Cybersurf

Several people have asked me to explain the wave of commercials – particularly on TV – that offer an array of ADSL packages.

Just in case you haven't quite caught up to the twenty first century – ADSL or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a type of broadband that allows you to access the Internet at much quicker speeds than you would get over a normal dial-up service.

In recent weeks, a number of companies have been advertising ADSL on TV and while I am certain that none of them would ever deliberately mislead the public; it would help if they presented all the additional charges a little more prominently.

Consumers would have an easier time comparing the competing packages and they would know exactly what they are letting themselves in for.

MWEB has been heavily promoting MWEB ADSL for only R145 per month – while Telkom says you can get monthly access on HomeDSL 384 for three hundred and fifty nine rand.

These ads have caused a lot of confusion. It sounds as if the MWEB package is much cheaper than Telkom – From their respective television adverts, a reasonable person could quite easily conclude that the two Internet giants are selling the same thing at very different prices -

But in fact they are offering different products.

Let me try to explain.

In order to have an ADSL connection in your home or business, you need to have a dedicated ADSL modem installed. Several months ago, Telkom offered a self install option – that appears to have fallen by the wayside.

But you can get a modem anywhere – many retail outlets sell them.

Next you need a phone line that is ADSL enabled. To my knowledge, Telkom is the only company in the country that can offer you an ADSL line.

They rent that line to you – and it is the line rental that Telkom has been punting big time on TV.

Telkom actually rents the same physical line to you twice – you pay once a month to rent the line for voice calls and once a month for ADSL access – two completely separate charges.

Now you have your modem and your ADSL line, but do you have ADSL Internet access?

No, you don't!

You still have to pay a service provider who can connect your ADSL line to the Internet – and it is this service that MWEB is punting Mega big time on TV.

The point is – you still need an Internet Service Provider even if you are paying Telkom for monthly access.

However, while MWEB maybe one of the biggest Internet Service Providers on the African continent – it is not a monopoly.

Even Telkom is an Internet service provider – and there are many more who are equally as good.

So if you think you're going to have an ADSL Internet connection for R145 – think again – it's not going to happen – not in this country anyway.

And as we come to the end of this week's edition of Cybersurf I hope that if I did not clear up some confusion regarding the price of ADSL connectivity, I will at least have caused potential buyers to read the small print – carefully.

Thanks for listening and till next Monday, remember to keeeeep on surfing.

// posted by Steven Lang @ 12:04 pm