FTW: Free the Web with naked ADSL

MWEB's Free the Web campaign (FTW) is highlighting the importance of Naked ADSL in a new social media movement. MWEB's Free the Web (FTW) initiative has taken up the cause of Naked ADSL, calling on South Africans to take a stand and add their vote to remove mandatory landline billing with ADSL lines.

Derek Hershaw, CEO MWEB ISP, says: "With Uncapped ADSL finally becoming the norm for fixed line access, the time has come for Free the Web to focus on the next cause. So we're asking consumers to take a stand and call for Naked ADSL. There are currently three costs associated with having ADSL connectivity in South Africa: the ADSL line rental; the cost of the ADSL data; and the cost of the landline rental from Telkom," says Hershaw.

As Telkom is bundling the landline with the ADSL line, consumers are unable to subscribe to an ADSL-only service, where they just rent the ADSL line and pay for data usage. If they want ADSL, customers are forced to also pay the rental fee for the landline, irrespective of whether they use it for voice calls. Although our voice lines do currently subsidise a portion of our ADSL line costs, consumers should still see a reduction in costs if you didn't have to have a landline.

"Since a landline is not required for ADSL connectivity, Naked ADSL calls for Telkom to unbundle landlines from ADSL lines, ensuring that ADSL customers who don't want a telephone line don't end up having to pay for one unnecessarily," says Hershaw.

Naked ADSL FTW Video Campaign

The Naked ADSL issue was once again brought to light at the recent Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) hearings held by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). These hearings discussed opening last mile access to the copper ADSL infrastructure, which is currently owned by Telkom. LLU would mean more competition within the Internet Service Provider space, which would benefit consumers.

MWEB sees Naked ADSL as being a step closer to complete LLU, as LLU is expected to be a very lengthy process.

"The FTW initiative has therefore taken up the call for Naked ADSL. South Africans can visit the FreeTheWebSA Facebook page, watch a quick video which explains the concept and campaign, and show their support for Naked ADSL via an Appeal Mosaic," says Hershaw.

The mosaic will feature a visual representation of South Africa's call for Naked ADSL. It will also allow people who have already made their mark to spread the word and grow the petition by sharing the mosaic with their friends - further spreading the message.

"Naked ADSL is another step in the process of driving down the cost of connectivity. It's also about the right to only pay for something if you want to use it which is completely logical," Hershaw concludes.

MWEB originally devised the FTW initiative to champion change in how SA connects to the Internet and to provide a platform for South Africans to come together and work towards a local Internet landscape that's aligned with international benchmarks. MWEB's pioneering launch of uncapped, unthrottled ADSL for R219 per month (data only costs on a 384kpbs line speed) in March 2010 followed closely on the launch of FTW.

Get involved FTW

• FTW Twitter handle: @FreeTheWebSA
• Naked ADSL Facebook Tab - where South Africans can show their support for FTW Naked ADSL via an Appeal Mosaic.

NEWS FLASH: MWEB to host an additional 53 gaming titles locally!

MWEB is continuing to expand its online gaming offering through its existing partnership with Gameservers.com. Riding on the back of the successful launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops, MWEB is looking to expand its platform further to ensure that local Internet users have a superior gaming experience.

To support this, the Interent Service Provider will be hosting a further 53 Gameservers.com titles on its network, including the likes of the popular Counter Strike, Battlefield and Medal of Honour.

“Online gaming is a key focus for us in 2011 and we are excited by the growth that we’re seeing in this space. Our goal is to position MWEB at the forefront of online gaming in South Africa,” says Derek Hershaw, CEO of MWEB ISP.

To further support these additional titles and to ensure a flawless end-user experience, the ISP has deployed its own Steam server allowing South African gamers to get automatic updates on their favourite games. Steam has servers all over the world, which host several major gaming titles.

“The decision to deploy a Steam Server is another value added service to our customers and means that they won’t need to worry about hunting for patches and spending hours downloading updates on unsolicited websites,” explains Hershaw.

