's important to keep
in touch with change. .
Africa is no longer "dark" - but it can still be cheaper.
Regards,
CA
http://www.ispa.org.za/press-release/ispa-calls-on-icasa-to-make-a-firm-commitment-to-llu
Those are all _extremely_ out dated references.
i am used to dealing with time zones, even the international date line.
but i am having a really hard time considering 2010-02-23 as extremely
out of date.
guys, yes things have changed a bit there. and after decades of being
in the 1800s i can see you getting great joy out of seeing telkom
dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century. congratulations.
randy