MWEB launches VDSL

MWEB has launched six new connectivity products that take advantage of the introduction of VDSL (Very-High-Bit-Rate Digital Subscriber Line) technology in South Africa.

The new products, designed to cater for the different connectivity requirements of large and small businesses as well as consumers, deliver exceptionally high speed connections.

‚”VDSL is like ADSL on steroids only faster. It’s up to four times faster than the fastest ADSL currently available,‚” says MWEB ISP CEO Derek Hershaw.

According to Hershaw, while LTE may offer higher burst speeds and Fibre may deliver greater long-term reliability, VDSL is the way to go for users that have high-traffic-high-speed requirements.

MWEB’s new VDSL offerings* include (all prices include VAT):

¬∑ MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL – 20Mbps and MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL – 40Mbps. These premium unshaped and unthrottled services are characterised by unrivalled network performance and reliability, 24×7 support and static IP addresses. These products also come with several value added services such as a 2GB mailbox, 300MB wifi and a 5GB Store-It account. A business class VDSL router is included in the price of R5,799 and R10,699 respectively per month.

¬∑ MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL Lite – 20Mbps and MWEB Business Uncapped VDSL Lite – 40Mbps. These shaped for business products are perfectly suited for businesses that demand the best possible connectivity speeds for typical business applications such as browsing, email and VoIP/voice. While this product does not come with any static IP addresses, it does include 24×7 support, a 2GB mailbox, 300MB wifi, 5GB Store-It account and a business class router in the monthly charges of R3,799 and R5,799 respectively.

· MWEB VDSL Р20Mbps and MWEB VDSL Р40Mbps are designed to meet the needs of consumers and Small Office-Home Office (SOHO) users who require a high speed broadband connection with no restrictions on data usage. These high speed, shaped uncapped products come with several value added services including a 2GB mailbox, 300MB wifi, 5GB Store-It and a fax mail account. The MWEB uncapped VDSL-20Mbps product is available at R2,299 and THE the VDSL 40Mbps product at R3,999.

However, Hershaw cautions that VDSL is currently available in only a handful of areas in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal.

Whether a potential VDSL subscriber is able to get the service will depend on how far their premises are from a Telkom street distribution cabinet (SDC), and whether that SDC has been upgraded to a multi-service access node (MSAN).

‚”MWEB is following the roll-out of MSANs closely. As soon as the Telkom infrastructure upgrade is complete, we will make our VDSL products available to our customers in that area,‚” Hershaw concludes.