The new gaming titles and the Steam servers will be hosted in MWEB’s Cape Town and Johannesburg data centres to ensure that customers have a superior gaming experience.

Both MWEB and non-MWEB customers will see benefits from the local hosting of the games and Steam servers as they will no longer have to connect to international servers.

• For more information on MWEB’s games visit MWEB GameZone at www.mweb.co.za/gamezone

- Issued on belhalf of MWEB and Greater Than

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ADSL: Now that you have more bandwidth, what will you do with it?

FIRST there was dialup and ISDN, giving you a trickle of bandwidth for which you paid per minute. If you didn’t watch yourself you could easily pay hundreds of rands a month – and it was suicidally slow. Then there was capped ADSL, which was faster, but your internet usage was restricted to a gigabyte or two each month. After reaching your cap, you either had to top it up with a booster, or be cut off from your internet for the rest of the month.

Today, there is uncapped ADSL at a fixed, low price. And with unlimited internet access there’s so much more you can do online that it’s going to change your life. MWEB recently launched uncapped ADSL starting at R219 per month. Carolyn Holgate, general manager of MWEB Connect, offers ten MWEB uncapped ADSL tips for making the most of cheap, unlimited internet at home:

1. Download music, movies, TV shows and YouTube videos

“It is quite conceivable that a family of four could use 20 gigabytes and more each month downloading entertainment content from the Internet,” says Holgate. “We definitely don’t recommend that you download anything illegal, but for such a family to each  watch ten minutes of YouTube a day, download two MP3s a day, two TV shows a month and three standard-definition movies a month would add up to 20 gigabytes right there."

"Before, this would have been extremely expensive, and almost inconceivable. But now, thanks to low-cost uncapped ADSL, you can pay a flat fee and not worry about exceeding your cap again,” says Holgate.

DStv recently launched “DStv On Demand” and if you are a DStv Premium subscriber with an MWEB ADSL account, you can watch or download premium quality TV content on your PC or laptop – for no extra costs. Go to www.dstv.com to register.

Check out these other sites for cool entertainment content:

• www.mtv.com
• www.hulu.com
• www.zoopy.com
• www.youtube.com

2. Set up web-calling with video

“Most people don’t need any introduction to phone and video calls over the web,” says Holgate. “This technology is what keeps families and friends together, no matter what the distance. Once you’ve got uncapped ADSL, you can talk to other users on the same system for free – and with an unlimited amount of data each month you can talk to your heart’s content. Try MWEB’s Webcall service."

3. Try online gaming

If you possess a sword with Arabic-looking squiggles on it called Slayer in the Realm of Pneimh, the world of online gaming could be for you. We recommend using faster packages for online gaming as it will provide a delay-free gaming experience. Gaming sites such as www.mweb.co.za/games is a good one to start with.

4. Start your own blog

If you want to share your life with others, then a blog is ideal. You can upload content, pictures, videos and music and share it with your friends and family – and never worry about exceeding your data cap each month. Go to MWEB’s blog page at www.blogspace.mweb.co.za to get started.

5. Stay in touch with social media tools online

Like email and surfing the web, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have become part of our lifestyle – particularly for the connected youth. MWEB recently investigated South African’s social networking habits, and 82% of the participants are on Facebook. This shows we’re savvy social networkers already and these figures are growing! Chances are your kids are well up to speed with the latest tools; you don’t want to be left behind!

6. Set up a home-based business or access the office from home

Entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to fuel job creation in this country. “Thanks to cheap, uncapped ADSL, you can set up a professional home office that lets you do business from your own space. Alternatively, you can access your traditional office network from home, giving you the flexibility demanded by increasing traffic gridlock and time constraints,” says Holgate.

7. Work more flexibly

Professionals whose core skills can be offered virtually are probably better off working at home. Companies have the flexible use of their services while saving on desk space, and with uncapped ADSL there is no limit as to how much data these virtual workers can access.

