Telkom this week introduced special rate packages for home Internet users - something it committed itself to doing in a recent out-of-court settlement with the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA).
Telkom users that opt to subscribe to the new services are to pay less for phone calls to connect to the Internet, regardless of which Internet service provider (ISP) they subscribe to.
The new packages, branded SurfMore, are already available and come as a package with line rental, the CallAnswer service and a set number of "Internet hours" bundled at a fixed price. Subscription to service provider TelkomInternet is optional.
An advertising campaign to promote the product is to be launched next week.
The company says calls to dedicated access numbers at ISPs during off-peak times will qualify for discounts. "Calls to any listed POP [point of presence] will qualify," says spokesman Andrew Weldrick. "We approached the ISPs and got the numbers listed. If by any chance a number is not listed, any Telkom client can make us aware of it and we will put it on the register."
The entry-level package, SurfMore 10, bundles line rental (normally R67.72/month), CallAnswer (R9.85/month) and 10 hours of Internet time during off-peak hours at R130. That equates to about 10c a minute; Telkom`s normal off-peak call rate is 12c per minute. Off-peak times are from 7pm to 7am during the week and from 7pm on Fridays to 7am on Mondays.
The most expensive package, SurfMore 30 Plus, includes ISDN line rental, CallAnswer, 30 hours of off-peak call time and subscription to TelkomInternet for R418. At normal subscription rates for the other services, calls will cost below 7c per minute.
Only calls to registered ISP numbers will qualify for the bundled Internet hours, and once the subscribed number of hours is exhausted, normal rates will apply. Unused time will not be carried over to following months.
Telkom says it has been planning to introduce such packages for some time due to strong customer demand. It finally committed to doing so before the end of this year as part of a settlement agreement with ICASA in June.
ADSL, at last
Another long-delayed service, high-speed ADSL or asymmetric digital subscriber line, is to be launched next week. Although Telkom says most of its network is DSL ready, it is planning a geographically phased roll-out, with the launch next week expected to be a commercial trial in Gauteng.
Although speculation abounds, official pricing for the new service has not yet been released.
Non-commercial ADSL trials, with services provided to Telkom employees, have been in place for some time. The launch of the service is thought to have been partially delayed due to problems in certifying the customer premise equipment to be used, but the company today confirmed that it had gained all necessary approval for its modems.
An ADSL support line is already active and Telkom is expected to unveil its own installation software next week.
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