ADSL Broadband Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions relate to the R29 per GB special that started running on the 22nd of September 2009

 
How can you be so cheap? What's the "Catch" here?

We decided we would take the money we planned to spend on advertising and use it to subsidise our ADSL packages.

We decided to use this monthly marketing budget to buy extra ADSL bandwidth and pass this extra bandwidth and saving onto anybody who signed up for any of our ADSL packages.

To be honest the only "catch" is that we are only going to subsidise a certain amount of these accounts at this low price forever.

This really is a limited offer and we reserve the right to stop offering this deal to new clients at any time (although as mentioned if you sign up in time you'll lock into this price and pay R29 per GB for the GB's included in the package you choose forever).


How long are you going to offer this special ADSL deal?

The truth is we don't know yet. That will depend on how fast people sign up for this opportunity and the amount of GB's bought. As mentioned we reserve the right to stop offering this price as soon as our monthly advertising budget is exhausred.

So my best advice is that if you want to lock into the price of R29 per GB and you feel this is a good deal then don't delay. I'd honestly hate you to miss out on great offering.


Is this ADSL product as good as other ADSL products on the market?

Yes - Without a doubt!

This is as good an ADSL connection as you can get. We are NOT selling you an inferior product.

Your ADSL will be provided by Internet Solutions' (IS) Fibre link as are all of our current ADSL packages. Your international bandwidth will be provided by the underground SAT3 or Seacom cable.

We are making sure that the ADSL product we sell is of the best quality.

BUT at half the price!

You can see all the details of the packages at:

http://www.afrihost.com/adsl-broadband-internet.php


I've already signed up for an Afrihost ADSL - Do I get the new pricing?

Absolutely!

As a reward for trusting us and signing up with us already, we have now adjusted your pricing to R29 per GB from next month. Your new price is already locked in and guaranteed.

You don't need to do anything - we've automatically adjusted your package, given you the new pricing and locked in more GB's at the lower cost for you. Congratulations!

Here's an example of how we've adjusted your package:

Let's assume you were on our 3 GB package and were paying us R164 per month. We've adjusted your package by locking in more GB's at R29 per month and you will now be getting 5 GB for R145
per month (i.e. 5 GB @ R29 per GB per month).

Of course, if you'd like to increase or decrease the number of GB's in your package simply let us know and we will gladly make the changes for you.


How is it possible that we are offering this R29 per GB special?

If you sign up we will subsidise the cost of your bandwidth with our planned monthly marketing budget (as explained above).

We are not getting a special deal from any ADSL provider. We are paying the same wholesale rates as other companies selling ADSL.


Do you think you will offer this R29 per GB forever?

We will offer this rate forever to anybody who signs up and locks in to this reduced pricing.

Anyone who signs up while the offer is valid will get the GB's included in the package they choose for R29 per GB forever.

We would love to always be able to offer this to all new clients into the future but the truth is we probably will not be able to unless a whole bunch of factors work together:

Some of these factors are:

• Our new offer causes a massive upheaval in the ADSL market and all service providers start offering lower prices. This will in turn put pressure on Telkom to decrease their wholesale prices.
• There are real savings realised from Seacom and this decreases our per GB cost.
• As all of our clients move more GB's our per GB rate we pay will come down.

Our guess is that we will remove this offer as soon as we hit our original "marketing" budget. So we suggest that if you'd like to take advantage of this R29 per GB per month offer you sign up and lock into the price sooner rather than later.


Can I use this bandwidth anytime? Or is it limited (i.e. only 6 PM to 6 AM)?

The R29 per GB is applicable 24 hours a day and there is no specific time limitation as to when you can use it. You can use it at any time of the day or night and it will cost you the same.


Can I use this bandwidth for both local and overseas websites?

Yes - the bandwidth can be used for both local and international downloading.


Why is Afrihost doing this? What are your motives? What's in this for Afrihost?

Well here is the key question! Why would we willingly offer a package where we will subsidise our clients going into the future?

We are doing this for 3 main reasons:

1. We entered the ADSL market late and it is very competitive.
   We felt that this was the best way to get a footprint in the market and
   establish ourselves as one of the premier ADSL providers. We believe
   that the market is ready for this offering especially, because of the
   current news relating to South Africa's high bandwidth costs, Telkom's
   stranglehold on the industry and Winston the pigeon's beating Telkom
   in a race to deliver data!
    
2. We are hoping that this move causes a stir in the internet
   community and somehow forces the bigger ADSL players (esp. Telkom)
   to carefully consider how they are going to bring bandwidth charges
   down. We would be absolutely delighted if this in some way causes
   overall pricing to be reduced and thus provide a better deal for the
   ADSL consumer.
    
3. We believe that the Internet is an incredible tool that
   can truly boost the development of South Africa into a first world country.
   Unfortunately, at the moment time bandwidth is simply too expensive for many
   people to be able to use the Internet. We believe that
   if we can in some way speed up the decrease in the cost of connecting
   to the Internet we will have made a significant contribution to the future
   of South Africa.

However, having said all of this the truth is that we are an entrepreneurial company focused on being profitable. We believe that this move will be profitable to us in the long run.

We may very well lose some money over the next few years on the new clients who sign up but we believe that this will expose more people to our name and show people just what kind of value driven and awesome service they can get from Afrihost.


What happens to my pricing once the offer is removed?

Your price for your package will always be locked in - even when the special is no longer available to new signups.

Here is an example of how it works:

You buy the 3 GB package for R87 per month.

You will pay us the R87 for the 3 GB's included in your package as long as you are with us - no matter when the special offer ends.

While we are running the special if in any given month you use more than your 3 GB's then you can top up and get extra GB's of traffic at R29 per GB.

However, when the special is ended, even though you'll still pay only R87.00 per month for your first 3 GB's,  if you do need more GB's and need to top up your package you will pay the after-special rate (this will never be more than R49.00 per GB and may be less).

Thus, it may be wise to get as many GB's in your monthly package as you will need in the future - this will ensure you maximise your ongoing saving.


Where do I signup for this?

Click on this link and choose your package:

http://www.afrihost.com/adsl-broadband-internet.php

Remember. If you signup in time you will lock in the price of R29 per GB for all the GB's included in the package you buy.

(If you don't see packages at R29.00 per GB then it means that we have unfortunately reached our limit of new signups and are not offering the special anymore).
 

The following questions relate to what you need and how you can go about getting connected with Afrihost ADSL

Is my telephone line enabled for DSL service already?
Please contact Telkom customer services to confirm. If it is not then you need to ask Telkom to enable it for you.

What do I need to have ADSL?
You will need 3 things:
               1) An Afrihost ADSL Account
               2) A DSL enabled telephone line with Telkom; and
               3)An ADSL modem / router.

Can I install DSL on a prepaid telephone line?
ADSL service is only supported on an account with a monthly subscription from Telkom.

Is my telephone line enabled for DSL service already?
Please contact Telkom customer services to confirm. If it is not then you need to ask Telkom to enable it for you.

Do I need to have a separate telephone line to have Afrihost ADSL?
ADSL allows you to share an Afrihost high speed internet connection & your voice calls over the same physical telephone line.

Do I have DSL service in my area?
Please click here to verify whether your exchange offers DSL service.

Can Afrihost make my telephone line line DSL ready?
Unfortunately this can only be done by Telkom.

Will I get an email account with my ADSL subscription?
Afrihost will provide you with your very own email address @afrihost.co.za.

Where can I see my ADSL bandwidth usage?
Your bandwidth usage is available through your Afrihost Client Zone. The web address is https://clientzone.afrihost.com - simply fill in your username and password to access it.

How long does it take for my ADSL service to be active after I signup?
Afrihost will activate your ADSL account within 24 hours of your signup.

Is Afrihost ADSL shaped or unshaped?
Afrihost provides a world class semi-shaped ADSL service. This means that during business hours priority is given to the most important web protocols ( e.g. Internet browsing and email). After hours however there is no shaping on the connection.

Is my IP address always the same if I have an Afrihost ADSL account?
Your IP address will change everytime you make a connection to the ADSL server.

Does Afrihost offer 24/7 ADSL support?
Yes. Afrihost is committed to giving the best service ever. You can get a call back anytime of the day and night by SMS'ing a standard rate sms through to us.

What do I do if I reach my bandwidth cap?
Afrihost provides a top up service which you can use to refill your ADSL account.

Do I have to sign a contract to get Afrihost ADSL?
Afrihost offers a month to month service, no contracts - no strings attached.

What DSL line speed do I need, 384Kbps, 512Kbps or 4Mbps?
The speeds above refer to how fast you will download data from the internet. We recommend the 384Kbps for home users, the 512Kbps for small businesses with a few Internet users & the 4Mbps for larger businesses.

Are you ready to signup with us? Click here to choose your ADSL Plan >>