8. Why pay unnecessarily for software?

Instead of buying expensive software applications, you can try OpenOffice.org or Google Docs. ADSL lets you access, use and store your data in web-hosted applications – safely and quickly. Holgate continues, “You will also be able to download additional applications to your computer now that you have all the bandwidth you can swallow. And remember, for every application you need, there is a free or cheaper version available online.”

9. Save memory space on your computer

Instead of downloading tools and information to store on your computer, access them online when you need them. You don’t have to worry about the costs associated with accessing files and applications online as your monthly fee is fixed.

10. Get the value-added services you need

You may be happy with your ISP, but prices are plummeting and competition has reached a level never experienced before. Besides cheap, unlimited bandwidth, your ISP should offer a quality network that can withstand the demands of uncapped Internet users, security, support, antivirus, antispam, faxmail, a big free mailbox and value-adds such as free Wi-Fi minutes.

“Broadband is a highly enabling tool, spurring innovation and allowing greater flexibility in communication and entertainment. Uncapped ADSL will allow users to be more adventurous about the sites they visit and how they use the Internet. It’s a very exciting time for users in South Africa,” concludes Holgate.

• These MWEB uncapped ADSL tips were issued on behalf of MWEB. For more information on MWEB’s packages, visit www.mweb.co.za or call 08600 32000 to speak to a sales consultant.

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WEB SURVEY: MWEB’s Friendship 2.0 survey revealed social networking as the new way to "talk over the garden fence"

ON average, adult social networkers in South Africa are in their 30's, employed full-time, and describe themselves as sociable and outgoing. This is according to findings in new research commissioned by MWEB. The Friendship 2.0 survey was conducted towards the end of last year among local web users aged 16 years and older, busting the myth that social networking is only done by youngsters. It demonstrates how social networking has gone mainstream.

Social Networking Survey: Findings

Facebook remains the dominant social networking platform with a massive 82% using the service. Behind Facebook comes YouTube (32%), then MXit (29%) and Twitter 28%. The majority of people are using these services to communicate real life activities such as sharing personal news, gossiping and making arrangements to meet socially.

Social networking is changing the format of personal networks dramatically. Many people are now making friends and meeting potential partners online. The impact of social networking is also expanding personal networks with the average user claiming to have around 158 friends they regularly interact with.

“Social networks have really become the garden fence of the 21st century, and are used for very much the same purposes as community meeting places. We are at the end of the early adoption phase, which was dominated by young people, and social networking is now a mainstream activity enjoyed and used by all age groups, particularly those in their thirties.” - Carolyn Holgate, General Manager of MWEB Connect

Social Networking Survey: Users in South Africa

The survey revealed that the average age of Facebook users in South Africa is 33; MySpace is 32; Twitter and YouTube come in at 31; and the youngest in the survey is MXit with an average age of 27. These findings dispel perceptions that social networking is for teenagers only.

Social Networking Survey: Multiple presences

Many online South Africans are also taking up multiple presences using a combination of Facebook, Twitter and MXit accounts. To facilitate integration between these multiple platforms, these users link their various accounts to each other enabling visitors to their Facebook pages to view their Twitter updates and click through to their MySpace profile.

On certain social platforms it’s more a matter of viewing than doing. For example, 75% of MySpace users are only ‘viewers’, moving from one profile to the next. Similarly, 72% of Twitter users are ‘lurkers’, reading what others post. This may be because Twitter is still relatively ‘new’ and users do not have the option of accepting people who would like to follow them. Users could also be more concerned about what their followers may think of their comments.

Facebook and LinkedIn are the most balanced, with 60% of their users classed as “viewers”, who just view other people’s pages, and 40% actively posting their own information regularly.

Social Networking Survey: Facebook Chat

The addition of Facebook’s chat facility/instant messenger tool has seen 56% of South African Facebook users ‘chatting’ to their friends on the site. “When we looked at who they are chatting to, friends and family were tops. Clients, partners and suppliers were the lowest, possibly because most Facebook users prefer not to befriend people they deal with professionally.”

