TMCnet News
OpenWeb tailors for gaming community [ITWeb](ITWeb Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) OpenWeb is running an opening special with its latest uncapped ADSL packages. Local Internet service provider (ISP) OpenWeb has introduced a series of packages it says are designed to suit the needs of home Internet users and gamers, starting at R149 per month for a 2Mbps, shaped service. OpenWeb CEO Keoma Wright says emphasis has been placed on prioritising gaming, "24 hours a day and seven days a week". The company's home uncapped shaped ADSL packages include an up-to-2Mbps line for R149 per month, 4Mbps for R249 per month, 6Mbps for R299 per month, and10Mbps for R399 per month. All four packages are available without contracts and include free access to OpenWeb's "Download Heaven", which offers unshaped access daily between midnight and 7am. Wright says, as an opening special, OpenWeb will offer free access for clients that order "soon", for the rest of October. "This means they won't have to begin paying until November." By way of comparison, the table below includes some of SA's other ISPs' advertised uncapped ADSL products: Line speed Up to 2Mbps Up to 4Mbps Up to 6Mbps Up to 10Mbps OpenWeb R149 R249 R299 R399 Afrihost R297 R397 - R797 Axxess R265 R325 - R495 Cybersmart R184 R280 - R354 MWeb R199 R239 R359 R539 Telkom Internet R165 R299 - R425 Vox Telecom R239 R359 - R399 Web Africa R199 R299 - R499 Web Africa outlines the use case scenarios for the various lines: "2Mbps is best for all-round Internet use for you and your family, ideal for two to three simultaneous users. 4Mbps (four to five simultaneous users) is ideal for online videos, gaming, social media and online calls as well as quick downloads. 10Mbps is the perfect deal for media-rich data, viewing online videos in high-definition and super-fast downloads. Ideal for an online-active family, it also helps keep lag to a minimum." acceptable use policy (https://www.afrihost.com/site/page/acceptable_use_policy), while Vox Telecom "reserves the right to use the bandwidth management practice of reducing a user's connection speed, (throttling) based on usage patterns and history". MWeb describes shaped as follows: "A shaped service is a moderated way that data is delivered to your computer through your ADSL line. Certain things are given priority over others, such as Web sites, which are given priority over e-mail being downloaded. [For example], if you are downloading your e-mail, and surfing the Web, you will get to the Web page first, before your e-mails have completed downloading." An unshaped service has no prioritisation of any traffic, but rather operates on a "first come, first served" basis – regardless of which protocol is used, says the ISP. This option generally incurs elevated costs. (c) 2014 ITWeb Limited. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |