unlimited’ browsing
From 1 February, Telkom subscribers will no longer be limited to local browsing when they reach their Internet data cap. Instead, their transfer speeds will be throttled and shaped when hitting international sites.
Telkom will be upgrading its Internet network from 1 February 2013, in a move towards optimising both its residential and business customer experience.
The change that will take place is the replacement of the free local data promotion by a ‚”soft cap‚” for new and existing customers.
This effectively means customers reaching their Internet cap will no longer be limited to local data. They will now also be able to access international sites. ‚”Removing this restriction signifies Telkom’s continuous efforts to ensure it meets customer demands.‚”
Instead of hitting a cap, customers will now merely have their speed throttled and some of their international browsing shaped.
According to Telkom, all data consumed on the ‚’soft cap’ will not be charged for.
Day to day activities such as e-mail, banking and browsing will be given priority, while lower priority will be given to high usage applications such as file sharing and streaming services.
There are three options available to customers wanting to surf on full speed again:
1. Pre-Paid credit card Top-Up: Load additional data to the Internet account using a South African credit card.
2. Post-Paid Billing (Cap Management): A pay-per-use model where customers will be charged on their Telkom invoice per MB for data consumed. For customers using the cap management feature, Telkom will provide a default ‚”double your chosen data cap limit‚” and customers will no longer be able to set their own cap. Customers choosing this option can request the soft cap at any time by visiting the Telkom Internet Usage tracker tool on the website.
3. Accounts can also be upgraded to a higher cap by contacting Telkom online or telephonically via:
– Residential: 10210
– Business: 10217
Despite the added value, prices remain the same for the Do (consumer) and TBiz (business) capped bundles.
With regards to the Do Uncapped Offers, Telkom will remove the current daytime speed limitations but these packages will remain shaped.
Business customers will also benefit from the upgrade. TBiz Uncapped will evolve to see greater prioritisation of business traffic. This gives business customers an edge as the prioritisation of business applications will ensure business critical data reaches customers and suppliers on time.
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