Social Networking Survey: Internet connectivity

The way South African’s are accessing the Internet revealed that ADSL is the connection of choice. “Some 48% of the participants are connecting via ADSL, followed very closely by 3G/HSDPA at 42%, and 35% via their cell phones using 3G,” added Holgate.

Social Networking Survey: Online personality types

The survey results categorised respondents into five different online personality types. These personality types, vary from those who are reluctant to use the Internet and do not have an understanding of what can be done online, through to users who are comfortable using the Internet and indulge in potentially “edgy” behaviour, such as using a pseudonym online or using the Internet to find out what a past partner is doing.

Additional interesting findings include:

• The research revealed that 74% of South Africans going online do so specifically to visit social networking platforms.
• 16% of Facebook users in the survey are on Facebook all day, an additional 58% visit the site once a day or more. This means 74% are accessing Facebook at least once a day.
• The computer desktop remains the most popular way to access Facebook (55%), but 35% are using a combination of their cellphone and computer.
• 62% of Facebook users are updating their status, and 61% are uploading videos or photographs, and searching for someone on the site.
• 16% of participants are using social platforms to promote their business.
• 94% of the participants are using the Internet to access their email followed by 81% using the Internet for work related activities.
• Social networking (74%) rated six on the list of online activities after reading the news (76%), searching for information (76%) and online banking (75%).
• 50% of Facebook users classified themselves as English, 58% are male and 25% have parents on the social platforms.
• 25% of the survey participants have met more friends online than they have in real life.
• 24% have gone on a face-to-face date with someone they have met online.
• 36% have used a pseudonym online.
• 36% have used the Internet to find out what a past partner is doing.
• 37% believe they spend too much time online and need to cut back.
• 49% feel vulnerable to abuse by sharing their personal details online.
• And 21% have experienced a breach of their privacy on the Internet.

TNS Research Surveys conducted the social networking survey with a selection of participants of varying demographics to identify which social networking platforms are popular among South Africans and to probe what they are doing on the various sites. 401 people from TNS Research Surveys’ online panel were interviewed. All respondents in the survey were aged 16 years or older and the data is representative of the South African online population in terms of age, race and gender. The data was weighted to bring age/race/gender into line with AMPS figures.

For more information about this social networking survey, indicative profiles of the five online personality types identified during this survey, and to see how you compare to the average South African using social networking platforms, visit: http://www.mweb.co.za/services/friendship/

- issued on behalf of MWEB

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ONLINE SHOPPING: Tips for the festive season

IF you’re tired of mad dashes to the shops for that last forgotten item, manic searches for parking, tussles with strangers over the last turkey, and queues longer than the Nile, then shopping online is the way to overcome your festive season shopping nightmare.

Online shopping is fast and convenient, making it incredibly easy to shop around for a better deal. You can find almost anything online, from groceries to discounted flight tickets, and best of all, Internet shops are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here are a few tips from Mweb to ensure that your online shopping experience is safe and hassle-free this festive season:

Secure your computer

Your computer should have anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software installed. Security software must be updated regularly to provide protection against the latest threats. A good Internet security package is vital, but can be expensive.

Mweb subscribers can download Mweb Total Protection from McAfee online for free. This is a state-of-the-art package specifically designed to protect your computer against malicious software and hackers, and will automatically remind you to perform any updates.

Software such as this will also give you warnings when the site you’re working with may be insecure.

Check if the site is safe

When buying online, look for signs that the website is secure before entering your personal and financial information. This is indicated by a closed padlock on the browser’s status bar or by an “s” at the end of http (e.g., https://www.onlineshop/bargains.com).

Only buy from trusted merchants

Only shop at companies that you have heard of or that have been recommended by a trusted source. If you have not heard of the company before, but are keen on its merchandise, why not look for its contact details and give its people a call.

Know what you are paying for

Always read the seller’s descriptions carefully and note that name-brand items at greatly reduced prices could be counterfeit. Ask for proof of authenticity if necessary as you can’t scrutinise items like you would if you were in a store when shopping online.

