Earlier this month, the ICT minister announced that Mauritius Telecom no longer have a monopoly over SAFE (Open Access Policy). & yesterday, the ICT minister unveiled the new prices that Mauritius Telecom have decided to apply (to counter the competition), taking effect as from the 1st December.
All prices are VAT inclusive.
ADSL Home 128K (available in Rodrigues only) & 256K 3GB - from Rs 499 to Rs 399.
ADSL Home 512K - from Rs 848 to Rs 759.
ADSL Home 1M (old subscribers only) - from Rs 1549 to Rs 1353.
A decrease of around Rs 100. Peanuts. My.T users (without TV option) should have the same price decrease while those paying the full package will have to wait for Orange to reveal the new pricing (or new TV channels if they decide to 'upgrade' the offer).
ADSL Pro 256K 3GB – from Rs 920 to Rs 847.
ADSL Business 512K – from Rs 2875 to Rs 2745.
ADSL Business 1M – from Rs 5750 to Rs 5620.
That pretty much confirms that this year we'll have no speed double (as in March last year) nor new speed offers available, despite the connection of Eassy to Mauritius. Let's cheer to our "awesome" Internet speeds!
(That's a 512k connection speed above - as experienced by @tushal2)
As mentioned in the budget, there will be a 16% to 24% decrease at the start of 2011 in the International Private Leased Circuit and Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network. So expect further price decrease in 2011 (or as we all wish, a speed double!).
Speaking of fibre optic cables, this new Open Access Policy on SAFE meant more competitive prices as other ISPs can use SAFE bandwidth while paying only a small access fee. Great news? End of MT's Internet monopoly!?
Far from it. In fact, what MT did was end one monopoly & start another one on... Eassy. They are perfectly in their rights to maintain exclusive access to Eassy because they're the only one who invested in it. So the other ISPs are left to fight over SAFE, which is (coincidentally) nearing full capacity. Mauritius Telecom's stranglehold on Mauritian Internet is nowhere near its end...
![Users-on-Internet_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUW73EPddbtLaiKjSRhXKzuN-Dj17IGjSYkqTMxAj731RzGu16goTOigrGWnT7u90DBN_vb37luwrkiwQGFBXRk-lVAz2v2U59X8SyC70BfA-tYZNHMG_oBFq9FmywiMggEFqMeLuRHt_W/s1600-h/Users-on-Internet_thumb%5B1%5D%5B2%5D.jpg "Users-on-Internet_thumb[1]")
Update:
Huge update as Orange have finally announced the new My.T prices... which remains unchanged. Instead, we have a speed double! :)
(VAT included)
No TV option (pre-March 2009 My.T users only) - NO SPEED DOUBLE & NO PRICE DECREASE! (see below)My.T 512kbps -> My.T 1Mbps - Rs 848
My.T 1Mbps -> My.T 2Mbps - Rs 1549
My.T 2Mbps -> My.T 4Mbps - Rs (no idea!)
With My.T watch (new & current My.T users)
My.T 512kbps -> My.T 1Mbps - Rs 999
My.T 1Mbps -> My.T 2Mbps - Rs 1699
My.T 2Mbps -> My.T 4Mbps - Rs 2999
+ 3 new (useless) IPTV channels - Boing, MCM Top et Motor TV.
Happy, aren't you? :P
Sorry to ADSL users, but there'll be no speed double for you. That's because of a technological limitation - ADSL uses ADSL while My.T uses ADSL2/ADSL2+. ADSL provides slower speeds over a long distance while ADSL2 provides faster speeds over a short range.
If you want faster speeds, you'll have to upgrade to my.T - provided that you're eligible, i.e., the line attenuation between your home & the nearest exchange (DSLAM) is acceptable for ADSL2 to work.
With the exception of ADSL users, this speed double is the best deal for everyone. However, with no unlimited offer under Rs 500, this means decent broadband Internet still isn't accessible to everyone.
Now, as illogical as it may sound, I was pretty confident that we would have a speed double this year, just like I've been having for the past 3 years. :D
2007: 56Kbps -> 128Kbps
2008: 128Kbps -> 256Kbps
2009: 256Kbps -> 512Kbps
2010: 512Kbps -> 1Mbps
So next year, expect another speed double. 2Mbps. You heard it here first. ;)
The 4Mbps offer is a direct consequence of Eassy & an upgrading of the existing network. Back in September, I had tweeted that the bandwidth of My.T connections have been upgraded from 4Mbps to 5Mbps. That was when they were testing that 4Mbps. ;)
If you check your My.T ADSL stats, it'll probably look like the above. If you have G992_3_A, that's ADSL2. If you have G992_5_A, that's ADSL2+. & if you have a bandwidth greater than 8000 Kb/s, well, congratulations! You have fibre! :D
That's my speed right now on my 512K. Let's hope by Wednesday, this will double.
