Sentech: Smart move or not?

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 18 September 2006

Sentech’s decision to terminate its MyWireless Classic service might be the final blow to its customer base and MyWireless service. Did they make a smart move?

Feelings about Sentech’s decision can be described as MIXED with some based on fact, some on pure emotion and some on a combination of the two. While Sentech’s decision might be a good one financially it doesn’t mean that loyal MyWireless Classic users don’t feel betrayed. Part of Sentech’s reason for making the move might in itself prove fatal.

Sentech’s reason: “There is no other wireless broadband provider in the market offering an “eat all you can” service, because of the costs of running such a service. While some users may feel indignant because they are paying for their Classic product, they have to understand that the total Classic user base’s monthly subscriptions do not cover the costs of the bandwidth they are consuming” (Sentech Responds to MyWireless Article, 11 September 2006).

Well, why did you offer it in the first place if the cost of running such a service is deemed too high? It can be described as attracting customers under false pretences or very poor planning at best. You don’t hold out a carrot and just dump it in the mud if you don’t get your field day, especially if you didn’t even feel the need to consult with the users of your service first. One way of going down is to kill your best seller and loyal customers.

“Lastly, it is a mere handful of power users who are protesting. The broader base will more than likely be very happy with the cheaper option” (Sentech Responds to MyWireless Article, 11 September 2006).

Do you have proof to back up your claim that “it is a mere handful of power users who are protesting”? A recent survey conducted by MyADSL tells a different story. More than 80% of Sentech’s MyWireless Classic respondents indicated that changes you made to the Classic packages are one of the main reasons they are considering ADSL and iBurst instead. Trying to play the majority against the minority works in some cases although it’s designed to duck from responsibility at best, something serious-minded people don’t appreciate at all. This might prove to be the fatal strike into Sentech’s heart.

On the other hand: “...the additional saving of bandwidth will enable us to offer an improved service to Flexi users. Sentech will also substantially increase the Flexi product’s download speed in the near future” (Sentech Responds to MyWireless Article, 11 September 2006).

It might be true but will the additional benefits be substantial enough to stop users from crossing over? The users of Sentech’s MyWireless service will have the final say because viable alternatives are not part of fantasy but reality.

We hope that all will work out for the good at Sentech. Let's hope we see a win-win situation at the end of the day.