Online Payments

Online payments are usually made with a credit card. When given a choice, rather use a credit card instead of a debit card because credit card companies such as Visa and MasterCard protect you against unauthorised purchases.

Remember to keep your passwords safe and don’t save them on your computer, even as a separate file, just as you wouldn’t keep your credit card’s PIN number in your wallet.

Log off from your web browser after shopping

When you’ve finished shopping online, log off from the website and close your web browser. This will end your session safely, and will keep your personal information protected. Also, be wary of entering personal financial information at an Internet café or public access spot.

The cyber-world is not that different from the real world and similar rules apply. Trust your instincts and be street-wise. Happy shopping, and may you receive many happy feelings this festive season :)

• A great place to start a safe and secure shopping experience online is Take2

Related posts: • Your online shopping guide • The Simple Life (online)

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INTERNET: The Simple Life (online)

TECHNOLOGY is often blamed for complicating our lives instead of simplifying them. But there are ways to harness the power of technology to achieve your dream of an ordered, less chaotic life. Natalie Thayer, GM of MWEB, offers some advice on how to get the balance right:

• Go grocery shopping online
  Instead of wandering the supermarket aisles, have food, wine and other household goods delivered to your doorstep. Many retailers including Woolworths and Pick ‘n Pay, have online shopping facilities which can save you money, petrol and travel time.
  
• Make phone calls over the Internet
  Internet phone services, like MTalk Webcall, allow you to make national, international and cell phone calls very cheaply – and sometimes for free. An ideal alternative to a traditional landline, Webcall is easy to use and you only need a broadband Internet connection.

Transfer money, pay bills and bank online
If you haven’t already, set yourself up with Internet banking. You can move money from one account to another, do direct deposits and pay your accounts online so you don’t have to go into a store or stand in bank queues longer than the Nile to settle your accounts.

• Use the Internet for school projects and homework
  Instead of a shelf full of outdated encyclopaedias, get your kids to use the Internet for school project research and even exam revision. It will save you money and trips to the library. A useful site for students is sparknotes.com

Upgrade your Internet connection
If you are still using a painfully slow dial-up connection, save yourself time and frustration by upgrading to a broadband connection like ADSL. Faster connection speeds and a fixed monthly fee will let you rediscover the joys of the Internet. You’ll also avoid tying up your phone line for hours at a time.

“The Internet is not only a source of information but also a great way to get your daily tasks done, saving you time and petrol money. The careful use of technology can help simplify life - you just need to choose the technology you really need to achieve your goals.”
— Natalie Thayer, GM of MWEB

— issued on behalf of MWEB

Related post: • Online shopping tips • Your online shopping guide

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In celebration of the launch of mobile voice, MWEB is on the look out for South Africa’s first-ever Gadget Genie

THE Gadget Genie campaign is an effort to demystify technology in a fun and funky way and aims to show consumers how they could enjoy the benefits of web 2.0 and the latest cellular gadgets.

During the course of the campaign MWEB representatives will hit the streets of SA to interview ordinary citizens about their greatest technology woes.

So If you know your Wi-Fi from your WiMax and your Bluetooth from your Blu-Ray, visit www.mwebgadgetgenie.co.za before November 16 and try your techno-ledge on the Geek-O-Meter to stand the chance of winning great prizes.

Post-winner-announcement plans include a series of 'agony aunt' blog entries and educational blogs where the Gadget Guy or Girl will explain and demonstrate solutions to these problems, and in doing so, help demystify technology for the nation.

Who qualifies as a Gadget Genie?
The Gadget Guy or Gadget Girl is incredibly Internet and tech-savvy and proud to be called a geek! He/she understands all models of cellphones intimately, can sync their laptop with their cellphone in a matter of seconds, can connect to the Internet via any cell, and realises the power of the Internet by finding innovative ways to help you get online info quicker.

The Genie will be the ultimate person to help guide the average user through the maze of cell and Internet options.

• Post-winner-announcement activities will depend on the Gadget Genie’s availability.

- Issued on behalf of MWEB

Link: Test your knowledge on the Geek-O-Metre

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