User may relinquish anti-Sentech sites

Johannesburg, 15 Jun 2004

A Sentech user who launched the Web sites www.sentechsucks.co.za and www.mywirelesssucks.co.za has agreed to give up ownership of the domain names, if Sentech informs users why there was a problem. Sentech is seeking legal advice.

Roelf Diedericks, an IT professional, says he launched the Web sites after his download speeds plummeted.

"I`m on the 128KBps line. However, in May, download speeds were worse than those received on a 56KBps line. I was receiving download speeds of 3Kbps to 4Kbps," he says.

Diedericks says he was initially one of Sentech`s staunchest supporters and recommended the service to friends and family. He says he also did some work for the company, developing a Linux driver for Sentech`s modems.

"But then the service just got so bad and Sentech gave a range of ridiculous explanations for the problem. All calls to the call centre were stonewalled. So in desperation, I set the two sites to try and encourage Sentech to provide users with a logical explanation of the problem," he says.

Diedericks says he received a response from Sentech on Tuesday last week and by Friday he was back up to acceptable download speeds of 10Kbps to 12Kbps. "With the service restored, I have agreed to hand over ownership of the domain names as long as a reasonable explanation is given to MyWireless users. And at the very least, I`d also like an apology."

Diedericks says he realises that businesses can run into problems. "Ideally, I`d like them to admit they were caught with their pants down. It really irks me that they stonewalled the issue of the service, presuming users would keep quiet."

Legal advice

Winston Smith, Sentech MyWireless portfolio manager, says Sentech is seeking legal advice on the issue and expects an answer from legal council by the end of the week.

"We have asked for legal advice about the possible misuse of Sentech`s name on the Web sites launched by the complainant, as well as advice on the conditions on which he will agree to hand over the domains.

"While we are prepared to give an explanation of the problems users have had, the complainant has asked for specific information, which we are not obliged to give. If he insists that we be bound to conditions in order to have the Web sites removed, that is tantamount to bribery," Smith says.

Internet lawyer Ryk Meiring says Sentech would only have a trademark infringement case against Diedericks if he used Sentech`s name for commercial use. "Alternatively, if Sentech wanted to launch a defamation case, Diedericks would have to prove the information posted on the two sites is true and that it is in the interests of the public."

However, with no case law regulating such sites, Meiring says if Sentech were to take action, it would be a precedent-setting case.

The problem

Smith says the problem was in managing collective Internet bandwidth.

"I personally handled 52 complainants, which is less than 5% of users. What happened was our systems were unfairly managing bandwidth, which meant users got variation in speed," he says.

Smith says that in order to rectify the problem, Sentech has added a significant amount of local and international bandwidth. He says a solution is also being put in place to manage user bandwidth individually as opposed to the previous system of collective bandwidth management. Smith says the solution will be in place within the week and users can expect some downtime in the early hours of the morning.

Smith says that while Sentech is trying to provide the best service possible, there are obstacles that have to be overcome. "In a new technology and a new service, we`re still finding our feet and ways to manage bandwidth better," he says.