Telkom ADSL Installation Timer

// March 12th, 2007 // General // 8,672 views

Internet traffic gridlock

It’s time for me to move over to a broadband connection. I have been weighing up every possible type of connection from iBurst, 3G to fixed line ADSL, after having spent countless hours stuck in internet traffic on a dail-up modem. Dial-up has been a trusty connection till now, but it been getting way too slow for anything productive in Web2.0-land.

Alas, a slight niggle. Unfortunately it seems that I live in a “dead zone”.

I barely have any iBurst connectivity to speak of, unless you sit outside with an antenna that would make the SETI project seem small fry in comparison. 3G is no good, because the Vodacom tower can barely give me a cellphone signal inside the house, so therefore I’ve been left with Telkom’s fixed line ADSL offering.

After many hours, nay months even, of deliberation and testing (of other people’s hardware) I finally applied for a Telkom ADSL connection last week Wednesday (7th of March, 2007). The rather friendly operator said something about waiting 4-6 weeks for final activation and installation (depending on availability).

I’ve been advised that I shouldn’t hold my breath.

So, to test how ~~quickly~~ ~~efficiently~~ timely Telkom can get things together, I’ve loaded a small counter (on the right sidebar) to indicate the amount of time that has elapsed since applying for the service.

We shall wait with baited breath. I’m hopeful.

**Update**
Geesh Telkom pulled out all the stops. 7 Days, 23 minutes and 12 seconds later, ADSL was installed and working. Thanks to the efforts of Shaheen from the Telkom Retail Business division who pulled out all the stops to get it up and running. Thanks guys, Telkom does rock!

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7 Responses to “Telkom ADSL Installation Timer”

Chris Rawlinson says:

2007/03/12 at 15:04

Good luck with the line, I must say I had a very surprising time with Telkom, Im based in Cape Town (and you know how slow people can be here) and was told the same waiting period as you, however they came and installed my line within 3 days !!, I see your on 5 days and counting so maybe this is one thing thats slower in Joburg.
Wezzo says:

2007/03/12 at 17:37

Yup good luck with that, I’ve got mate who moved to Ceres in December and applied for ADSL at the same time. He was promised an installation early Jan – turns out they’ll only be round to install at the end of May. Hows that for customer service.
Rich...! says:

2007/03/12 at 20:43

Dude, my telkom adsl absolutely rocks, and I’m just around the corner from you. If you can, get the DSL1024 line. I get close to 4mb/s, it’s wicked quick, leaves the others standing…!
WizardMan says:

2007/03/12 at 22:12

Telkom SUX! Bottom line. But if you really want some good advice, go through an ISP. Choose someone on the lines of Internet Solutions, MWEB, Datapro or Verizon. They have constant dealings with Telkom, they have 24/7 support contracts and your installation will be done 2 months quicker than by doing this yourself.

Also, if your line ever goes down, you don’t have to deal with that super service centre they have!

It’s a WINNER
DaveG says:

2007/03/12 at 22:15

Consider the “self install” option – pick up the modem (and splitter or filter) from a Telkom office and install yourself. If Rich is near you and his works, chances are the copper in your area is good and you’re close enough.

Pity the VCom signal is no good – they’ve just become the best value in town – see MyADSL.
Aquila says:

2007/03/13 at 07:29

Chris – Geesh, well at least something is a bit on the ball down in Slaapstad. very lucky indeed.

Wezzo – Yeah man, that sucks, I believe Scott is still waiting for his and that’s been since October last year…

Rich..! – Man that’s what Im hoping for. New complex, new lines, I’m thinking this is going to be great. the 1024 is slightly out of the price range, but I opted for 512 instead..I’m sure that’ll do me just fine. (unless Telkom wants to upgrade me for free – nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

Wizardman – You’ve got a point there. I kinda like IS’s ADSL offering, more for business purposes though – they did all the work and made sure things were running smoothly. I would definitely recommend them. I think they may just be a bit too pricey for the average home user.

DaveG – I’ve done exactly that – the SIO option. I heard from Telkom that they’ve already created my port. So I’m just waiting for them to do something about the jumpers and we’re off. Maybe even this week still.

I’m hopeful.