PS. Nomad user? Totally screwed. (Just give up with that zombie ISP...)
Update 2:
Good news. There's no FUP on any of the My.T offers. Not that it was being enforced on the first place...
From L'Express - Baisse de l’internet : Polémique autour des forfaits proposés par Mauritius Telecom
Yes, they are partly right that it's unfair there has been no reduction in prices for My.T & MT refuse to give an affordable offer that'll make broadband available to everyone (128K or 256K unlimited).
& I doubt such new offers will be made available in the future for a few reasons - the market in Mauritius is too small, no cut-throat competition between ISPs & MT have fixed their prices at a profitable margin (which they won't readily decrease).
Do people really want a price decrease instead of speed double? I just did a small poll on Twitter & FB, & the overwhelming majority want more speed. My suggestion to commenters on the article - please come back to reality. We do need faster broadband!
Update 3:
SNR margin? Atténuation? Here's the explanation, copied from here.
Terminaison locale - From DSLAM to Livebox (downstream)
Terminaison distante - From Livebox to DSLAM (upstream)
If you want a more detailed explanation, check here. ;)SNR
SNR means Signal to Noise Ratio. Simply put divide the Signal value by Noise Value and you get SNR. You need high SNR for a stable connection. In general, a higher signal to noise ratio will result in less errors.Note that most modems display value as SNR Margin and not pure SNR.
- 6bB. or below = Bad and will experience no line synchronisation and frequent disconnections
- 7dB-10dB. = Fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions.
- 11dB-20dB. = Good with little or no disconnection problems
- 20dB-28dB. = Excellent
- 29dB. or above = Outstanding
SNR Margin
You can think of SNR margin as the measure of quality of the service; it defines the ability of the service to work error free during noise bursts.
This is a measure of the difference between your current SNR and the SNR that is required to keep a reliable service at your connection speed. If your SNR is very close to the minimum required SNR, you are more likely to suffer intermittent connection faults, or slowdowns. You need a high margin to ensure that bursts of interference don't cause constant disconnections.
With traditional broadband, the higher the SNR Margin, the better. With MaxDSL the faster speeds are only available as a trade-off with what your line can reliably support. The Target SNR Margin is about 6dB. If your broadband is provided through an LLU (Local Loop Unbundled) network, this target SNR Margin may be as high as 12dB.
Line Attenuation
In gerneral, attenuation is the loss of signal over distance. Unfortunately, dB loss is not just dependent on distance. It also depends on cable type and gauge (which can differ over the length of the cable), the number and location other connection points on the cable.
- 20bB. and below = Outstanding
- 20dB-30dB. = Excellent
- 30dB-40dB. = Very Good
- 40dB-50dB. = Good
- 50dB-60dB. = Poor and may experience connectivity issues
- 60dB. and above = Bad and will experience connectivity issues
Line attenuation also affects your speed.
- 75 dB+: Out of range for broadband
- 60-75 dB: max speed up to 512kbps
- 43-60dB: max speed up to 1Mbps
- 0-42dB: speed up to 2Mbps+
Update 4:
NO SPEED DOUBLE NOR PRICE DECREASE FOR MY.T USERS WITH NO TV OPTION!!!
My.T users with no TV option, that is, those paying My.T 512k for Rs 848 (Rs 750+VAT) with only free channels, will NOT get a speed double nor any decrease in price!
So I've been screwed by Orange Mauritius...
Is that even legal? I'm neither getting a price decrease nor a speed double (which is indirectly a price decrease). & you tell me to pay more for a faster connection so that I can benefit of a decrease?
What happens to people who have chosen My.T but can't receive any TV channels? Upgrade to a faster connection while paying for a non-existent service? That's a scam!
Update 5:
Emtel Prepaid Web Packages
Offers:
- 500MB = Rs 360
- 1GB = Rs 480
Excess - Rs 3/MB.
Validity - 30 days. Balance accumulated.
Update 6:
I've blogged once again on this - Cheated by Orange Mauritius
Update 7:
Mr Sarat Lallah, CEO of Mauritius Telecom/Orange Mauritius on Radio Plus, Explik Ou Cas. Excerpt - "Nou ena My.T 1 mega. Nou ena My.T 2 mega. & nou ena My.T 3 mega."
Download here.
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- Island Crisis - New ADSL and MyT Internet Price in Mauritius 2010
- GeekScribes - The Deceit Of Orange Mauritius