Uncapped ADSL: Vox Telecom to offer own uncapped ADSL service

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 6 February 2012

Word is out that Vox Telecom is planning to offer an uncapped ADSL service of their own, a service with a user friendly Fair Usage Policy (FUP) or Fair Access Policy (FAP).

The above news should be welcomed by the Average Joes in South Africa, although it is unclear what the service will cost, when exactly it will be launched and what Vox Telecom’s definition of a user friendly Fair Usage Policy (FUP) or Fair Access Policy (FAP) exactly is. Vox Telecom will continue to offer wholesale ADSL packages offered by MWEB, IS and Telkom in the meantime. Douglas Reed, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vox Telecom, is of the opinion that an uncapped ADSL service is sustainable in South Africa despite obvious obstacles. He made it clear to MyBroadband that a “proper business model” is key or essential to the sustainability of an uncapped ADSL service. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see if Vox Telecom will manage to bring a cost-effective and user friendly uncapped ADSL service to market. It is after all no secret that the current uncapped ADSL regime in South Africa is not representative of uncapped ADSL in the true sense of the word. The reason being is because many ADSL users who are subscribed to ‘uncapped ADSL services’ still get punished for using bandwidth/data over and above ISP-determined limits. Nobody should be allowed to sell capped ADSL packages as “uncapped” since it is clearly misleading and fraudulent at best. How can one take an orange and sell it as an apple and hide behind so called Fair Usage Policies (FUPs) or Fair Access Policies (FAPs) if one is serious about open and honest business practices? Let’s hope Vox Telecom gets it right the first time around, otherwise it is best to offer cost-effective capped ADSL packages with high caps where FUPs or FAPs don’t come into play. Needless to say, the Average Joes will only be fooled for so long.

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) welcomes Vox Telecom’s intention to launch an independent uncapped ADSL service of their own. We wish them all the best in getting it right the first time around.